Council decides not to pursue Housing Champion designation, for now

LACONIA — A resolution to show council support for the city to apply to a state program for greater access to funding failed at Monday’s meeting of the city council after a large crowd of residents expressed their disagreement.

Councilors declined to table and then did not approve an item that would have formally declared support for the city to apply to receive the forthcoming Housing Champion Designation from the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs.

The agenda item failed to gain any support among councilors. 

About 45 citizens attended the meeting and expressed strong opposition to the idea, arguing doing so would incentivize the building of low-income housing, change the character of neighborhoods for the worse and lower property values. Members of the crowd signaled strong skepticism about a lack of housing in Laconia and insisted the city's receiving the designation would lead to unfavorable development on a city-owned parcel of land at the intersection of North Main Street and Parade Road.

City councilors argued there is a lack of housing in Laconia, but declined to formally declare their support for pursuit of the designation because it could require review and revision to multiple aspects of the zoning ordinance and they hadn’t had the opportunity to thoroughly interrogate the issue. 

Ward 3 Councilor Eric Hoffman told those in attendance that no decisions have yet been made relative to the city-owned parcel on the north end of the city and councilors hadn’t even seen the results of the request for information published by the city earlier this year. Furthermore, the Housing Champion designation is not related to that parcel of land.

“We haven’t even seen the RFQs ourselves so you know as much as we do,” Ward 6 Councilor Tony Felch said. “You know exactly what we know because we haven’t seen the information any more than you have.”

The Housing Champion designation was borne out of the state Legislature, which provided $5 million in funding with the purpose of enabling municipalities to engage voluntarily to benefit from funding assistance and other opportunities afforded exclusively to those which receive the special designation.

If designated a Housing Champion, municipalities would receive preferential access to state resources including discretionary state infrastructure funding. The designation would also make the city eligible to receive funding from the Housing Production Municipal Grant Program and Housing Infrastructure Municipal Grant and Loan Program.

Bill Milner of 46 Marshall Court told councilors he didn’t support the city applying for the special designation because he was not in favor of workforce housing to be developed, was fearful of potential zoning changes and didn’t want to see his equity diminished. He said there was a petition with 200 signatures of residents who are not in favor of the city pursuing the designation.

“Why do we need to be the canaries in the coal mine?” he said. 

Milner said he doesn’t like what he’s seen of another housing development in Dover known as The Cottages at Back River Road.

“We support the right housing in the right places at the right time,” he said.

In order to qualify for the program, the city would be required to adopt various land use regulations designed to spur sustainable development; engage in regular training of Planning and Zoning board members; implement and plan for water and sewer as well as transportation and walkability infrastructure upgrades; and allow for financial incentives for sustainable development.

Matt Cashman of 44 Marshall Court said he and many others were strongly opposed to the city receiving the Housing Champion designation.

“We are not in favor of this proposal at all,” Cashman said.

“We live here for a reason, we live here because it’s a quiet, nice community.”

When the item came to a vote, Ward 1 Councilor Bruce Cheney said he wanted more information and was also concerned about the former State School property and Hoffman said he wanted more information regarding required changes to the zoning ordinance necessary for the city to pursue the special designation.

“We know nothing about the Laconia State School property and before we go and get involved in Housing Champions and planning, I think we’ve got to worry about what’s going to happen there first,” Cheney said. “I’m going to oppose this on the grounds that we don’t know enough now.”