Meredith designated as a Housing Champion

MEREDITH — The town was named a Housing Champion at the selectboard meeting on Monday, celebrating the community's work through land use boards to make it more appealing for development.

“Meredith took the step to become a Housing Champion, and what that meant was to look at your zoning and see that it welcomes housing,” said Housing Champion Program Manager Lee Ann Moynihan. “So that you change ordinances to allow housing to come to the community, both market rate housing, as well as affordable housing.”

According to Moynihan, 18 communities qualified in the first round of applications, followed by a second round of 10 communities, which included Meredith.

“You are really in a small pool, but we are really proud that we have over 10% of communities in the State of New Hampshire that are Housing Champions,” Moynihan said.

To apply for Housing Champion status, a town needs 80 points on a set rubric, which can be gained through everything from including zoning amendments in the town warrant to the training of board members.

Town Planner Angela LaBrecque said on Tuesday that when the first round of applications took place, Meredith did not have enough points. She then worked with zoning and planning board members on receiving training and certification through an online exam. LaBrecque said this helps members make more informed decisions with expanded knowledge of state laws.

Other points were earned from zoning amendments to Town Meeting, which all passed. These included an amendment to allow accessory dwelling units by right, allowing permitting of multi-family homes in any commercial district, and eliminating the minimum square foot requirement for single-family home footprints.

The town also received a Housing Opportunity Planning grant, which brought Meredith to the 80 points needed.

Meredith town staff applied to be a Housing Champion on May 30, and officially received designation on Sept. 30.

Andrew Dorsett, the director of the Office of Housing and Infrastructure Development, said in response to the housing crisis, the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs completed a housing needs assessment in 2023, which found the state needed 23,000 additional dwellings. When looking at the state’s overall growth, that number had already jumped to about 32,700 units by 2025, and by 2040, the state could be down 88,364 housing units.

“How will you feel that?” Dorsett asked rhetorically during a presentation to the selectboard. “You’re going to feel that in rents that are somewhat difficult to manage.”

The Invest NH Program was launched during the Sununu administration in response to these findings, and while Dorsett said it is now an umbrella organization, the “1.0 version” involved $100 million to tackle the crisis.

One part of this was the Capital Grant Program, where $50 million was placed into direct capital forgiveness loans, and 1,344 units were created. Of these, 845 were affordable housing units.

There was also a Municipal Per Unit Program used to incentivize communities to permit affordable housing quickly. Funds could be used to support housing, reduce the tax rate, or for other impacts associated with the community. This program helped create 1,900 units statewide, and 1,623 of them are considered affordable.

A Demolition Grant Program was used to mitigate asbestos and lead removal, or complete removal of contaminated structures, which helped create 2,302 new units, of which 920 were affordable.

Invest NH also teamed up with the state Housing Finance Authority to create 261 units — 235 affordable — through six projects in a capital subsidy program.

The Municipal Planning and Zoning Grant program, of which Meredith took part, was created to help communities look at planning and zoning ordinances to ensure they align with a balance of what citizens want. Dorsett said this led to public discussions about how ordinances and policies support housing, rather than create a barrier.

This led to the Housing Champion Program, which Dorsett said takes housing, ordinances, and needs a step further.

Moynihan said part of a community becoming a Housing Champion means planning and zoning board members were trained to better understand the ordinances. Town staff also had to make sure the infrastructure was in place to meet housing needs.

The Housing Champion Fund, in 2024-25, contained $5 million for communities designated as Housing Champions to access funding to support affordable housing development.

Moynihan said through this program, a community can apply for a production grant, and if awarded, can receive up to $10,000 per every affordable unit built in the last fiscal year. She said the production grant funds, while intended to be used for housing and infrastructure, could be used for anything.

Moynihan said $1.5 million was sent out to four communities which met the criteria. Of the $3.5 million used for infrastructure, seven communities were awarded grant funds. Money was given for projects that have already begun, and the funds can be used to reimburse costs.

LaBrecque said the town has not yet received funds.

During the selectboard meeting, a member of the public asked if this distinction means Meredith has been actively building affordable housing. Moynihan said this is not necessarily the case. She explained there are no criteria which force Meredith to build affordable units, but rather to look at ordinances and train board members.

LaBrecque reiterated on Tuesday nothing is mandated, but with new zoning amendments coming forward, the Housing Champion distinction provides additional opportunities for housing development.

Dorsett said it puts up a signal to developers that the community has “pre-thought” and made changes to ordinances, to be ready for growth. He also said becoming a Housing Champion gives the town priority in other grants, such as through the Department of Environmental Services, or Department of Transportation.

LaBrecque said it also puts town staff in a better position to receive funding for infrastructure, such as wastewater and municipal water, which is needed.

While LaBrecque and the land use board members were at the front lines to gain the Housing Champion status, it was also a focal point of the selectboard.

“The selectboard communicated to me that they wanted to become Housing Champions, so getting that green light with their support was instrumental in moving this along,” LaBrecque said.

The town is currently taking public input through a survey about 2026 zoning amendments, which can be found in the “News Flash” section at meredithnh.gov.