Ayotte signs bills intended to spur housing development

Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed 10 bills into law this week that are aimed at addressing a shortage of housing, which has contributed to steadily rising prices for apartment rentals and home purchases.

On Tuesday, she signed House Bill 577, which allows attached and detached accessory dwelling units by right in areas zoned for single-family homes, and HB 631, which allows multi-family homes in commercial zones.

She also signed Senate Bill 282, allowing residential buildings with four or fewer floors to have only one stairway, provided that the building is equipped with a sprinkler system and meets fire code requirements.

Also meeting her approval was SB 284, which prohibits towns and cities from requiring more than one parking space per housing unit.

All these measures are aimed at making it easier to build new housing in New Hampshire. The state has seen the median price for single-family houses increase by more than 275% in the past 25 years, reaching well over $500,000, the NH Fiscal Policy Institute said in a Feb. 26 report.

The report also says that a low inventory of housing has driven up the price of rental units, which, last year, had a median monthly cost of $1,833 for a two-bedroom apartment, a 36% increase from 2019.

The NH Municipal Association, which represents every town and city in the state, argued against many of the housing bills, saying they will decrease control by local officials who know best how their communities should be developed.

The counter argument is that over-regulation at the local level has made it too hard to build new houses and apartments.

While the recently concluded session of the NH Legislature resulted in the passage of a number of housing policy bills, most measures intended to allocate state money to spur residential development did not pass.

Housing Action NH, a Concord-based nonprofit that works to increase housing stocks, said in a news release Tuesday that the bills Ayotte signed will “help increase accessible and attainable housing options for our workforce, young families, seniors seeking to age in place, and people with disabilities.”

Nick Taylor, the organization’s director, said in the release that the bills “are a win for New Hampshire families and businesses.

“They make it easier for Granite Staters to create attainable homes on their own property, revitalize aging strip malls and office buildings, cut through burdensome red tape, and streamline the approval process,” he said.

“Addressing our housing shortage will mean more options for aging parents, young families, and the workers our communities rely on. While our work is not done, these bills represent common-sense steps that make meaningful progress toward addressing our housing shortage.”

“Out of Reach,” a report published Thursday by Housing Action NH and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, estimates how much an hourly worker would need to make to afford a residence without spending more than 30% of their income on that home.

By this standard, in New Hampshire, that worker would need to earn $35.08 an hour to afford the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment.

The report also noted that the minimum hourly wage in the state is $7.25 and the average renter earns $20.92.

Other housing reform measures Ayotte signed Tuesday:

• SB 281, prohibiting municipalities from denying building or occupancy permits for property adjacent to class VI roads under certain circumstances.
• HB 296, on issuing building permits along private roads.
• HB 413, regarding subdivision regulations.
• HB 457, relative to zoning restrictions on dwelling units.
• SB 110, regarding applications for altering terrain.
• SB 188, regarding the state building code.

Rick Green can be reached at 603-352-1234, ext. 1435, or rgreen@keenesentinel.com.

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