Walter Borowski: Planning boards drag heels as state housing crisis worsens

To The Daily Sun,

New Hampshire is in a housing crisis. Median home prices hit $540,000 in June 2024 — a 63% jump in four years. We need 23,500 new housing units, yet local planning boards continue to block sensible solutions like the proposed expansion of Eagle’s Rest in Alton.

This 55+ manufactured home community has provided affordable senior housing for decades, maintaining its own roads, water, and sewer systems — saving the town money. Its modest plan to add one to two homes per year would expand affordable options with minimal impact. Yet instead of support, it faces red tape and outdated zoning hurdles.

Only 61% of homes are affordable to median-income earners. Planning boards should fast-track projects like Eagle’s Rest, not punish them with new requirements that didn’t exist when the community was built over 30 years ago. Such obstructionism worsens the crisis.

New Hampshire's housing inventory has steadily declined, especially since the pandemic. Employers can’t find workers, young families are priced out, and the average home now demands 49% of a household's monthly income. These are not isolated problems — they threaten the state’s economy and quality of life. The passage of RSA 674:32 in 2024 was a step toward streamlining approvals for developments like Eagle’s Rest. But local boards must implement it in good faith. We need to stop blocking housing that works and start supporting it.

Our towns must act now. Seniors and working families deserve housing they can afford. The future of New Hampshire depends on it.

Walter Borowski

Alton