By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – The Senate took bipartisan steps they hope will help ease the state’s housing crisis Thursday, though not all members were happy.
They passed bills permitting residential building in commercial zones and permitting manufactured and modular housing in all residential zones.
This came despite some concern by state Senator Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, that it was taking away local control and handing unfunded mandates to cities and towns.
Both bills, however, passed on a voice vote.
The 24-member body also decided to table a number of other bills including those related to medicinal cannabis.
HOUSING
Polls have consistently shown the top priority of voters is to solve the state’s housing crisis.
There are too few affordable housing units available to those who want to live in the state, and it is having an impact on businesses that have a hard time finding help.
House Bill 631 permitting residential buildings in commercial zoning was promoted by Sen. Dan Innis, R-Bradford, and has passed the House.
Ricciardi said it would force cities and towns to handle financial burdens of the bill on their own and for that reason it is an unfunded mandate. These costs to comply, she said, could run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
“If we are serious about solving our housing crisis, we need to provide the resources,” she said.
While she said she loves what the Town of Salem did with the development of Tuscan Village, town residents there got to vote on that project.
She said this could lead to high density development and is a one-size-fits approach.
Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, said when zoning came about it was for reasons of health and safety and that those zones were placed apart but in recent years, planners have recognized the error of their ways and more and more commercial structures are being repurposed.
This would allow more options and said it is an important bill noting that 88 percent of his constituents support it.
He asked senators to think of the most congested area in their district, likely a stop-and-go stretch of strip malls.
“That is the legacy of…zoning,” he said.
“Now imagine your favorite part,” perhaps a place like a town center “that was built and created before we had these regulations.”
Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, reminded the body that the state is in the middle of a housing crisis.
She said now, best practices nationally are seen as mixed-use areas.
“This bill speaks to the urgency of this issue,” she said.
It passed on a voice vote.
HB 685 permitting construction of manufactured housing in all residentially zoned areas by right also passed.
Murphy said this would allow for an affordable solution for some of the state’s housing needs.
Ricciardi said the bill provides just another sweeping, one-size-fits all law and denies local zoning authority.
She said it eliminates choices, and it conflicts with statutes the state only recently updated,
strips away local control and invites high density.
Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, offered a floor amendment which would include modular homes in the language of the bill.
Senator Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, said he would not be supporting the bill but would support the amendment because he said it makes it better. The amendment passed with only Ricciardi voting against it and the bill passed on a voice vote.
After the votes, it was greeted with support from Housing Action New Hampshire which called them two critical pieces of legislation — HB 631 and HB 685 — that will expand housing options statewide. “Together, these policies will address rising housing costs, unlock more types of homes, and ensure that families, seniors, and workers can find an affordable place to live in the communities they serve,” the press release read.
Executive Director Nick Taylor said “today’s votes show that there continues to be strong, bipartisan support within the New Hampshire Legislature to expand access to housing options and that the Legislature understands the urgent need for real housing solutions. As rents and home prices continue to hit historic highs and options remain limited, these bipartisan bills will help unlock opportunities for Granite Staters to live closer to jobs, build wealth through homeownership, and stay in the communities they call home. House Bill 631 makes common sense—it allows homes to be built near jobs and commercial areas, reducing commuting costs, easing pressure on open space, and supporting vibrant main streets. House Bill 685 expands access to modern manufactured homes, which are an affordable, high-quality option for families who will now have a path to homeownership. Together, these bills represent practical, popular steps forward in addressing our housing shortage and expanding the range of home choices our communities need.”
THERAPEUTIC CANNABIS BILLS LAID ON THE TABLE
The Senate moved to lay on the table HB 190-FN relative to possession limits for therapeutic cannabis. The motion to table passed 14-10 along partisan lines.
Aso laid on the table was HB 380-FN relative to penalties for criminal violations of the therapeutic use of cannabis.
Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, said tabling was not the correct motion because it would prevent meaningful discussion on impacts to those who are sick and in need of this as medicine. But on a roll call vote and along partisan lines it was tabled, 14-10.