Latest news with #HB577
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill expanding access to ADUs gets final nod
A bill to increase the size of accessory dwelling units and to allow them to be detached from the home cleared its final legislative hurdle Thursday. 'This bill will remove confusion, produce uniformity and eliminate unnecessary barriers,' said House Commerce Committee Chairman Dan Innis, R-Bradford. The passage of HB 577 came after the state Senate soundly rejected a move from Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, to water down the House-passed bill, which had the backing of the New Hampshire Municipal Association. 'I was trying to find middle ground but clearly this wasn't the day for that,' Fenton said. 'In my view, ADUs have a place and work great in many communities. Trouble is, I heard from many officials in small towns very wary of this.' Municipal Association lobbyist Brodie Deshaies confirmed his group could have lived with Fenton's amendment, which would have made several changes including restoring a local-control requirement that it would be up to each town to approve an ADU ordinance and a delay in the effective date of the law to July 1, 2026. 'The amendment surely would have made a bad bill better, but we would have preferred the Senate reject it outright,' he said. The Senate turned down Fenton's amendment and passed the bill on voice votes. Bigger with more bedrooms The legislation, which would take effect July 1, increases the allowed size of an ADU from 750 to 950 square feet and expressly allow two-bedroom units. Sen. Tim McGough, R-Merrimack, said the bill addresses two of the state's critical needs. 'Not only does the bill allow property owners to enhance asset value, but it also enables them to give their family members a jump start on living at home when they're young and age gracefully,' McGough said. 'By removing unnecessary red tape and making it easier to build small homes like backyard cottages and garage apartments, we're helping seniors stay close to loved ones and giving young people a foothold in the communities they grew up in,' said Nick Taylor, executive director of Housing Action N.H. 'This legislation means more affordable, right-sized home choices for Granite Staters at every stage of life — and that's a big step toward tackling our housing shortage.' +++ What's Next: The bill will soon head to the desk of Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Prospects: While Ayotte hasn't commented on this legislation specifically, she said expanding ADU access was one of her priorities while campaigning for governor last fall. klandrigan@
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Housing poll finds strong support for pending bills
In a new poll, more than three-quarters of those surveyed support lawmakers passing four housing bills to set smaller house lot sizes, mandate allowing accessory dwelling units, favor residential apartments in commercial zones and eliminate community-wide parking space requirements. Housing Action N.H. reported that in its poll nearly six in 10 (59%) support building more housing, even if it would mean reducing local control over that development. 'The message is clear: New Hampshire is experiencing a severe housing shortage that is being felt from southern New Hampshire to the North Country and all across the state. Voters support solutions to our housing shortage,' said Nick Taylor, Housing Action N.H.'s director. 'These results show that a significant majority of New Hampshire voters support proposals currently in front of the Legislature this session, and we urge them to pass these proposals quickly to begin addressing the housing shortage.' YouGov conducted the poll for Housing Action, surveying 406 registered voters from March 3-10. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 6%. The proposal that received the most support (88%) was to permit apartments to be sited on the second floor of buildings in any commercial zone (HB 631). Only 7% opposed the idea and the rest (5%) were undecided. The accessory dwelling units legislation (HB 577) had the backing of 76%, as did the requirement that at least half the new residential units in a community be built on smaller lot sizes (SB 84). Giving developers and property owners more flexibility in deciding how many parking spaces (SB 284) to have had the backing of 75% of those surveyed. All four of these bills have cleared either the House of Representatives or the Senate. The most vigorous debate was over the legislation from Sen. Keith Murphy, R-Manchester, to set a lot maximum of half an acre on half the properties in a community with public water and public sewer. Communities that have private wells and septic tanks would have a lot size cap of two acres. The Senate approved the bill, 13-10, but it was roundly criticized by nine Republican senators who charged that it would violate local control and smacked of too much top-down direction from state government. As independent polls have found, the survey confirmed affordable housing was the top issue (55%), followed by inflation (44%), taxes (22/%) and homelessness (21%). The survey found that these majorities were held among all regions of the state and also by political affiliation as well. Roughly 55% said their area does a 'poor' or 'very poor' job of keeping housing affordable and more than 75% said there were not enough affordable homes in their community for the average person to rent or buy. klandrigan@
