Polls show housing — or the lack of it — is the top public policy concern of Granite State voters.
That’s why NHJournal is launching its new “Up To Speed” podcast with Matt Mayberry, executive director of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association.
What is the real state of New Hampshire’s housing supply? What are the biggest obstacles to building new homes? What could the state do today to improve prospects for would-be home buyers in New Hampshire tomorrow?
It’s all here in this episode of “Up To Speed,” sponsored by Legislative Solutions.
A few highlights:
There’s a lot of talk about a housing shortage in New Hampshire. What is the NHHBA’s big-picture view on the problem?
“Within the next six years, we’re going to need almost 90,000 units of housing. That includes apartments, single family homes, condominiums — because the demand is there. We’re still feeling the afterglow of COVID, where people realized they can work from home, and so they want to work remotely. They want to work in a more rural environment. So, they’re still coming here. We still have a lot of cash buyers coming in from out of state.
“That has its benefits and its drawbacks, but 90,000 units within the next six or seven years? It’s crazy. It’s the number one economic driving issue in New Hampshire.
“I talked with a company coming from Italy that wants to build these very cool heating plants for homes. The second question they asked me was, ‘Where does my labor come from? We know we can build here. Where do we get our workers?'”
One of the hottest debates is over local control. The state is trying to get cities and towns to relax zoning rules and allow more home building. But why shouldn’t local officials decide what they want Auburn or Berlin to look like? Isn’t it an overreach for the state to step in?
“We have a housing issue. When you have towns like Hanover — you know, the people who bitch the most usually have the strictest zoning laws. Hanover is doing jumping jacks: ‘We need labor! We need nurses! We need (people). But they have a five-acre minimum for a house lot, so you start at 300,000 before you cut grass.
“You’ve got Durham saying, ‘We need housing for everyone, but we won’t allow more than three unrelated adults to live in the same domicile.’ And these towns also (impose) the 2021 energy codes, which, as we’ve shown and you and I have talked about, adds $76 million to the cost of consumer debt…
“When you have municipalities saying, ‘It’s not my problem, I’m going to complain about it. But I want Manchester to fix it. I want Dover to fix it.’ We all love our friends in Portsmouth, right? They don’t want any housing there. They’re like, ‘Cobble the streets and close them all off, and (people can) go live in Dover, Rochester, Somersworth.’
“Now merchants are saying, ‘Screw that. We’re going to jump the bridge. We’re going to build restaurants in Dover, Rochester and Somersworth.’ And that’s where the economic growth is going.
“So soon there will be a whole bunch of chain restaurants in downtown Portsmouth. It’ll look just like Newport. And millionaires will live there, and they will be like, ‘But my housekeeper has to drive from Farmington.’ I don’t understand this.”
What’s the one piece of legislation that would do the most to get the New Hampshire housing market up to speed?
“It’s called ‘One State, One Code.’
“Every three years, the state of New Hampshire looks at energy codes and building codes and electrical codes to make sure we’re up to date. That includes things like car charging stations.
“Right now, we operate under the 2018 energy code. There’s a push to bring in the 2021 energy codes. The National Association of Home Builders says doing so would add about $34,000 to the cost of a home. That’s more expensive windows, more insulation, more drywall, more nails, less openings. Our green friends on the left say, ‘Oh no, no, no. It’s only going to cost around $2,000.
“We’re paying $6 for a dozen eggs. You think we can increase the insulation (mandate) on a 1,200 square foot house for $2,000? Common sense has to play a role in this somewhere.”
