Governor would submit a statewide housing and infrastructure plan

The governor would prepare and update a statewide housing and infrastructure plan. The plan would bring together housing projects supported by federal, state, and local governments and identify infrastructure needed for housing, including water and wastewater projects. Regional planners would provide priorities and public input. The governor would submit the plan to the Legislature for action. The governor would update the plan every two years. The bill sets deadlines for regional priorities, public review, and sending the plan to the Legislature.

The housing council would include additional representatives and review the statewide plan. The proposed council members would represent metropolitan and rural regional planning bodies, a statewide disability organization, and municipalities; another provision adds a state planning division representative to the commission on housing stability. The disability organization representative would be appointed by the governor. The New Hampshire Municipal Association would appoint three town managers or designees from different regions. The council would send the plan and its recommendations to the governor by December 1 of each odd-numbered year.

Municipalities would update master plans every 10 years and review housing progress five years after adopting or updating a plan. Each municipality would send its review to the state planning division and the housing council for use in the statewide plan. The review would assess progress toward housing goals, use the latest regional housing needs assessment, and evaluate zoning rules and housing incentives adopted in the previous five years. The five-year review would be sent to the state planning division and housing council for inclusion in the latest statewide plan update.