In Hopkinton, 90% of housing consists of single-family detached homes, the most expensive option for buyers and renters. The town has started to explore adding what one planner calls the “missing middle,” which includes duplexes, triplexes, cottage courts, small apartment buildings, courtyard apartment complexes and pairs of duplexes on lots.

With a median house price of more than $450,000, Hopkinton is among the New Hampshire towns considering ways to reshape its zoning code to make way for broader and more affordable housing options. A 2023 statewide housing needs assessment has underscored the pressing need for 60,000 additional housing units in New Hampshire between 2020 and 2030.

In small towns like Hopkinton, it starts with community discussions like one held Thursday at the Slusser Center.

“I’ve been thrilled to see that people in Hopkinton are willing to have a conversation about different forms, different building types, and different forms of housing, they’re ready to have that conversation,” said Ivy Vann, the urban planner hired by the town through a grant to assess housing needs and facilitate community engagement. “That’s enormously encouraging because that’s not true in every town that I work with.”

Because New Hampshire’s housing landscape is primarily dominated by single-family homes, making changes can be particularly challenging, especially in smaller communities.

Unlike in other states where planners have the authority to suggest changes to zoning codes to the planning commission and take it to the city council, New Hampshire towns take a more democratic path.

Here, the power rests with the majority of town residents, who must cast their votes in favor of any ordinance changes. This adds an extra layer of complexity to the decision-making.

Vann said that she couldn’t name a single planner in the state whose proposals had not faced rejection during the ballot process.

This reluctance stems from resident concerns that their property values might decline if they are in proximity to affordable housing or other housing varieties.

Additionally, bias against renters represents another significant hurdle to the acceptance of zoning changes.

“Nobody left home and bought a house. We all started out as renters,” explained Vann. “You did not become a morally upright citizen when you signed that half inch of mortgage documents at the bank that you didn’t read.”

The state’s housing opportunity planning grant, which allocates funds to municipalities for revising land use regulations to boost housing development opportunities, comes in three phases. Hopkinton has secured funding for the first phase, which aids in assessing housing needs in town and community engagement.

The Hopkinton Housing Survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/JZTMVDF.