The mix of storefronts, apartment buildings and historic homes just off Main Street is the fabric of the City of Concord’s downtown. There’s a reason there aren’t large homes with front lawns next to the State House or apartment complexes in the neighborhoods near Rundlett Middle School – the city’s zoning code.

But zoning ordinances, which are complex building codes that lay the rules for construction in a town or city, can also be barriers to building more housing, a critical need for the state currently, with requirements that control lot sizes, parking spaces and the density of buildings (how many people can live in a unit).

In 2019, a statewide commission of legislators, housing experts and environmental leaders was assembled to study barriers to housing density in the state. But the group’s work was curtailed due to the pandemic.

And in the last four years, the state’s housing crisis has only grown. New Hampshire Housing estimates 60,000 units are needed by 2030 and 90,000 units by 2040, to meet statewide demand.

Now, State Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, a Portsmouth Democrat, wants to reconvene the commission.

“It’s understandable why local relations can be a barrier unknowingly to housing in New Hampshire and helping our communities achieve their housing goals requires collaboration and support,” she said in a House Municipal and County Government Committee hearing Thursday.

The state’s housing crisis is also compounded by rising costs. The New Hampshire Association of Realtors has an affordability index where they track median income versus median sale prices of homes. Right now that index sits at 70, according to Bob Quinn, the chief executive officer of the association.

That means that 70% of median income is required to purchase a home in the state right now.

The bill to reinstate the commission, Senate Bill 47, passed on a voice vote earlier this legislative session. Now, it’s in the hands of state representatives before it could head to the governor’s desk.

The commission would bring together state lawmakers and policy experts on housing to study residential density. The group would be comprised of two state senators, six state representatives, commissioners from the Departments of Business and Economic Affairs and Environmental Services, New Hampshire Housing, and representatives chosen by state-led builders, realtors, planners and conservationists.

Areas of interest for the committee include looking at minimum standards for residential development density, property tax incentives and workforce housing development. Members would also analyze the impacts of development on school enrollment and property values, and recommend legislation based on the work.

These are key topics that the previous group began to look at, but ran out of time to fully assess, according to Ben Frost, the deputy executive director of New Hampshire Housing and a member of the former commission.

“March 2020, the world shut down, and so did that commission,” said Frost. “Formation of a new commission following in its steps would allow for that work to be done.”

In 2020, Gov. Chris Sununu established a Commission on Housing Stability, which brings together stakeholders to support housing options throughout the state and address homelessness. In a recent report, the commission found that sewer regulations and minimum lot size requirements make it more stringent to build housing in New Hampshire, compared to surrounding New England states, according to Perkins Kwoka.

By reconvening the density commission, members could provide recommendations to municipalities on how to alter their zoning codes and ordinances to ease development. The group could also develop a model code for different cities and towns to adapt.

This is a crucial step to address the housing shortage, according to Elissa Margolin, the executive director of Housing Action NH, which was an organization that initially advocated for the group in 2019.

“In order to increase production and affordability, and keep New Hampshire’s rural character and preserve our beautiful natural spaces, we need to understand density,” she said. “We need to do that in partnership.”

The bill remains in the House committee. If members vote in favor of the commission, it will head to the House floor for a full vote, before making it to Sununu’s desk.

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