Danielle Bee thought Warner residents had made it clear – many in town did not support more sidewalks, public transportation and new housing developments. 

To her, the state’s Housing Champions program – a tool for communities to be eligible for grants to build new developments – just enables Warner to introduce these unpopular concepts again.

When the town select board discussed applying for the first step in the program, to be designated as a Housing Champion, Bee was one of two dozen residents who turned out with fiery opposition. 

Long-time residents bristled at the thought of ceding any local authority over to state officials. They interrupted each other, grew agitated over differing interpretations of the program rules and guidelines and repeated the same sentiment – they like Warner the way it is.

“We’re wasting time on applying for something, an umbrella that covers literally every line item we have already voted down as a town,” she said. “This program takes over our zoning, our own ordinances. It’s absolutely unacceptable.” 

Warner, a small town of 3,000 residents, where more than one-third are over the age of 55, hit a median home price of over $400,00 this year. A recent community survey indicated people want more than single-family housing to attract a younger demographic, but how to implement such a plan is still up for debate. 

Last year, Gov. Chris Sununu included a $5 million award for the Housing Champions designation and grant program in the state budget, with the intention of providing a new tool for municipalities to build affordable housing. The program is entirely optional to apply for and utilize.

In Warner, the resounding message from the small group of residents was that the town should steer clear of the program and any strings that come with the funding. 

The program creates a reward system for qualifying cities and towns to be eligible for grants. First, municipalities must receive a Housing Champion designation, determined by a scoring system that evaluates what a city or town already has in place, and awards points for categories like zoning ordinances water and sewer infrastructure and transportation access. This serves as an indicator of a community’s commitment to establishing workforce housing and supporting economic development.

The program is one of many voluntary solutions to address the state’s ongoing housing crisis, where high sale prices, low inventory and inflated rental costs dominate the market. Estimates show that the state currently needs over 20,000 housing units to meet demand, and that number will grow to 60,000 units by 2030 and 90,000 units by 2040. 

For rural towns like Warner – where conversations about housing have gone hand in hand with fears of large-scale development – some residents worry the program will erode the character of the community. 

Similarly, the Laconia City Council voted down applying for the designation on Tuesday, yet the proposal passed unanimously in Concord. 

Select Board Chair Harry Seidel viewed the Housing Champion recognition as a way for Warner to be included in future grant opportunities. He worried that residents were conflating the initial designation with a mandated requirement to build workforce housing. 

“You are simply on a list of towns that have status. That does give you the opportunity that should the planning board, should the zoning board, should the residents of the town want to tackle the subject of housing in a meaningful way, it gives them that opportunity,” said Seidel. “It doesn't obligate you if the town doesn't want it.”

That wasn’t how planning board member James Gaffney saw it. 

“The language of the rules and the program itself state that housing committee applicants shall demonstrate dedication to encouraging all sorts of different things, there’s a whole laundry list,” he said. “There are a whole slew of requirements that will be enforced upon the town.” 

Warner has been leery of new development in the past. A proposal to build 24 units of workforce housing was withdrawn by a developer in 2022 after dozens of residents voiced opposition to the project. Written comment repeatedly referred to the town’s zoning code which states that development “must be compatible with Warner’s character as a historic New England town.” 

At previous Town Meetings, residents also voted down funds to match a state grant to build a multi-use path connecting development at Exit 9 off of Interstate 89 with Warner’s Main Street, essentially killing the project. 

John Leavitt feared infrastructure grants available through the Housing Champions program would reignite that conversation. 

“I actually look at this as a backdoor way of getting sidewalks down to the Market Basket,” he said, to roaring applause. 

With a Nov. 15 deadline to apply for the Housing Champions designation, the select board meeting was the only public conversation about the application process. Residents were vocal about feeling blindsided by the proposal, which felt rushed to them. The planning and zoning boards had not weighed in on the application either. 

In an attempt to simmer rising tension, Faith Minton, a select board member, reminded the crowd of a meeting code of conduct the town adopted prior this year. 

Audience members referenced the First Amendment and told her to save the comments for her diary, in response. 

“Giving us less than 24 hours’ notice that you were going to make this application, that’s what we think is rude and that’s why we are upset,” said Kathi Schoonmaker. 

Not all were in opposition, though. Ian Rogers, who chaired the town’s housing advisory committee, said the state program would enable Warner to consider another source of funding and support for new development, should the town choose to pursue a project. 

“There's no commitment at this point. There's no mandate, there's no real requirement. We could get housing champion status and then never use it,” he said. “It's giving us a tool in our town's tool belt to potentially use in the future, if we choose to.”

Instead, select board members tabled the conversation until the spring – when a new application period will begin – with promises to engage the planning board, zoning board, budget committee and others ahead of time. 

Even with more time, residents like Irene Duquette suggested the idea won’t be popular then, either. 

“We as a community have already voted on something similar to this not that long ago. I don't understand why we're wasting our time even talking about this,” she said. “We don't want sidewalks, we don't want workforce housing, we don't want higher taxes.”

Michaela Towfighi can be reached at mtowfighi@cmonitor.com