Shortage of housing for NH workforce at “crisis levels”
Shortage of housing for NH workforce at “crisis levels”
>> WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE'S BUSINESS. I'M FRED KOCUR. IF THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF WORKERS. AND THAT'S THE DILEMMA FACING NEW HAMPSHIRE GOING INTO 2020. I'LL TALK TO MY GUEST IN A MINUTE. FIRST THIS QUOTE FROM NONE OTHER THAN GOVERNOR CHRIS SUNUNU. THE SHORTAGE OF HOUSING HAS REACHED CRISIS LEVELS AND THIS QUOTE FROM ECONOMIST RUSSELL THIBEAULT, FALLING BETWEEN 15 AND COULD BE AS HIGH AS 30,000. THE AVAILABILITY, NOW THE PRICING. MEDIAN SALES PRICE OF HOUSING, YOU CAN SEE THE TREND FROM ABOUT 2014 UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GRAPH IS UP. AND THE MEDIAN SALES PRICE REACHED A NEW PEAK IN JUNE OF 2019 AT 300,000 DOLLARS. THEN THE NEXT GRAPH. THIS, A STATEWIDE MEDIUM GROSS RENT INCLUDING UTILITIES FOR A TWO-BEDROOM UNIT WHICH INCREASED OVER 20% IN THE PAST TWO YEARS AND YOU CAN SEE THE LINES GOING UP. WITH ME TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO WORKS WITH THIS ISSUE ALL THE TIME, DEAN CHRISTIAN, DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSING FINANCE AUTHORITY, WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, FRED. >> WHAT'S STANDING IN THE WAY OF MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING? >> THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT MADE HOUSING PROBLEMATIC INCLUDING A LACK OF MAYBE, THERE'S A LABOR SHORTAGE HERE JUST AS IN OTHER PLACES. COST OF BUILDING HAS GONE UP RELATED TO MATERIAL COSTS AND CHANGING STANDARDS. A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE LACK OF PREDICTABILITY, THE LACK OF SPEED,SPEED ESSENTIALLY AND B ABLE TO GET THAT. >> EVEN IF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS WILLING TO BUILD TO MEET THIS NEED, THEY OFTEN FEEL THE COST AND RISK IS JUST TOO HIGH TO ACTUALLY GET IT DONE. >> WELL, GOVERNOR SUNUNU CREATED AS YOU KNOW, A HOUSING TASK FORCE TO LOOK AT THIS AND YOU'RE ON THAT TASK FORCE. YOU'VE COME UP WITH BASIC RECOMMENDATIONS SUCH AS EXPANDING THE CAPACITY OF LOCAL LAND USE BOARDS TO TAILOR ZONING TO EXPAND THE LOCAL HOUSING STOCKS, FOR INSTANCE. WHAT ARE THE TWO KEY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU THINK WILL MOVE THE DIAL ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING? >> SO THERE ARE TWO, I THINK, TWO CORE AREAS HERE, ONE IS PROVIDING ADDITIONAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO HELP THEM PROCESS APPLICATIONS MORE EFFECTIVELY FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE AND FROM THE DEVELOPER'S PERSPECTIVE AND THUS, GET MORE HOUSING BUILT QUICKER AND SECONDLY, TO MAKE THE PROCESS MORE PREDICTABLE AND CONSISTENT. AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, TIME LINES AROUND HOW LONG IT SHOULD TAKE TO ACTUALLY REVIEW A PROPOSAL AND MAKE A DECISION ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. AND THE OTHER EXAMPLE, IF THE PROPOSAL WAS TURNED DOWN. GIVING CLEAR STATEMENTS WHY IT DIDN'T MEET THE STANDARDS SO IF THEY WANT TO CORRECT THOSE THEY NEED EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. >> NOW, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE VOLUNTARY IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOPERS, NOT MANDATORY. ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT MAYBE SOME COMMUNITIES MIGHT NOT ADOPT THEM? >> THERE'S A LITTLE OF EACH. A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL HOURS, IF YOU WILL. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHICH WOULD BE DISCRETIONARY AND THAT WOULD WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO THOSE THINGS AND PROVIDE TOOLS TO HELP THEM. IN SOME CASES THE CHANGES THAT ARE PROPOSED WOULD BE REQUIRED OF EVERYONE TO MAKE SURE THERE'S A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD ACROSS THE COUNTRY. >> AND THIS IS THE FIRST OF MY CRYSTAL BALL INTERVIEWS I DO THIS TIME OF YEAR AND THIS ONE IS ON HOUSING WITH THOSE IN QUESTION WHOSE MISSION IN LIFE AT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IS TO BRING ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE WHICH I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON AND SO THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND JUST GIV
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Shortage of housing for NH workforce at “crisis levels”
Fred Kocher and Dean Christon, executive director of New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, discuss shortage of housing for NH workforce.
, N.H. —
Fred Kocher and Dean Christon, executive director of New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, discuss shortage of housing for NH workforce.
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