New Hampshire
Conference addresses housing needs: Is Montana an example for NH? – NH Business Review
Montana State Sen. Forrest Mendeville talks about the “Montana Miracle” of legislation to encourage more housing at New Hampshire Housing’s 2024 Housing & Economic Conference. (Photo by Paul Briand)
When it comes to increasing the amount of affordable housing, can the state of New Hampshire take a lesson from the state of Montana?
The NH Housing Finance Authority thinks so.
The agency invited a Montana state senator, who’s been instrumental in housing-related legislation, to its annual conference held Oct. 23 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.
Forrest Mandeville, a Republican state senator from Columbus, Montana, was one of several presenters at the conference that addressed challenges and possible solutions to the housing crisis in the Granite State.
Mandeville reviewed legislation brokered in a bi-partisan fashion in 2023 designed to increase Montana’s housing supply.
Montana, like New Hampshire, is a mostly rural state that has experienced a housing dearth that makes homes expensive to buy and apartments expensive to rent. Montana, in fact, has it worse than New Hampshire in that it is the least affordable state in the country, according to National Association of Realtors tracking.
Montana, like New Hampshire, passed legislation easing the creation of ADUs — accessory dwelling units on residential property. Montana’s legislation also eased restrictions on duplexes.
The Montana Legislation in 2023 passed the Land Use Planning Act (LUPA), which requires that cities in Montana with populations over 5,000 people that are located in counties with populations over 70,000 people update their land-use plans and zoning and subdivision regulations within three years of its passage. LUPA’s ultimate goal is to ensure sufficient housing for the growing population and for different income levels through coordinated and planned growth across the state.
Politically, both the Montana House and Senate are controlled by Republicans, similar to New Hampshire.
Mandeville, who titled his presentation “Montana Miracle,” pointed to a governor who wanted to see more housing and a coalition of stakeholders — including politicians, builders and planners — who wanted to give him something he could sign into law.
“We streamlined a lot of processes,” said Mandeville. “We legalized a lot of stuff that’s not always been legal. Some of the main things we did that are often lumped into the ‘Montana Miracle’ is we legalized ADUs in single-family zones, legalized duplexes in single-family zones. We allow residential development in commercial areas, and we passed the Land Use Planning Act.”
Creators of the legislation did not pursue items they knew the governor wasn’t going to approve of, according to Mandeville.
“We focused really on the supply side and on the ability to address the demand, the ability of developers to meet the market demands, because that’s what was going to fly in Montana,” said Mandeville. “I’ve had some people tell me: You know, the Land Use Planning Act should have included a climate action plan. That was not going to pass. We were not going to vote for that because the governor was not going to sign. So as much as some people might want to see it, it’s not going to happen. So understand the political factors and take what you can get. You can always work on fixes later.”
Mandeville had four pieces of advice for housing stakeholders to navigate the political divide: take what you can get, know when you lost on an issue and move on, know when to compromise, and build a coalition.
Besides Mandeville, other presenters at the 2024 Housing & Economy Conference included:
- Linlin Liang, principal associate at Pew Charitable Trusts, who spoke about policy approaches to improve housing supply and affordability.
- Tina Lund from Urbanonics, who presented data that debunks the notion that more families with school-age children in a community means higher property taxes.
- Angela Brooks, president of the American Planning Association, whose topic was “Overcoming Housing Obstacles.”
- Lisa Prevost, freelance journalist and author, who spoke on how zoning in New Hampshire throws up roadblocks to affordable housing.
Rob Dapice, executive director and CEO of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, opens the 2024 Housing & Economic Conference held Oct. 23 at the Grappone Center in Concord. (Photo by Paul Briand)
NH Housing’s executive director and CEO, Rob Dapice, set the stage for the day by illustrating the need for purchased and rented housing in the Granite State. About 300 people registered for the event.
Dapice said the 2024 legislative session in New Hampshire produced a lot of activity with respect to housing but with few results, which he called “disappointing.”
“The market can’t do it all itself,” said Dapice, “and so we desperately need more money for the affordable housing fund so we can build more housing for Granite Staters. In addition, there are a number of great ideas and opportunities to lower regulatory barriers to housing.”
He noted that the state needs almost 60,000 new units between 2020 and 2030, nearly 90,000 new units between 2020 and 2040. To meet production needs, he said, local authorities need to increase permits by 36% over recent levels.
During her presentation, Liang tied lack of rental property to increasing rents to increasing homelessness here.
She noted that the median monthly rent in New Hampshire increased 57% from January 2017 to September 2024. At the same time, homelessness in the state grew by 68%.
Using the example of Minneapolis, she said the city made a concerted effort to increase its rental housing supply. Rents decreased and homelessness decreased by 13%, according to Liang.
Lund said Urbanomics, a consulting group that serves businesses and government in the areas of economics, public finance and urban planning, studied the perceptions and numbers of whether more school-age children in a community drives up property taxes.
“The perception is development, particularly multifamily housing, leads to additional public school children, which leads to higher property taxes on single-family homes,” said Lund. “Now our hypothesis, based on all the work we’ve done elsewhere in the country, is that developmental multifamily does indeed yield some additional public school children, but it also yields significant additional property taxes, so there is no additional implicit property taxes to existing residents.”
This notion supports prior data offered by the New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR) that also addressed the issue as being false.
New Hampshire
Massachusetts man in burning car rescued by trooper on N.H. Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s security detail
A Bay State man who was trapped in his vehicle after crashing into a toll plaza was rescued by a trooper who’s on New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s security detail, according to police.
The governor also helped at the chaotic scene, police said, as the group helped the seriously injured 51-year-old man from Massachusetts at the Bedford Toll Plaza on the F.E. Everett Turnpike.
The state trooper assigned to the governor’s security detail helped pull the driver from his burning vehicle. The driver has been identified as Yevgeny Mirman.
At 11:55 a.m. on Tuesday, troopers assigned to the Troop B barracks responded to the single-vehicle crash involving a 2026 Lucid Gravity that struck the toll plaza. 911 callers said the vehicle had caught fire, and someone in the vehicle appeared to be trapped.
While units were responding, a veteran trooper assigned to Ayotte’s security detail came upon the crash, saw that the vehicle was actively on fire, and spotted the driver inside the car.
The trooper then pulled the driver from the burning car through a window. Ayotte, along with other witnesses at the scene, provided assistance to the trooper.
Mirman was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with serious injuries. The name of the trooper is being withheld due to the nature of their position.
“Certainly, their actions were heroic in what they did,” Colonel Mark B. Hall said in a statement. “Without hesitation, they put themselves in danger to render aid to someone who was in need of it.”
Troop B was assisted by members of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, Bedford Fire Department, Litchfield Fire Rescue and Merrimack Fire Rescue.
No charges were immediately filed. However, all aspects of the crash remained under investigation.
Anyone with information that may help the ongoing investigation was asked to contact Trooper Nathan Belanger at Nathan.R.Belanger@dos.nh.gov.
New Hampshire
Texting and driving? Lawmakers want you to pay steeper fines – Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
If you use your cell phone while driving, you may want to think twice — unless you’re willing to pay twice as much.
A bipartisan bill, backed by state law enforcement, would institute higher fines for drivers who use handheld devices behind the wheel. In some cases, motorists could lose their licenses for a month or more.
Sen. Donovan Fenton, a Democrat from Keene who serves on Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s Highway Safety Task Force, pointed to state crash data as reason for the change proposed in his Senate Bill 649
The number of traffic deaths in New Hampshire has crept up over the past few years. In 2023, there were 127 fatalities, at least six of which stemmed from distracted driving, Fenton said.
“Distracted driving is becoming more pronounced, more dangerous and more deadly,” he said at a public hearing last week. “The current penalties are not enough to change behavior, particularly with repeat offenses.”
There were 133 traffic deaths in 2024 and 138 in 2025, according to the Office of Highway Safety. In 2026 so far, thirteen people have died in car crashes.
Fenton’s bill would increase the amount someone has to pay for violating the prohibition on cell phone use while driving. First-time offenders would pay $250 instead of the current $100, and on the second violation in two years, the offender would pay $500. For the third offense in two years, they would pay $750 and lose their license for 30 days. All those penalties could increase if cell phone use behind the wheel is found to be a contributing factor in a car crash.
Current law allows hands-free operation of a cell phone via Bluetooth but prohibits handheld device use. The state collected more than $568,000 in related fines and penalty assessments in the most recent fiscal year.
Distracted driving was a contributing factor in 4,520 of the state’s nearly 28,000 non-fatal crashes in 2023, according to the Department of Safety. That’s a little over 16%, though a report from the task force said officials suspect distracted driving is difficult to track and underreported in more serious collisions. Cell phones are a common culprit in distracted driving.
Ayotte’s task force has highlighted other policies that it says would increase public safety, including doubling the license suspension period for refusing a breathalyzer test.
In the first 10 weeks of 2026, three-quarters of the people arrested for impaired driving in New Hampshire refused to take a breath alcohol test, Ayotte said in a recent press release. The governor has waged a public campaign for the proposed law, Senate Bill 260, which she says would disincentivize drivers from refusing the test.
What’s next: Senate Bill 649 breezed through the Senate earlier this year. The House of Representatives is set to vote on it in the coming weeks after a committee recommended its passage almost unanimously.
New Hampshire
Longtime Blue Jays organization member Tamargo tasked with leading New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Ohio State’s Anthony Thompson quiet in McDonald’s All-American Game
Oklahoma lawmaker proposes morel mushroom as state symbol
Is it legal to point security camera at a neighbor’s house in Oregon?
🏭 A legal fight over coal mining | Morning Newsletter
Who is Rosie DiMare? What to know about the ‘Real Housewife’ of RI
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Video: Trump Says U.S. to Leave Iran ‘Very Soon’
April showdowns: 4 key races to watch this month that will test Trump, GOP grip on power
Newsletter: Energy shock has Brussels on edge
Suspension lifted for helicopter pilots who hovered near Kid Rock’s home
Read the Judge’s Decision on the Trump Administration’s Subpoena Against Penn
-
South-Carolina3 days agoSouth Carolina vs TCU predictions for Elite Eight game in March Madness
-
Miami, FL6 days agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
New Mexico1 week agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Culture1 week agoDo You Know the Comics That Inspired These TV Adventures?
-
Minneapolis, MN6 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Tennessee1 week agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Science1 week agoAs mosquitoes go year-round in L.A., a promising fix hits a snag
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Trader Joe’s Dip Head-to-Head Taste Test