SB283

I ask that you ITL this bill.

Please oppose SB283! This is a scheme to maximize density and disruption to neighborhood.

Please ITL House Bill SB283. This bill fails to take into account slope and soil type which are significant factors in determining the livability of below grade areas.

I OPPOSE this bill. Will these mandates actually encourage the building of affordable housing? How will the proposals be interpreted and implemented at the local level? Will costly lawsuits follow? Will the values and vision of voters in our local communities be disregarded? We have a process to amend zoning laws at the LOCAL LEVEL.

This type of bill is a perfect example of how not to govern. Don't interfere with local governance on this level of detail (i.e. floor-area-ratios). All it does is strip power from the people we elect locally and make a mess of things. Every case and every town and city are different. We don't need or want imposed dictates like this.

Oppose SB283. Really? Micromanaging the local square footage ratio from Concord? What's next? What size shoes we can wear? We elect local board members to do our zoning, not special interests with their own agendas from far away. Hands off of our local governance.

The solution to our hosing crisis is not to steamroll local wisdom in favor of "one size only" state mandates. We need to preserve what is special about NH towns, villages, and cities and ensure that we can pass those values along to our children.

This bill along with other bills before the House are attempting to tackle the housing shortage. These proposals are sweeping and one-size-fits-all proposals. These bills disregard the voters and they contradict recent efforts by the Legislature to create a partnership between local government and the state to address housing.

SB283 Square footage is square footage no matter which level it resides in a structure. Excluding such areas from calculation impacts several key elements that local boards alone should decide. This can impact taxable amount for state taxes as well as other key factors.