Legislative Update: August 20, 2019
NHAR on new water standards: State should assist
By BOB QUINN
Vice President of Government Affairs
By BOB QUINN
Vice President of Government Affairs
New Hampshire Realtors President, Dan O’Halloran of KW Lakes & Mountains Realty in New London, wrote in a recent opinion piece that there should be more assistance from state government to ensure residential and commercial property owners can meet new water standards for PFAS and arsenic. You can read the piece in NH Business Review, and it was published in the Concord Monitor and Nashua Telegraph as well.
Dan wrote that while most of the discussion about the impact of the proposed rules surrounding PFAS and arsenic has centered on the costs to municipalities, most of the water systems impacted are actually owned by homeowner and condominium associations, commercial real estate entities and private well water owners.
Policymakers need to keep in mind that housing costs are pushing many families out of the housing market. And all mandates on housing, regardless of their intent, will only exacerbate the current affordability crisis that exists in New Hampshire.
The state needs to takes steps to lessen the burden on all property owners to fix a problem in which they did nothing wrong. Water contamination is a real problem for New Hampshire residents, but so is the lack of reasonably priced housing for families, workers and retirees. Fixing one problem at the expense of the other is not in anyone’s best interest.
NHAR housing polls shows generational divide on our housing shortage
A poll conducted on behalf of NHAR, through a grant provided by the National Association of REALTORS, found that while most New Hampshire voters are generally content with their current housing situation, they recognize that the cost of housing would likely prohibit their ability find adequate housing if they had to move.
The poll found that while most voters are united on the need to build more single-family detached homes (82 percent), that support starts to fall off on attached townhomes (67 percent).
Voters are particularly divided on building apartments (55 percent support, 43 percent oppose) and condominiums (48 percent support, 50 percent oppose). Younger people are much more likely to support these developments than older people.
“Millennials, especially those with families, want more housing options, and they are open to living in more densely developed projects,” O’Halloran said. “The tension is between long-term homeowners who are satisfied with the status quo and younger workers who don’t feel they have sufficient access to housing. The consequences on our economy are significant.”
Additionally, 38 percent of registered voters say their rent or mortgage payment is a strain on their monthly budget, including 15 percent who say it is a significant strain. One in eight registered voters between ages 35 and 50 are considering moving out of state due to high housing costs.
You can read more about the NHAR poll here, or view more of the poll data here.
If you have questions regarding the 2019 New Hampshire legislative session, please contact New Hampshire REALTORS Vice President of Government Affairs Bob Quinn at bob@nhar.com or 603-225-5549.
