Rep. Laurel Stavis proposes ‘Partners in Housing’ program to unlock municipally owned land and finance missing-middle homes

Representative Laurel Stavis introduced House Bill 572, “Partners in Housing,” to the House Special Committee on Housing as a voluntary program intended to increase small, entry-level housing by lowering development costs and using underutilized municipal and county land. “My name is Laurel Stavis. I represent the City of Lebanon, and it is my privilege to introduce HB 572 to you today, the Partners in Housing bill,” Stavis said.

The bill would house the new program within the Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) division and would include three principal mechanisms: a statewide database of municipally- and county-owned land suitable for residential development; low-interest loans or grants to developers building on those sites; and expedited planning-board review to shorten approval timelines. Stavis told the committee the package “takes aim at these costs in 3 specific ways” and is voluntary for towns and counties.

Supporters at the hearing said the bill builds on existing state efforts. Margaret Burns of the New Hampshire Municipal Association told the committee she “is here this morning in support of House Bill 572 establishing the Partners in Housing program” and stressed the bill’s emphasis on state-local partnership and local decisionmaking. Bob Quinn, chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, described New Hampshire’s shortage of lower‑cost starter homes and cited state permitting and inventory trends that he says underlie the affordability problem.

Technical questions at the hearing focused on program design and rulemaking. Committee members and stakeholders asked how the loan and grant eligibility would be defined and who would administer loans; committee discussion and testimony indicated that the bill leaves some program details to a subsequent rulemaking and to BEA’s existing Housing Champions advisory processes. Representative Page read from the draft bill to note that the legislation contemplates loans or grants to developers where a municipality or county transfers ownership of land for residential development in exchange for at least 20 percent of units being affordable for 20 years.

Advocates including planners and nonprofit housing experts said lowering land and infrastructure costs and streamlining approvals would help small developers “pencil” modest units that otherwise do not meet typical private-return thresholds. Planner Ivy Van described construction-cost and labor constraints and said measures to reduce land and permitting costs would aid small-scale “missing middle” projects, and AARP New Hampshire’s Stephanie Schuyler told the committee that more affordable local housing supports caregivers, aging-in-place, and workforce retention.

The bill’s supporters emphasized the voluntary nature of the program and that participating municipalities would choose whether to join. Burns noted one technical reading of the draft that the grants and loans are tied to transfers of ownership rather than leases and offered to work with the sponsor on statutory language. Stavis said municipalities and counties would opt in if their governing bodies agree.

Committee members did not take a vote on HB 572 at this hearing; the committee recessed after closing public testimony. The bill remains before the Special Committee on Housing for further work and possible amendment.

Why it matters: New Hampshire witnesses testified that the state needs more modestly priced homes for working households; proponents say HB 572 aims to reduce two major cost barriers — land and delays in approvals — while leaving local governments the choice to participate.