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BEA seeks new planning division to fold housing and broadband programs into one unit; highlights Housing Champions, BEAD funding
Summary
The Department of Business and Economic Affairs presented a budget that formalizes a Division of Planning and Community Development to consolidate planning, housing and broadband efforts; officials described Housing Champions, InvestNH awards, and the larger BEAD broadband funding stream that will continue through 2032.
Kathy Frederiksen, BEA director of finance, and Commissioner Taylor Caswell told the Finance – Division I committee they are proposing to convert the current Office of Planning and Development into a formal Division of Planning and Community Development so the agency can centralize municipal-facing work on housing and broadband.
Why it matters: BEA said the consolidation will improve coordination among programs that interact heavily with municipalities, including the Housing Champions initiative and federally funded broadband deployment grants.
Division proposal and staffing
Frederiksen said BEA totals roughly 78 positions in its request and that the proposed change moves existing housing and broadband work into the new division rather than creating an entirely new…
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