Concord council approves zoning change, housing grants, reserves and multiple grant awards; funds DEI work

The Concord City Council on Monday approved a package of ordinances, resolutions and appropriations covering downtown zoning, housing grants, reserve transfers and several state grant awards.

Why it matters: The actions move forward a zoning change intended to give the Planning Board more discretion on certain downtown design limits, put $750,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) support toward a redevelopment at 30 East Side Drive, set aside $3.049 million in reserve funds from FY2024 surplus, and authorized several smaller grants and appropriations that the city says will support library services, public safety operations and the city—s diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging (DEIJB) efforts.

Zoning and downtown design: The council adopted an ordinance amending Title 4, Chapter 28 of the Code of Ordinances to allow the Planning Board to consider conditional use permits to address potential obstructions to the State House dome and to clarify maximum height limitations in parts of the Central Business Performance District and Opportunity Corridor Performance District. Planning staff and the Planning Board had returned the item to council after public comment and further review. Supporters at council said the revised language gives the Planning Board flexibility to review design issues and reduces the need for applicants to go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. No recorded roll-call vote counts were provided in the meeting transcript beyond the council—s announcement that the motion carried.

Housing grant and anti-displacement policy: The council authorized the city manager to apply for up to $750,000 in CDBG funds through the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority to support Ketch Neighborhood Housing—s (CATCH) redevelopment of 30 East Side Drive. The council also adopted an anti-displacement relocation policy and procedures required under the federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act for projects that may cause displacement. City staff explained that the funds would largely be subgranted to the Concord Area Trust for Community Housing (CATCH) and used to redevelop the site, increasing affordable units from 14 to roughly 20–24 units serving adults with developmental disabilities and other low- and moderate-income households. City staff said up to $40,000 of any grant award would be retained by the city for administrative and labor-compliance costs.

Public comment on the project highlighted concerns about per-unit cost. Roy Schweikher, a resident who testified during the public hearing, said the redevelopment appears expensive on a per-unit basis and urged the city to consider housing options targeted to lower income thresholds than those typically used by developers.

Reserve transfers, surplus accounting: Finance staff reported a FY2024 surplus of $1.4 million and recommended appropriating $3,049,000 from the assigned fund balance to various reserve accounts. Assistant finance staff described how the city will allocate the transfers (highway reserve: $1,500,000; technology: $50,000; equipment: $299,000; recreation: $400,000; human resources: $500,000; economic development: $300,000) and noted an unassigned fund balance of roughly $15.6 million (about 21.6% of the general fund). Councilors questioned the purpose and flexibility of the reserves; staff explained withdrawals would require future council authorization and said maintaining a healthy fund balance supports bond ratings and helps the city manage unexpected costs.

Library donation and equipment: The council accepted $17,265 in donations from the Concord Public Library Foundation to support the library—s programs (seed library startup, literacy kits, Library of Things items, multilingual children—s materials and subscriptions). Separately, the council authorized borrowing $150,000 for replacement/repairs to the Concord Public Library—s rooftop cooling units to maintain air conditioning for the near term while the city considers longer-range renovation plans.

State grants for public safety and investigations: The council accepted several state grant awards that require no local match: $40,000 from the New Hampshire Department of Safety for illegal-drug-related investigations and $16,000 to buy search-and-rescue equipment for the Concord Police Department and the Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit. City staff said both grants required no local match and the council voted to accept them.

DEIJB consultant and committee funding: The council approved a $40,000 appropriation from fund balance for the DEIJB advisory committee to contract with a facilitator to conduct foundational training, community listening sessions and focus groups and to help the committee develop metrics and next steps. The council—s packet and staff said the RFQ process produced several proposals; the selected respondent proposed a two-phase approach (phase 1: $25,000 for initial review, facilitated training and focus groups; phase 2: an estimated $15,000 for broader training and implementation). Council discussion included concerns about selecting an out-of-state consultant, whether city staff or local providers could do the work, and whether volunteer committee members could produce the same deliverables; Ani Malachi, chair of the DEIJB steering committee, said the steering committee supports using an experienced facilitator to help produce a written product and training materials.

Votes at a glance: (motions were moved and seconded; transcript reports "ayes have it" for each item) - Ordinance (zoning amendment regarding dome obstruction and downtown heights) (agenda items 26a/27): approved. - Ordinance (election specialist / classification and compensation schedule) (agenda items 26b/28): approved (adds a permanent part-time election specialist at 24 hours/week). - Resolution (accept library donations $17,265) (agenda items 26c/29): approved. - Resolutions (CDBG grant application and anti-displacement policy supporting CATCH redevelopment at 30 East Side Drive) (agenda items 26d/26e/30/31): approved. - Resolution (transfer $3,049,000 to reserves from FY2024 assigned fund balance) (agenda items 26f/32): approved. - Resolution (use of reserves, $54,000 for furniture/equipment/training) (agenda items 26g/33): approved. - Resolution (library cooling unit replacement; $150,000 bond authorization) (agenda items 26h/34): approved. - Resolution (accept $40,000 state grant for illegal-drug investigations) (agenda item 26i/35): approved. - Resolution (accept $16,000 state grant for search-and-rescue equipment) (agenda item 26j/36): approved. - Resolution (DEIJB work appropriation $40,000) (agenda item 26k/37): approved after discussion.

What the council did not decide: The meeting record reflects questions and public comment about project costs, consultant selection and the limits of local authority (for example, staff repeatedly stressed that use of reserve funds and future appropriations would require separate council authorization). The council also discussed but did not change the composition or charge of the DEIJB steering committee; the committee will report back on deliverables and any proposed phase-2 work.

Looking ahead: Staff said the CDBG and other grant applications will now proceed per program timelines; if the city receives CDBG funds the subgrant process with CATCH will follow federal URA rules for relocation assistance if any displacement occurs. Finance staff said the reserve transfers and bond authorization will be reflected in next steps for the FY26 budget and capital program.