Executive Councilor Joe Kenny, State Senator Mark McConkie and representatives of the New Hampshire Municipal Association addressed the Brookfield Town Planning Board on Aug. 11, focusing on housing, accessory dwelling unit rules and recent state actions affecting development on Class 6 roads.

The officials said housing remains the region’s top issue and urged local engagement as the Legislature and state agencies continue to change land-use rules. “It is the number 1 crisis for any employer that I speak to,” State Senator Mark McConkie said of housing, describing local efforts and statewide programs to spur development and noting the state had directed money to projects through an Invest in New Hampshire program.

Why it matters: Brookfield is updating its master plan while the state has moved to expand by-right ADU authority and lawmakers have debated bills that change how and where towns may allow development. Planning boards and residents face questions about how to reconcile local master plans and voters’ preferences with state law and new statutory requirements.

Most important facts

- Executive Councilor Joe Kenny and State Senator Mark McConkie met with the Planning Board to hear local concerns and explain state activity on housing and related statutes. Kenny said he was “here tonight to listen to your concerns on housing and the like.”

- The Planning Board and guests discussed the recently advanced ADU statute (referred to in the meeting as House Bill 577). NHMA staff explained the new law’s effect on municipal permitting: if a property meets state criteria, an ADU must be permitted by right and cannot be made subject to conditional-use permits or special-exception processes.

- Municipal Association representative Bernie Deshais told the board that state changes have narrowed local discretion over development on Class 6 roads and other zoning matters. He described past practice in which municipalities considered Class 6 development on a case-by-case basis and said recent legislation limits that local decision-making pathway.

- Board and residents raised safety and liability concerns about Class 6 roads and emergency access. One resident asked whether recent legislative changes relieve towns of liability when first responders cannot reach properties; NHMA and the guests noted the law narrows municipal obligations but does not eliminate the town’s practical responsibility to defend claims and to maintain emergency access when necessary.

Supporting details and context

- Senator McConkie described state efforts such as Invest in New Hampshire and demolition and technical-assistance grants that have helped some projects but said the number of housing units needed statewide still far exceeds available funding. He encouraged towns to consider targeted overlay districts where infrastructure can support denser development.

- NHMA’s Bernie Deshais said municipalities that do not want development on Class 6 roads can remove those options from their frontage requirements; alternatively, towns that permit building should enforce deed registrations and maintenance obligations to keep emergency access passable. “Every town just lost its right to be able to go through that local decision making process,” he told the meeting, summarizing NHMA’s view of the legislative session’s effect on local authority.

- Several Brookfield attendees raised school funding and district apportionment as drivers of high local taxes and expressed interest in exploring options such as area agreements, coop changes or other governance changes to reduce per-pupil costs.

Direct quotes (selected)

- “It is the number 1 crisis for any employer that I speak to,” — State Senator Mark McConkie.

- “I’m here tonight to listen to your concerns on housing and the like,” — Executive Councilor Joe Kenny.

- “Every town just lost its right to be able to go through that local decision making process and determination of development,” — Bernie Deshais, New Hampshire Municipal Association.

What was not decided

No ordinance changes or formal votes on zoning were taken at this meeting. Planning Board members asked for further clarification and legal guidance as Brookfield updates its master plan and considers warrant articles that would align town ordinance language with the new ADU law.

Next steps and follow-up

Board members said they will use the information in ongoing master-plan work and in drafting potential warrant articles. NHMA staff indicated it will continue outreach and provide legal guidance to municipalities on implementing state changes. Several residents were advised to use public hearings and written testimony to reach lawmakers and committee members when bills are under consideration.

Ending

The discussion underscored tensions between state-driven housing policy and local planning priorities; guests urged Brookfield officials and residents to document local preferences in hearings and in upcoming master-plan and warrant-article work so their local views are recorded in the policy process.