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Commerce committee advances bill to sell surplus state land, adds commission to prioritize housing
Summary
The House Commerce Committee advanced HB 17‑26, an amendment-led bill to allow state agencies to sell surplus parcels (including highway-adjacent tracts) and to create a commission to prioritize transitions of state land to local tax rolls and housing infrastructure. The committee passed the bill as amended in executive session.
The House Commerce Committee on Thursday advanced House Bill 17‑26, an amendment that would let state agencies sell surplus parcels of land now sitting on the state rolls and create a commission to study transitions to local tax rolls and infrastructure funding.
State Representative Bridal Cole, the bill sponsor, told the committee the amendment is intended to return underused parcels to productive use. “Some of these parcels of land are huge, over a 100 acres,” Cole said, describing roadside and highway‑adjacent tracts that the state currently holds. Cole said the change would allow private buyers or developers to acquire land for uses ranging from convenience stores near exit ramps to residential development.
Nick Taylor, director of Housing Action New Hampshire, said his organization is officially neutral on the bill but supports its goal of converting underutilized state land to housing where feasible. He urged the committee to consider incentives that ensure sales lead to housing development rather than simply bolstering agencies’ ownership funds: “there is some incentive to build housing on this land since we know that land costs are such a significant driver of housing costs,” Taylor said.
Committee members asked whether the Department of Transportation maintains a complete inventory of surplus lands; witnesses and advocates said multiple state departments hold property and recommended consolidating responsibility so sales are handled through a consistent administrative pathway.
In executive session later in the meeting, committee members considered and approved an amendment to add a commission to examine how to transition state‑owned property to local tax rolls, prioritize water and wastewater infrastructure needs tied to development, and recommend ways to fund related infrastructure. The committee recorded a motion to pass HB 17‑26 as amended and voiced its approval in committee votes recorded during executive session.
The committee’s action sends the bill forward for further consideration by the full legislature with the added commission and direction to explore incentives to produce housing when surplus land is sold.
