New Hampshire Housing Toolbox

planning and zoning strategies for housing production in new hampshire communities.

Download the Toolbox as a PDF or view the strategies online here.

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A diagram illustrating attached and detached Accessory Dwelling Units. There are two attached versions: one where a garage or addition has been turned into an ADU with a separate side entrance and one in which an attic has been turned into an ADU with stairs leading to a separate upstairs entrance. There is one detached ADU diagram, showing a small out-building with its own entrance and pathway behind a larger home.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

Secondary homes or apartments on an existing single family lot.

Housing Costs Housing Options Multigenerational

A diagram showing two versions of the same building. At the top: a darkened mill-style building with missing windows, a broken roof, and sparse plant growth around it. An arrow points to an image below where the image has been brightened, the windows replaced, the roof repaired, and a tree growing next the structure.

Adaptive Reuse

The practice of reusing old buildings for new purposes

Housing Costs Housing Options Infrastructure Redevelopment Sustainable Housing

A diagram of an idealized age-friendly neighborhood. The neighborhood includes a mix of housing types, including detached single-family homes of various sizes, mixed-use buildings, and a cottage court. The diagram includes the following labels pointing to aspects of the drawing: "Nearby retail, community center, and open space;" "Diverse housing options, including apartments and starter homes;" "Single-story housing layouts with shared amenities;" "Sidewalks and other accessible infrastructure;" and "Accessory dwelling units for multi-generational households."

Age Friendly Neighborhoods

Places that address the needs of younger and older adults.

Housing Costs Housing Options Multigenerational

A drawing showing an aerial view of same plot of land three times. Above there is a version labeled "Undeveloped," with a wooded area and a lake and stream. At bottom-left there is a version labeled "Conventional Subdivision." It shows the land divided into a ten parcels of relatively even size spread out across the area. There is a large amount of road and driveway area and many of the trees have been removed. At bottom-right is a version labeled "Cluster Housing." It shows twelve relatively small homes on twelve small parcels, clustered in two groups at the bottom-left of the area. The trees have been preserved, and only a small amount of road/driveway area connects the homes to the main edge of the area. Green trails wind throughout the parcel and connect to both the houses and the public road away from the houses. The Cluster Housing diagram has additional labels: "Preserved Natural Features," "Less Infrastructure," "Bonus units," and "Public access."

Cluster Housing

A style of development in which homes are grouped together on a site and given large shared open spaces.

Housing Options Infrastructure Sustainable Housing

A diagram showing an axonometric view of an area with several two- and three-story buildings. An area is demarcated on the land and labeled "Designated Downtown or Village Area." Most of the buildings are grayed out, but one building is shown in color and labeled "Rehabilitated Property." Below the axonometric drawing is the label "Community Revitalization Tax Relief" with a column chart with two bars. The column on the left is labeled "Before rehab" and "Taxed value on property before rehabilitation." That column is small and shown in green. A larger column on the right is labeled "After rehab." The portion of the column equal to the "Before rehab" column is also green. The portion above that is gray and hatched and labeled "Untaxed value on rehabilitation: savings for up to 5 years."

Community Revitalization Tax Relief (79-E)

Provides temporary tax relief for a property owner to rehabilitate or replace their building in a village or downtown area

Housing Costs Infrastructure Redevelopment

A grayscale diagram of a three-story, mixed-use, traditionally styled building with three columns of windows and a cornice. On the left is a diagram of the front facade, on the right is an axonometric diagram of the building on its land parcel. There are unlabeled arrows implying measurements for total height, total living area height, ground floor height, upper floor heights, cornice heights, ground and upper floor fenestration, setbacks, land widths, parcel depths, etc.

Form-Based Codes

A set of land development regulations with a primary focus of achieving a specified urban form.

Housing Costs Housing Options Infrastructure Redevelopment

A diagram showing an axonometric view of an area with several colorful 1.5 and two-story homes. An area is demarcated on the land and labeled "Designated Housing Opportunity Zone." Below the axonometric drawing is the label "Taxes in Housing Opportunity Zone" with a column chart with two bars. The column on the left is labeled "Before new development" and "Taxed value on property before development." That column is small and shown in green. A larger column on the right is labeled "After new development." The portion of the column equal to the "Before new development" column is also green. The portion above that is gray and hatched and labeled "Untaxed value on new development: savings for up to 10 years."

Housing Opportunity Zones

An area within a community where qualifying mixed-income developments can receive property tax relief for up to 10 years.

Affordable Housing Infrastructure Redevelopment

A diagram of a single-family subdivision with twelve homes. Eight homes in red are labeled "Base Market-Rate Units." Two homes in yellow are labeled "Affordable Units." Two homes in blue are labeled "Bonus Market-Rate Units."

Inclusionary Zoning

A land use regulation that encourages the creation of deed-restricted affordable housing within market-rate developments

Affordable Housing

An axonometric diagram of two versions of the same area of land. On the top is a diagram of the area with five two- and three-story buildings, plus large empty lots breaking up the area. An arrow points from the top to bottom. On the bottom, the empty lots now contain additional mixed-use buildings and homes.

Infill Development

New construction undertaken in an already built-up area

Housing Costs Infrastructure Redevelopment

An exploded axonometric diagram of a manufactured home. At the top is a set of walls, roof, windows, and doors labeled "Factory-built wood structure + interiors." Below that is a horizontal plane labeled "Flooring over base." Below that is grid of metal parts labeled "Permanent chassis." Below that is a series of short columns labeled "Semi-permanent foundation." Around the foundation is a set of vertical planes labeled "Screening panels." Around that are tufts of green and a set of wooden stairs labeled "Landscaping + decking."

Missing Middle Housing Types

A range of housing options that are smaller than conventional single-family homes, but are not large apartment buildings

Affordable Housing Housing Costs Housing Options Multigenerational Sustainable Housing

An axonometric diagram of two buildings next to each other. One building is four stories with two entrances. On the bottom story there is a sign for "nh hardware." The second building is two stories with three entrances (including a corner entrance), awnings, and cafe tables). The drawing is labeled "Retail, restaurant, and other active uses on ground floor" and "Housing on upper levels."

Mixed-Use Development

A type of real estate development that combines multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, entertainment, and institutional, into a single development project

Affordable Housing Housing Costs Housing Options Multigenerational Sustainable Housing

A diagram showing drawings connected by arrows. First, a plan view showing a large empty area next to dense urban fabric labeled "Large, complex site with single owner." Second, icons of buildings labeled "Mixed-use potential." Third, icons of a paint brush and magnifying glass labeled "Up-front planning and design." Fourth, icons of people talking labeled "public review and input." Fifth and finally, the initial empty plot of land in plan view, now with a mix of building types, a street network, and open spaces.

Planned Unit Developments (PUDs)

A method of land use regulation where the allowed mix of land uses, building types, densities, site design, and infrastructure are specified in detail for a single parcel or small collection of parcels

Housing Costs Infrastructure Sustainable Housing

Three axonometric diagrams connected by one-way arrows. First, a small home on a small plot of land labeled "Historic, compact development pattern." Second, a larger home on a larger plot of land with arrows specifying setbacks, etc. labeled "Development mandated under zoning." Third and finally, a home and land parcel the same size as the first drawing, with arrows indicating setbacks, etc. and labeled "Reduced requirements."

Reduced Zoning and Subdivision Requirements

A process of matching local land use rules with the existing built character of a place, with community needs, with contemporary real estate economics, and with a community’s vision for its future

Affordable Housing Housing Costs Housing Options Redevelopment Sustainable Housing

A diagram of a large house labeled "Owner-occupied home" and a smaller unit behind it labeled "Short-term rental." Beneath it is a list reading: "Registered locally, lodging uses permitted, fees for inspection, meals and rooms tax, max occupancy, max days rented."

Short-Term Rental Regulations

Online markets for overnight and short-term homestays (such as AirBNB and VRBO) have grown exponentially over the past decade.

Housing Costs Housing Options

A diagram of five drawings connect by one-way arrows. First, a drawing of yellow notes labeled "Municipal bond." Second an axonometric drawing of a street with the road and underground pipes showing, labeled "Infrastructure." Third a drawing of a building labeled "Private development." Fourth, a column chart showing a small column on the left in light green, and a large column on the right with a gray area equal in size to the first column and a green area above. The chart is labeled "Property taxes on increased values." Fifth and finally, a drawing of a $50 bill labeled "Bond payments."

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

An economic development tool meant to make private developments feasible at low upfront costs to the community

Housing Costs Infrastructure Redevelopment

A drawing of a plot of land. Most of the land is shown in green and planted with trees, with two small houses. It is labeled "Sending Zone: Land owners sell development permissions to preserve open space/agriculture." A smaller area is grayed out and shows many buildings. It is labeled "Receiving Zone: Land owners buy development permissions to increase allowed density."

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)

A zoning tool used to distribute development in an area to the places best suited for development, while letting all property owners recoup the value of development.

Housing Costs Housing Options Infrastructure Sustainable Housing