Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Case Studies

Issues Addressed:
Housing Costs Infrastructure Redevelopment

Bow, NH

The town adopted the Bow Business Corridor TIF in 2018 to extend the municipal water system and fund road improvements in the northern part of town.  The previous year Bow had approved a mixed-use district allowing higher densities with multifamily housing. The town has used the revenue generated so far to fund engineering and design of the waterline extension.  This commitment to extend the waterline has attracted several developers including the John Flatley Company, which has proposed a mixed-use development with 260 housing units.

Concord, NH

Concord has established numerous TIF districts, including the Sears Block TIF DIstrict in downtown Concord. The site of a former Sears department store, an incomplete development in the late 1990s left the buildings partially demolished. The City acquired the block and demolished the remaining structures in 2002. The City and a private developer used TIF, private funds, and other revenue sources to redevelop the block into “Capitol Commons.” Across the City, TIFs have funded roadway, utility, and parking improvements, as well as preparation of sites for new development. TIF improvements have enabled millions of dollars in new taxable value.
Concord’s Sears Block was either vacant or underutilized for years after the department store left for a suburban mall (top). It sat partially demolished until the City used TIF to ready the site for private development. Now it is called Capitol Commons (bottom) a hotel, parking garage, movie theater, and more. (Images via City of Concord)

Exeter, NH TIF

Exeter voters approved a TIF for the Epping Road area in 2015. The TIF funded improvements and extensions to roadways and utilities. The TIF infrastructure has supported businesses, as well as an age-restricted condominium development.

Easton, MA

Easton is a far suburb of Boston with a population of 20,000. The town’s master plan called for concentrating growth (including residential growth) at its major commercial hub, Five Corners. The town’s voters approved a TIF district (called DIF in Massachusetts), which would add sewer capacity, sidewalks, bike lanes, and traffic improvements to the area, in order to enable mixed-use development.
An aerial photograph of streets in Easton, Massachusetts. A long street runs horizontally through the photo, and a major intersection with another road is shown at the left. The center of the main horizontal street has been dug up and construction vehicles sit along it.
A photo of a street being dug up in Easton, Massachsuetts. In the photo, an excavator is pouring dirt over new sewer pipes in a narrow hole cut linearly on one side of the street. A police officer stands directing traffic while workers point to activity in the hole.
Sewer construction in the Five Corners growth area in Easton, MA, funded in part through Tax Increment Financing. Once complete, the new sewer capacity will allow more housing development and absorb growth from more rural areas of town. (Image via Town of Easton, MA.

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Related Tools

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
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 diagram with two versions of the same plot of land, one over the other. On the top version, the land contains only one single-family home with many wings and a large garage and a long driveway. This version is labeled with a large 'X' and "Regulations cannot mandate unaffordable housing everywhere." The version below contains two modestly sized single-family homes at the front of the site, and a driveway leading back to a cottage court, containing six small single-family homes around a central green. This version is labeled with a large checkmark and "Workforce housing must be allowed in a majority of residential areas."
Workforce Housing Ordinance
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