Stephen MacLeod

This bill takes away local control of town government. Not good for the Live Free or Die state or any state. One size fits all type bills like this end up creating a bigger problem that did not exist prior. The sponsor supported handout promoting this bill (attached .pdf) has several misleading statements: 1. "Legalize Starter Homes". The sponsors of this bill and all state reps should be made aware that there is no NH law or zoning ordinance in NH that "outlaws starter homes". No attempt in this bill defines what exactly is a "starter home". 2. The sponsor supported handout says in NH large lots require large homes. Completely false. No NH Law or zoning ordinance in any town in NH require large home sqft minimum on large lot's. Small home sqft minimum yes. Large home sqft minimum no. 3. The handout promoting this bill also states "According to the NH Zoning Atlas, 93 percent of buildable land in New Hampshire allows for single-family homes; only 15.7 percent allows for single-family homes on less than an acre of land. This is cherry picking. What the NH Zoning Atlas actually says: "Only 15.7% of the state’s buildable area allows for this type of development based on average soil and infrastructure conditions. This number could range between 12.5 to 19% depending on soil conditions and/or the availability of water and sewer infrastructure as several jurisdictions have a sliding scale of dimensional requirements based on site conditions.” 4. The sponsor supported handout also states: "Smaller lot sizes are a more efficient use of municipal resources. Smaller minimum lot sizes use less pavement, road maintenance, rural school bus service, plowing, etc." Not true. Higher density housing will always place a greater demand on existing municipal infrastructure: Costly water supply (public and individual well) upgrades, costly sewage treatment plant expansion requirements and larger septic systems, Police and Fire Departments will see increase activity. Schools will require additional resources, etc. Results: Large property taxes increases to pay for this thus making that “Starter Home” not so attractive…the very thing the sponsors of this bill overlooked. All state reps should take time (less than 15min) to review the New Hampshire Zoning Atlas - A collaborative effort led by Saint Anselm College. Here's the link https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/410e9b3e818344d7858a043b9a5fe8c7 Again, I oppose this bill.