David Preece

Dear Chair and Members of the Committee, I write in strong support of HB 1010, which repeals the statewide mandate requiring municipalities to permit multi-family residential development on commercially zoned land. This mandate was a fundamental mistake in land-use policy. It replaced careful local planning with a one-size-fits-all rule that ignores infrastructure, traffic, public safety, water and sewer capacity, school impact, and community design. It also undermines decades of thoughtful zoning that separates commercial districts — where people work, shop, and access services — from residential neighborhoods designed for living. Housing policy works best when it is planned, not imposed. Commercial districts exist for a reason. They provide space for employers, medical offices, grocery stores, childcare centers, small businesses, and tax-generating economic activity. Forcing residential development into these zones without local review does not create smart growth — it creates conflict, congestion, and long-term fiscal strain. HB 1010 does not ban housing in commercial areas. It simply returns that decision to the communities that understand their roads, utilities, emergency services, and economic development needs. If a town wants to allow housing in a commercial zone, it still can — through its planning board, zoning ordinance, and voters. What HB 1010 ends is the idea that Concord knows better than the people who live and govern there. True housing progress comes from locally designed solutions: mixed-use districts where they make sense, downtown housing where infrastructure supports it, transit-oriented development, accessory dwellings, and workforce housing in appropriate zones. State mandates that bulldoze zoning categories do not produce affordability — they produce backlash, litigation, and stalled projects. HB 1010 restores balance, predictability, and democratic control to land-use planning. It respects property owners, businesses, and residents alike by ensuring that growth happens where it is appropriate, safe, and sustainable. I respectfully urge the Committee to recommend Ought to Pass on HB 1010. Sincerely, David John Preece State Representative, Hillsborough District 17