David Preece

Dear Chair and Members of the Committee, I write in strong support of HB 1814, a necessary and long-overdue step toward addressing New Hampshire’s housing and infrastructure challenges with the seriousness, coordination, and foresight they demand. For too long, New Hampshire has approached housing and infrastructure through short-term fixes and siloed decision-making. The result is a system that struggles to keep pace with population needs, workforce demands, and economic growth. HB 1814 acknowledges a fundamental reality: housing, transportation, utilities, and community infrastructure are inseparable, and addressing them in isolation has left communities behind. By establishing a 10-year strategic housing and infrastructure plan, HB 1814 creates the framework New Hampshire needs to move from reactive policymaking to proactive, data-driven planning. Long-range planning is not bureaucracy for its own sake—it is a tool for fiscal discipline, predictability, and smarter investment. Municipalities, employers, developers, and residents all benefit when the state provides clear direction and coordinated priorities. This bill does not impose mandates on towns, nor does it dictate land-use decisions. Instead, it provides a shared roadmap that can help align state agencies, inform legislative decisions, guide infrastructure investments, and support local planning efforts. In a state that values local control, this kind of coordination is not overreach—it is responsible governance. Housing shortages and infrastructure constraints are already affecting workforce retention, economic competitiveness, and community stability across New Hampshire. Schools cannot hire staff, employers cannot retain workers, and families are being priced out of the communities they call home. HB 1814 responds to these pressures by encouraging thoughtful, long-term solutions rather than piecemeal responses. New Hampshire plans for transportation, education, and economic development over multi-year horizons. Housing and infrastructure deserve the same level of seriousness and strategic intent. HB 1814 provides that opportunity. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to find HB 1814 ought to pass. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your service to the people of New Hampshire. Respectfully submitted, David John Preece State Representative, Hillsborough District 17 Manchester, New Hampshire