WHC Newsletter | March 2026
- Seacoast WHC
- Apr 7
- 7 min read
Welcome to the Greater Seacoast Housing Wire!
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Happy Spring!
This month, we’re excited to share continued momentum across the Greater Seacoast as communities, partners, and advocates lean into advancing housing solutions together. From new programming to policy updates and upcoming events, there’s a clear and growing energy around collaboration and action.
We were encouraged by the successful launch of our new Seacoast Housing Conversations series in partnership with UNH Cooperative Extension. With strong participation and thoughtful discussion, this peer-learning initiative is already creating space for communities to connect, share experiences, and move toward solutions. We look forward to continuing the series in the months ahead.
That spirit of engagement continues with upcoming opportunities like our regional workforce housing conversation with the York Region Chamber of Commerce, and the first-ever Seacoast Affordable Housing Week in May. As part of the week, WHC will host a Where We Live Tour in Dover on May 12 as an opportunity to experience local housing solutions firsthand.
At the same time, recent Town Meeting Day results and ongoing state legislative activity highlight both meaningful progress and the work still ahead. Across the region, communities are taking important steps to update zoning and unlock new housing opportunities, while state-level conversations continue to shape the broader policy landscape.
Together, these updates reflect a region that is actively rising to meet its housing challenges. As always, thank you for being part of this work and helping to build a future where everyone who works in our region can afford to call it home.
Coalition Updates
New Program Launch: Seacoast Housing Conversations
This month, WHC launched Seacoast Housing Conversations, a new regional peer-learning initiative, in partnership with UNH Extension Community & Economic Development. With over 30 participants from across the Seacoast region, we are glad to say our pilot launch was a huge success!
We received great feedback from our first participants which has inspired us to continue Seacoast Housing Conversations as a series with rotating themes, locations, and guest speakers.
Keep an eye out in your inbox for details on our next session in the coming months!
Thank you to our partners at UNH Cooperative Extension, NH Housing, Rockingham Planning Commission, Strafford Regional Planning Commission, and the Town of Exeter for helping in the development and execution of our inaugural sessions!
To learn more about our program and takeaways from our discussion, head over to our new post on the WHC blog.
Workforce Housing Presentation at York Region Chamber!
On Wednesday, April 8, WHC is joining members the York Region Chamber of Commerce and the greater York County community to come together for an open conversation about workforce housing.
The event will offer an opportunity to step back, look at the big picture, and talk about housing challenges and ways to adapt to shifting needs of the community.
This gathering is designed to create space for a thoughtful, collaborative discussion. Participants will have the chance to explore the housing landscape in York County, hear perspectives from others in the community, and consider ideas that may help support both residents and the local workforce moving forward.
Click here for more details and registration.
Save the Date: Affordable Housing Week is coming to the Seacoast!
In honor of May being Affordable Housing Month, housing organizations across the region will be participating in the first ever Seacoast Affordable Housing Week.
Organized by Home for All Coalition, the week of May 11-17 will be filled with events, exhibitions, community nights, and more to raise awareness for affordable housing on the Seacoast. A full list of programming can be found here.
As part of Affordable Housing Week, the Workforce Housing Coalition will be hosting a Where We Live Tour on Tuesday, May 12, alongside John and Maggie Randolph at their well-known Cottages at Back River Road development in Dover. The tour will be followed by a coffee and lunch hour with the Randolph's at Stella's.
Registration is FREE for members and $25 for non-members. Your ticket includes the exclusive tour of the neighborhood, and lunch and refreshments at Stella's.
Click here for full details and registration.
Local Updates
This Town Meeting Day, Housing was on the Ballot
March 10 marked Town Meeting Day in communities across the Seacoast, complete with elections of municipal officials, votes on operating budgets, and considerations of numerous housing-related ballot measures.
Many of these measures were related to zoning amendments to bring municipalities into compliance with recent state laws, though many communities also passed innovative land use controls and zoning changes to unlock new housing opportunities.
A special congratulations to Brentwood, Hampton, Madbury, Northwood, and Rye, recipients of Housing Opportunity Planning (HOP) Grants that allowed them to realign and advance zoning ordinances.
For a list of major town meeting results, see here, and check your municipality's website for a full list of results.
A Capital Campaign for the Future of Public Transportation
on the Seacoast
The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST), our regional public transit provider, has launched the public phase of its capital campaign to build a new operations facility!
As a nonprofit, COAST depends on community support to connect people to jobs, healthcare, education, and essential services. But its current facility is outdated—buses are even stored outside year-round, including in the snow.
A new facility will strengthen operations, support staff, and expand COAST’s ability to serve the region. Learn more at Connected by COAST.
Latest Local Headlines
See below for the stories we're watching in Seacoast communities:
📍Kittery just approved over 100 units of workforce housing, with considerations of a new multi-family residential zone underway:
📍Rochester is planning a redevelopment of a former pharmacy site, with potential for workforce units:
📍Somersworth just approved a mixed-use and multi-family development to bring over 150 units near retail and transportation:
🎰 The Brook Casino in Seabrook is expanding their footprint, and looking to build housing for their employees and the greater workforce in the process:
State Updates
New Hampshire Updates
This month marked the Crossover period in the State Legislature, where all bills that have passed one chamber must "cross over" to the other chamber for their consideration.
This also means that any bill that was not voted on by the full assembly was not going to continue, in addition to any bill that did not pass the first chamber.
The 2026 Legislative Session started off with over 100 housing-related bills, spanning from zoning reforms to tenant rights. It was also a mixed bag of proposals to further innovative land use controls and build off of recent momentum, and many efforts to repeal existing laws that signified progress in the pro-homes movement.
Today, our partners at the State House, such as Housing Action NH, are tracking only a handful of these bills that remain after Crossover Day.
See here for a full rundown of what's left and their stance on each bill:
Maine Updates
In Maine, numerous housing bills are gaining momentum, including funding opportunities and zoning reform.
For the latest updates, follow our state level partner in Maine, the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition. You can access their bill tracking spreadsheet here. For real-time bill updates this session, click here.
In the wake of 2025's LD1829 and other laws to advance housing opportunity, municipalities on the Maine Seacoast are adjusting their zoning. These amendments include allowing four dwelling units per lot by right and standardizing lot sizes based on infrastructure availability and town guidance.
The Maine Greater Seacoast communities are also involved in the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) in partnership with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Town of Kittery, and the City of Portsmouth, among many other stakeholder groups.
WHC attended their most recent meeting to learn more about their process and findings related to housing, infrastructure, and the future of community partnerships in and across the two states.
Latest State Headlines
See below for the stories we're watching at the state level:
📊 Manchester Ink Link: New data show that almost half of Granite Staters are housing cost burdened:
🏘️ NH Business Review: The median home price in New Hampshire has been above $500,000 for two years straight, with no sign of decreasing:
🏗️ Maine Morning Star: Maine's legislative Housing Committee is supporting efforts for statewide zoning reforms, including manufactured housing:
Research, Reports, & Resources
📊 RESEARCH: The most recent analysis of housing data across New Hampshire and by county reveals disparities in housing cost across location and income level
🏛️ FEDERAL UPDATE: In Washington, the House and Senate have been busy in talks on national housing reform across party lines. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act recently passed the Senate, but what's really in this legislation?
🏢 RESEARCH: At the national level, rental housing trends are revealing a potential cooling in the housing market while policy reforms at every level may be making a dent, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies
Thank You!
Our sustaining funders and coalition members power our work to advance housing solutions, bring together community partners, and build momentum toward a future where everyone who works in our region can also afford to call it home.
To learn more about how you can become a member, renew your membership or otherwise support our work, please reach out to us at info@seacoastwhc.org.
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