WHC Newsletter | November 2025
- Seacoast WHC
- Nov 20
- 8 min read
Welcome to the Greater Seacoast Housing Wire!
A week before Thanksgiving, I have no shortage of reasons to be grateful. From my team and board of directors to our members, local and state elected leaders, municipal staff, and nonprofit partners, I am deeply thankful for the unwavering energy, dedication, and progress this brilliant group has driven forward this year.
Between now and the end of the year, we’ll be focused on giving thanks and celebrating our wins, big and small, knowing full well that this work is never easy and often thankless. Taking time to reflect reminds us why we do this work and positions us for even greater impact in the years ahead. It also gives us the chance to come together, share a meal, and enjoy one another’s company. A true double win!
To that end, I invite you to dive into the recap of our 8th Annual Greater Seacoast Housing Summit to hear how Phil Sletten of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute grounded us in the latest data and to learn from three employers leading the way on employer-assisted housing solutions. All four presenters are exemplary leaders in this space.
I also hope you’ll join us in celebrating more of our municipal, business, and nonprofit partners at our Annual Celebration & Awards Night on December 18 at The Brook Casino—always a fan favorite and a wonderful moment to reflect and rejoice before we dive into the new year. More details on both events are below.
As we enter this season of gratitude, I’m reminded that our progress is only possible because of the community we’ve built together. Thank you for being part of this work and for helping create a region where everyone who works here can also afford to call it home.
Coalition Updates
Join us for our 2025 Annual Celebration & Awards Night on Thursday, December 18, 2025 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Held at The Brook Casino in Seabrook, this night will honor the work of housing professionals, advocates, and champions who are advancing diverse housing opportunities across the Greater Seacoast region.
Registration is FREE for members and $30 for not-yet-members, including one drink ticket and complimentary small bites. Unsure of your membership status or interested in sponsoring this event? Contact Emmy Ham at director@seacoastwhc.org for all inquiries.
Click the button below for more details and to register. We hope to see you there!
Recapping the 2025 Greater Seacoast Housing Summit
WHC had such a great time hosting the 8th Annual Greater Seacoast Housing Summit on Thursday, November 6! Centered around the theme of employer-assisted housing and the connection between housing and the economy, we heard from speakers with lived experience and passion-driven insights.
Phil Sletten of New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute gave a thorough and fascinating look into the economic and housing trends of New Hampshire, before a panel of three employers - Linnea Grim of Strawbery Banke Museum, Joseph Linnehan of Tinios Pro Hospitality Group, and Jennifer Sargent of Dartmouth Health - shared their experiences providing employer-assisted housing.
With each speaker and attendee bringing a unique perspective to the issue, one thing was clear throughout the summit: more housing is key to bolstering the economy of the Greater Seacoast and beyond.
For a full event recap, head over to our blog.
Thank you to our partners at the Seacoast Chamber Alliance and Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, our event sponsors Lighthouse Credit Union, TD Bank, Kennebunk Savings, and Bangor Savings Bank, and our speakers and participants who made this event a success.
WHC To Present at UNH Carsey School Policy Hour
On December 10, Executive Director Emmy Ham will provide the guest presentation at the UNH Carsey School’s Carsey Policy Hour. The Carsey Policy Hour engages policymakers, public service professionals, and active citizens and organizations in the issues and policies that affect the people and places of New Hampshire. Each month features a dynamic expert speaker, followed by an interactive audience discussion.
Emmy’s session will review the latest state and regional data on housing supply, demand, and affordability, explore recent policy efforts, and identify ways to engage in the shared housing challenge. Click this link to register today!
Give Thanks to our Local & State Housing Leaders!
As we approach Thanksgiving, the Workforce Housing Coalition extends our gratitude to the local and state elected officials across the Greater Seacoast who are working tirelessly to expand housing options for our regional workforce. This year brought unprecedented support for improving housing supply and affordability—from local zoning updates to impactful statewide policy efforts—showcasing a growing group of true housing champions.
This holiday season, we invite you to join us in thanking these pro-housing legislators and municipal leaders and encouraging them to keep the momentum going. Together, we can continue building a region where everyone who works here can also afford to call it home.
Resources
The Office of Planning and Development (OPD) at the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) has recently published three sets of resources and guidance for municipalities.
🔗2025 Changes to Planning and Zoning Statutes: A Guide for Municipalities walks through each piece of legislation related to land use from the 2025 session and the implications for municipal planning and zoning practices.
🔗The State of Local Land Use Regulations in New Hampshire – 2024 Update provides a summary of the 2024 Municipal Land Use Regulation Survey, and highlights NH communities partaking in innovative strategies to bolster a diverse local housing stock.
🔗NHARPC: Resources for Volunteer Planners compiles state, regional, and local resources for volunteers involved in land use boards or other planning endeavors, with additional guidance from members of three Regional Planning Commissions.
Local Updates
NEWS: Pro-housing candidates and policies win big in municipal elections
We would like to congratulate everyone who was elected in the municipal elections held across the region on November 4th. Throughout the Seacoast, pro-housing policies and candidates led the way, showing that housing remains a top issue, and voters believe in building the momentum of existing efforts to advance housing opportunities.
Whether this is your first term or a successful reelection bid, WHC is appreciative of all electees’ commitment to public service and of keeping housing a priority.
🔗 Read about Portsmouth: Portsmouth 2025 election results, Mayor Deaglan McEachern reelected
🔗 Read about Kittery: Megan Greenwood elected to Kittery Town Council
🔗 Read about Somersworth: Somersworth 2025 election results, Mayor Matt Gerding reelected
🔗 Read about Dover: Dover 2025 election results: Dennis Shanahan elected mayor
🔗 Read about Rochester: Rochester 2025 election results, Chuck Grassie is next mayor
NEWS: Redevelopment of old Harvey's building to bring new mixed-use and mixed-income project to Dover
In Dover, the redevelopment of the former Harvey’s building by the Airey Brothers will create a mixed-use space. With commercial spaces on the first floor, the top three floors will contain a mix of market-rate and below-market apartments, while also prioritizing the character of the building and neighborhood.
NEWS: Massive 360-unit project begins construction in Portsmouth
Crews have broken ground on a new development in Portsmouth, touted as the largest ever in the city. Prescott Post, located off Market Street, will hold 360 units across 17 buildings, with all apartments renting at market rate.
🔗 Read more: Portsmouth 360-apartment, 17-building project begins
NEWS: Proposed mixed-use development in Exeter rejected by Planning Board
After months of deliberation, the Exeter Planning Board rejected the latest proposal for the redevelopment of Blue Ribbon Dry Cleaners. Planned as a mixed-use building with a cafe and 14 condos, opposition from abutting businesses and concerns about on-site parking led to the rejection of the application.
SURVEY: Give your input on coastal flooding preparedness on the Seacoast
The New Hampshire Coastal Program at the Department of Environmental Services is conducting a comprehensive study of flooding preparedness in the Seacoast region. On November 5, the Workforce Housing Coalition participated in a stakeholder workshop to provide perspectives on housing and coastal flooding.
There is also an online survey open to the public to share your experiences with flooding and disaster preparedness.
🔗 Complete the survey here: Public Survey: Share your thoughts!
State Updates
NEWS: First sights of 2026 legislation brings eyes back to Concord
The first set of bill language has been released for the 2026 legislative session. Unsurprisingly, housing remains a key target for state-level reforms and programs. While the language for all bills won’t be finalized for several weeks, it’s clear that housing will once again be top of mind in Concord.
NEWS: Multiple reports highlight specific affordability struggles of young Granite Staters, with housing a recurring theme
A new podcast from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute takes a deep dive into the affordability crisis facing students and young people, in addition to concerns of stable employment and access to housing. These issues often prevent young people from moving to or staying in New Hampshire, posing a long-term threat to population and workforce trends in the state.
Stay Work Play recently published the results of their 2025 Quality of Life Index, a survey completed by over 500 Granite Staters between ages 18 and 40. Echoing the sentiments of NHFPI’s podcast, young people in New Hampshire are facing affordability constraints and minimal growth prospects, singling out a lack of attainable housing as a key issue.
🔗 Read more on Stay Work Play: Stay Work Play survey event reveals strengths, challenges within struggle to retain NH's younger workforce
🔗 Read more from NHFPI: Granite State’s affordability crisis is real
NEWS: New Hampshire Zoning Atlas launches innovative water/sewer layer, with hopes to bring needed guidance for housing development
A new tool designed to assist in smart development and the identification of infrastructure capacity has been published. Launched in October, the Water/Sewer Layer on the NH Zoning Atlas provides an overlay of the entire state’s locations of infrastructure at a highly granular level. In utilizing this tool, communities will be able to easily identify the best and most efficient places to build new housing with pre-existing infrastructure.
Reports & Research
REPORT: How does New Hampshire's housing market compare to other states and national trends?
A national report published this summer by Realtor.com gave New Hampshire a C- for housing metrics of affordability and homebuilding. In this article, the authors take a deeper dive into what is constraining the Granite State’s housing market, and how it’s doing compared to historical averages and other Northeast neighbors.
REPORT: New federal regulation of manufactured housing could increase housing supply across the country
The Road to Housing Act has garnered national attention as a rare national and bipartisan effort to support housing development through dozens of individual levers. One such lever is relaxing standards on manufactured housing to lower the building costs of the most affordable housing typology.
Making it easier to develop, move, and install manufactured homes is a key step to increasing housing supply and affordability nationwide, and in New Hampshire.
RESEARCH: Across the country, first-time homebuyers are getting older due to housing market constraints, lack of affordability, and economic uncertainties
A report published this month by the National Association of Realtors finds that the share of first-time homebuyers in the housing market has reached a historic low of 21%. The average age of a first-time homebuyer also hit a record high of 40 years old.
Even if someone is able to buy a home at a young age, limited supply and low movement within the market often leaves young families stuck in starter homes that have been outgrown.
🔗 Read one story here: Millennials, stuck in their starter homes, work with what they have
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 email Emmy Ham at director@seacoastwhc.org.
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