BITS AND PIECES

A Weekly Update from the Strafford Region

Planning

On Saturday, July 8, Housing Navigator Courtney Grugnale ran a community forum to hear citizen thoughts and input on housing in New Durham along with topics on commercial development, agriculture, short term rentals and recreation. The forum included a presentation of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment completed earlier this year by Executive Director Jen Czysz and Regional Planner Mark Davie. Community members Russ Weldon and Mike Gelinas additionally presented on the Town’s recreational economy. After the presentations, community members participated in a round-robin of activities facilitated by New Durham Planning Board members.

The event served as a kickoff to getting the discussion going on planning for the town's future and an introduction to the New Durham Development Committee the Planning Board is forming. The Committee seeks to create further discussion and movement on topics of housing, land use, short-term rentals, and commercial development. This Committee will be working with the Housing Opportunity Planning consultant that is projected to start in November to work on Master Plan updates.

An anticipated 25 people RSVP’d to the event, with about 50 residents ultimately attending the activity held on a Saturday in a room with no AC. Kudos to Courtney!

Transportation

Previous state budgets included around $400,000 for public transportation operations, which amounted to about $34,000 for COAST. That amount only allowed COAST to operate for a day and a half. At that level, Mississippi is the only state to invest less in public transportation. This forced municipalities in the COAST service area to allocate more local funds to match federal dollars.

The SFY24-25 New Hampshire budget, as signed by Governor Sununu, includes $1.83 million in state financial support for public transportation operations. This substantial increase was the result of a successful outreach campaign by the new statewide transportation coalition that was formed this past winter between COAST and the NH Transit Association. Even with the increase in state funding, COAST faces a looming budget deficit that will be left when several one-time federal operating grants come to an end within the next couple of years. The state budget increase is still cause for celebration and optimism. COAST continues work on a new facility that will replace its current administrative and fleet maintenance and operations buildings. They have nearly achieved the funding amounts required for the new facility. The statewide transportation coalition will continue advocating for legislative and funding initiatives that will benefit public transportation operators throughout New Hampshire.

Planning

On Wednesday, June 14, the Durham Planning Board adopted the Climate Action Master Plan chapter. In 2021, SRPC and UNH Sea Grant Extension were awarded a NH DES Coastal Resilience Grant to develop the chapter for the Town. A comprehensive public engagement process was conducted throughout the development of the Climate Action Chapter to gather input and formulate recommendations. This process included two stakeholder workshops, two public input sessions, and a follow-up survey. Additionally, the draft chapter was posted on the Town’s website and promoted through the Town’s Friday Updates to allow for added opportunities for public involvement. SRPC and the Durham Planning Board worked to incorporate revisions over the last few months in preparation its adoption on June 14.

As stated in the Climate Action Master Plan Chapter, “Developing a comprehensive climate action chapter will strengthen Durham’s understanding of its vulnerabilities and create a framework for a more resilient and sustainable community.” Durham now has twelve chapters in its master plan, which can be viewed on the town's website.

July 14, 2023