Ben Frost’s Post

It’s great to see this program launched. There are a lot of NH communities that are doing great work on housing policy and permitting, and they deserve recognition and reward!

Smaller can be better. You might not want to live in a small place, but many others do. Let’s not impose our personal preferences on everyone else.

This is an important study - not because it provides shocking new information, but because it squarely addresses the mythology around the impact of housing development on schools. Note: the Brady Bunch is passé. Is there a current show about a single parent with somewhat less than half of a child?

Remembering my friend David Boutin. I first met him in 2008, when as a NH state representative he was adamantly opposed to the workforce housing legislation (and let me know this in very clear terms). Two years after it passed, he attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new development in Hooksett by NeighborWorks Southern NH and after talking with the residents he became one of the law's most outspoken supporters. Then as a state senator he went on to be the prime sponsor of NH's trend-setting law on accessory dwelling units and a ferocious supporter of appropriations to NH's affordable housing trust fund. Beyond housing, he was also outspoken on efforts to combat domestic and sexual violence and a supporter of work to help its survivors. On top of that, he was a decent guy. We should all live so well to have such a good legacy. https://lnkd.in/edYjbkBs

It’s difficult for me to imagine it, but Friday, September 6 will be my last day at New Hampshire Housing. I love the place, the people, and the mission, but an exciting new opportunity in Rhode Island beckons. Later this month, I’ll start at RIHousing as the President of Proactive Development – a new position heading up a new initiative. Over the past eighteen years at NH Housing, I’ve had the great fortune to work with so many wonderful people. And together we have achieved great things – the Workforce Housing Law, the Accessory Dwelling Unit Law, the Housing Appeals Board, RSA 79-E revitalization tax incentive, the Community Toolbox (including the Housing Champions Program), dedicated funding for the Affordable Housing Fund, and so much more. And that’s just the legislative side of things. Working directly with the Granite State’s cities and towns, we’ve provided many millions of dollars to them to engage the talent they needed to make their land use regulations more “housing friendly.” It's hard to leave. But I know that after I leave, the work will continue to be done by the talented and mission-driven people both at NH Housing and with our many allies and partners. Their spirit of dedication and kindness has inspired me every day. I will take that with me wherever I go and hold it in my heart for the rest of my life.