Upper Valley towns, private developers look to grow housing stock in region

Communities throughout New Hampshire — like many in the Upper Valley — are working to make changes to try and keep up with the surging demand for housing.Friday was move-in day for a new, 42-unit apartment building just feet over the New Hampshire border into White River Junction, Vermont."We got our certificate of occupancy on the 15th, just two days ago. We have 10 people who will be in here by the end of the day," Andrew Winter, executive director of Twin Pines Housing Trust, said.Twin Pines Housing Trust is a nonprofit organization that builds affordable and workforce housing across the Upper Valley. Winter, the organization's executive director, said to get an idea of the housing shortage in this area, look no further than his waiting list. "We have a waiting list for each and every type of unit. We have studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms and three-bedrooms," Winter said.Last year's statewide housing survey found Grafton County had the highest median cost for a two-bedroom apartment at more than $2,000 per month. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<Winter said between rising costs, limited infrastructure and local permitting, expanding a region's housing stock is a slow process."It's not atypical for projects to take multiple months to work through the planning process. Sometimes, that can take years," Winter said.In nearby Enfield, plans for a major project are taking their first steps. The town's zoning board of adjustments recently voted to waive two rules that pave the way for a development with around 300 new units to start moving forward.That development still has to go through a few hurdles before it gets final approval, but if it goes through, it would be, by far, the largest housing development in Enfield's history."As we add more housing to Enfield and the Upper Valley in general, we'll be able to stabilize that housing market a little bit," Ed Morris, Enfield's town manager, said.Communities in the Upper Valley are far from alone. A report from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute showed the state will need as many as 90,000 new units by 2040.