BROWNFIELDS CLEAN-UP RESOURCES

The Capital Regional Development Council (CRDC) is pleased  to formally announce the availability of grants and loans  designed to assist with the clean-up of environmentally impacted sites located throughout Merrimack and Hillsborough Counties in New Hampshire.

The goal of the program is to provide very flexible financing targeted to strategic sites with substantial redevelopment potential.

For more information click here.

Community Census Fact Sheets Now Available
 

CNHRPC has produced downloadable community fact sheets with key demographic data from Census 2010 and American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.

The fact sheets summarize population, housing, and race data for each community, the county, and the state from the 2010 Census. A brief profile of economic, educational, social, and commuting data is also provided from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates released by the US Census Bureau.

These community fact sheets are intended to serve as quick reference guides for basic community demographic data points. More in-depth data are available at the US Census and American Community Survey websites, or by contacting Vanessa Goold or Craig Tufts at CNHRPC.

Restoration of Involuntarily Merged Lots
RSA 674:39-aa
 

At the request of the owner, lots that were involuntarily merged without the consent of the owner prior to September 18, 2010 shall be restored to their premerger status. RSA 674:39-aa allows for the restoration of involuntarily merged lots as long as the request is submitted to the Board of Selectmen (or governing body) prior to December 31, 2016. In addition, no current owner or past owner of the lot can have voluntarily merged the lots at any time. Read the statute linked above for more restrictions and information.

By January 1, 2012, municipalities must post notice in a public place that lots may be restored to un-merged status, and notice must be posted in the annual reports for 2011-2015. Tax and zoning maps must be updated with all un-merged lots. A sample notice is available from the Local Government Center. As another example, the Town of Swanzey has posted notice and an application for un-merger on their town website, and the Town of Hillsborough has shared their notice.

For more information, contact CNHRPC staff Stephanie Alexander or Matt Monahan at 226-6020, the Local Government Center at 800-527-5001, or your Town/City Counsel.

Suncook River Team Project Transitions

On September 30, 2011, CNHRPC concluded the coordination of the meetings of the Suncook River Community Planning Team (Allenstown, Chichester, Epsom, Pembroke, Pittsfield and state agencies) with its Working Team and Staff Team, and concluded the organizational support and the management of task completion. More than three dozen meetings were held over a 10-month period to complete 26 tasks designed to mitigate against the effects of the 2006 Suncook River avulsion and help prevent future flooding damage. For more information, visit the Suncook River website.

Highlighted Planning Team projects include preparing the towns for voluntary flood-prone property acquisition; installing a river gage in Allenstown; following the Buck Street Dams removal process; assisting with the coordination for the successful capital budget allocation of $2 million in hazard mitigation project money for the lower Suncook River watershed and obtaining funding for a Fluvial Erosion Hazard (FEH) study; following the beginning of the design and permitting process for the installation of grade control structures below the Route 4 bridge in Epsom; and establishing the interest for designation of the Suncook River into the NHDES Rivers Management and Protection Program (RMPP).  For more information, contact Stephanie Alexander.

Regional planning coordination for Suncook River protection will continue. The project is transitioning into two other activities which will help the Suncook River towns and residents. An integral and collaborative project marking the success of the Teams is the potential nomination of the Suncook River into the NHDES Rivers Management and Protection Program (RMPP). A Nomination Committee has formed from the five CNHRPC communities plus Gilmanton and Barnstead in the Lakes Region to develop a nomination package, due June 1, 2012 to request the River’s designation into the RMPP. For more information, contact Vanessa Goold or visit the Suncook River website.

A second project extending the Suncook River work is a Fluvial Erosion Hazard (FEH) Study soon to be underway for the five communities plus Gilmanton and Barnstead. Rivers move in their corridors and erosion occurs on their banks, especially in those areas with loose gravel and around abutments. The Suncook River has moved extensively over the last six years. The FEH, a river assessment program, collects data about the river, infrastructure locations, and surficial geology in sections called reaches, and determines areas called fluvial erosion hazard zones which indicate where rivers will need to move over time. Essentially, FEH zones are where development should be limited because of future erosion and flooding potential. CNHRPC staff will be developing a presentation on the benefits of the FEH Study and giving the presentation to communities to explain the program. For more information, contact Vanessa Goold.

Planning Board and Municipal Officials Calendar Now Available

The Zoning Ordinance revision season is upon us! Planning Boards should be nearing the end of developing new ordinances or revisions to existing ordinances for next year’s Town Meeting. Does your Planning Board know the 2011-2012 statutory public hearing deadlines?

The Local Government Center (LGC) has produced the 2012 Calendar of Important Dates for Local Officials for communities based on Town-meeting type. Planning Boards often reference this calendar to determine their own public hearing schedule for ordinances. Contact CNHRPC with questions.

Residential Rental Cost Survey

Each year, New Hampshire Housing conducts a statewide survey of nearly 31,000 rental units in order to monitor rental costs, provide information to housing data users, and to support New Hampshire Housing's program administration. Visit http://www.nhhfa.org/rl_rrcs.cfm to learn more!

New Hampshire Broadband Mapping and Planning Program

CNHRPC is partnering with UNH and others as part of the New Hampshire Broadband Mapping and Planning Program.  The purpose is to find homes and businesses that are un-served and underserved for high speed internet.  We encourage you to visit www.iwantbroadbandnh.com and take the Broadband Access Survey and Speed Test.  Most importantly, spread the word around your community to those who currently do not have access to high speed internet!