New Hampshire Housing CEO
Rob Dapice
‘If I had three wishes, dispelling the myths about housing development and property values would be one of them,’ says Rob Dapice, who took over last month as the new executive director/CEO of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. (Photo by Allegra Boverman)
On Jan. 1, Rob Dapice took over as executive director and CEO of the NH Housing Finance Authority, succeeding the organization’s longtime chief executive, Dean Christon, who retired from the job after 34 years with New Hampshire Housing. Dapice joined New Hampshire Housing in 2014 after working as a project manager at Concord-based North Branch Construction. He most recently was director of New Hampshire Housing’s Management and Development Division, which finances and supports affordable multifamily housing in the state.
Q. What steps are underway to improve the Workforce Housing Law, which a recent NH Housing report noted, after 10 years, has had mixed results?
A. The report found that there is a lot of confusion among local officials about what their obligations are under the law, what compliance looks like, and how to realize the opportunities to develop workforce housing.
Senate Bill 400, which is known as the Community Toolbox Bill, follows the recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing and provides local incentives, process improvements and education opportunities for local officials to help address the state’s housing shortage. It makes more and better resources available to local land-use boards. Over time, I am cautiously optimistic that the heightened awareness of the housing crisis combined with a better understanding of how to allow for the creation of contextsensitive housing solutions will move things in the right direction.
Another important linkage to the Workforce Housing Law is the Housing Appeals Board, which faces challenges in the Legislature this session. The board gives property owners and developers (as well as abutters or other stakeholders) a fair way to resolve differences relative to the fair administration of zoning ordinances without the time and expense of going to court. The board is essential and must be defended. Both the Community Toolbox Bill and Housing Appeals Board are important to help the Workforce Housing Law become more effective.
Q. A report prepared for the Josiah Bartlett Center found “rent seeking” “the main reason” for the limited diversity and supply of housing.
A. I wish we could dispel some of the myths that lead people to believe that any kind of housing development will adversely affect the value of their homes or the quality of their neighborhood. The fact is that housing development (including affordable housing development) doesn’t diminish surrounding property values. Development and redevelopment, especially housing development, has a positive effect on home values and local economies. This is especially true in downtown areas.
If I had three wishes, dispelling the myths about housing development and property values would be one of them. These myths are a real roadblock to both people’s reactions to nearby housing proposals and New Hampshire’s ability to increase the supply of housing in the state.
Q. Do you foresee a role for employer-assisted housing projects?
A. Definitely. There is a higher level of interest around employer-assisted housing than at any time in my memory. It’s a reflection of the challenges our businesses are facing with respect to workforce availability; the workforce supply and housing supply challenges are inseparable.
Last fall, NH Housing published a guide to Employer-Assisted Housing (available at NHHousing.org). There are a lot of different models and options for employers to contribute to financing and developing workforce housing. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health has announced plans to develop as many as 400 units on land between Hanover and Lebanon. And the owners of the Harmony Homes assisted living facilities in Durham are developing 44 single-family homes in Dover to provide their workforce with affordable housing. There are serious conversations about different types of employer-assisted housing initiatives taking place in several regions, including the North Country and Upper Valley.
Q. How has the proliferation of short-term rentals affected the supply and cost of rental units? What regulation of the practice would be appropriate?
A. This is an issue, particularly in popular tourist destinations like the Lakes Region and Mt. Washington Valley. But it is hard to know exactly what the impact is or how to respond to it. This market is relatively new. Cities and towns are trying to understand its impact on homeowners, workforce housing, tourism, communities and state revenues. There are competing sources of information, and unfortunately there is not a large amount of reliable research and analysis on how short-term rentals are affecting the housing market at large.
I see a role for NH Housing in helping support research evaluation of the data to determine what is really happening, so communities can make informed decisions about whether and how to regulate shortterm rentals.
