| | | Display: News - Images - Sections This week in NH Business ReviewArtists chasing sand dollarsThe three-day 2022 Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Classic is being held June 16-18 this year — and don’t make the mistake of thinking a shovel,...  CONCORDCONCORD: New Hampshire and three other states have become the first to receive federal funding to boost expansion of broadband internet service to un-served and underserved areas. TAKE5NEW Hampshire voters also showed support of changing town and city zoning regulations to allow more housing to be built,... IN BRIEFJoan and Howard Brodsky were honored June 1 with City Year New Hampshire’s Lifetime of Service Award in recognition for being “role models to those who want to serve,... THE BOTTOM LINEFounded in 1931, Clark provides business insurance, employee health and benefits, and private client services to individuals and businesses. ABOUT TOWN1. NHTrust supported the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the umbrella organization for the state’s 12 community-based crisis centers,... Embracing the hybrid cultureThanks almost entirely to the Covid-19 pandemic, the typical 9-to-5, on-site work model has been nearly obliterated, but this is no crisis. A ‘perfect storm’ of supply side burdensThe unemployment rate is 2.3 percent, the lowest since 1988. There were 1,475 unemployment claims filed during the week of May 28, the smallest number in 25 years. Web3 and the future economyDepending on who one talks to, Web3 is either a blossoming of monetary liberation ushering in new economies and with them original products,... Election landscape is clearerIn my last column, it was not yet apparent how redistricting of New Hampshire’s two congressional districts would be decided. LETTER TO THE EDITORChildren learn, grow and develop healthy relationships, self-confidence and self-esteem in safe, secure and loving environments free from fear. Managing rising energy costs in 2022 and beyondNew Hampshire’s post-pandemic economic landscape continues to be full of what may seem like daunting challenges as businesses and industries look to power up and regain the pre-pandemic plateau of prosperity. Elliot offers new stroke prevention treatmentWith TCAR, blood flow is temporarily reversed during the procedure so that any small bits of plaque that may break off are diverted away from the brain, preventing a stroke from happening. CALENDARThis year’s party will feature the mindbending prestidigitation of Andrew Pinard and the irresistible rhymes and bodacious beats of Fee and the Evolutionists (back by popular demand). THE LATESTA $1 million gift from Harry Patten, a 1958 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, and the Patten Family Foundation will launch the Patten Family Sales and Funding Accelerator program. FLOTSAM&JETSAMAs for himself, “because we’ve been successful (managing the budget) over the past few years, we have a lot of extra funds right now to invest in one-time infrastructure,... Loading writers... Loading ads... Loading comments... Survey finds overwhelming support for affordable housing in NH While New Hampshire lawmakers were rejecting and watering down workforce housing proposals, Granite State voters emphatically support building more affordable housing, according to a poll taken by St. Anselm College. In the survey, conducted May 19-20 of 500 registered New Hampshire voters, respondents supported, by a 69 to 29 percent majority, the statement, “My community needs more affordable housing to be built.” That’s a 9 percent increase in the margin recorded in last year’s survey. In a separate question, they wanted more affordable housing in their own neighborhood, 50 percent to 43 percent. And 53 percent of respondents opposed the idea of the state “doing more to prevent housing development and keep the state the way it is.” Forty two percent said they supported the idea. The poll was conducted before the NH House tabled the so-called “missing middle” housing bill, which would have allowed property owners to build up to four units on any residentially zoned lot served by municipal water and sewer. The poll showed that people generally back the “missing middle” concept but by a close margin, 38 to 35 percent. There was more support (52 to 40 percent) for changing town and city zoning regulations to allow more houses to be built, and even more support (70 to 21 percent) for setting a hard limit on how long local planning and zoning boards can take to review permits to build housing. Indeed, in the latter case, conservatives were more likely to back the idea than liberals. These concepts were both part of Senate Bill 400, the “community toolbox” bill, which was also tabled by the House. But parts of the measure were revived in House Bill 1661, minus the “Housing Champion” certificate program that would have rewarded towns that make their zoning laws more favorable to allowing affordable housing. What was left was also watered during negotiations between the House and the Senate, including provisions that would have required land-use boards to treat workforce housing on a par with senior housing. But it did leave in place some hard limits on zoning decisions requiring boards to provide developers with at least a written reason for a rejection. — BOB SANDERS |
