Latest News
Planning Lunches at Noon (PLAN) Monthly Webinar Series
The NH Office of Planning and Development (OPD) conducts monthly webinar series every third Thursday from 12 pm to 1 pm concerning various planning and zoning topics. To view upcoming webinars, click here.
Registration is required. All sessions are recorded and later published on their website and YouTube channel.
The webinar is a joint collaboration of NHOPD, NHMA, and the Regional Planning Commissions represented by Southern NH Planning Commission.
For assistance or if you have any questions, please e-mail planning@livefree.nh.gov.
Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)
The NBRC has announced $43.6 million in new awards. Of that, nearly $20 million is from the Catalyst Program competition stemming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Use these links to view the Press Release and the NH Award Recipients, including the GALA Community Center (grant administered by LRPC's Tracey Secula), the Lakes Region Model Railroad Museum (grant coached by LRPC's Executive Director Jeffrey Hayes) and Town of Gilford - Foam Recycling Project (grant application submitted by LRPC's Matthew Rose).
State Ten Year Plan on Transportation
Proposed Lakes Region Projects in 2023 - 2032 Ten Year Plan
Proposed Lakes Region Projects in 2023 - 2032 Ten Year Plan
The purpose of the State's Ten Year Plan is to develop and implement a plan allowing New Hampshire to fully participate in federally supported transportation improvement projects as well as to outline projects and programs funded with State transportation dollars. View list of projects.
USDA
The US Department of Agriculture has recently published its Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Impact Report for Vermont and New Hampshire. This document contains information on projects by counties as well as program reports on housing, water & environment, community, business & cooperative, and electric & telecom.
Through its wide variety of programs, USDA Rural Development works with municipalities, businesses, regional development corporations, institutions of higher education, non-profit entities, and agricultural producers as well as rural residents in an effort to strengthen communities, increase quality of life, and expand local economies.
Click here to view the full report.
Broadband Technical Assistance Program: USDA Offers New Funding to Promote the Expansion of High-Speed Internet in Rural Areas.
$20 million in Technical Assistance Funding is Available to Plan High-Speed Internet Projects in Rural Communities.
Click here to read the April 17, 2023 press release.
Congratulations to our 2022 Preservation Achievement Award Winners!
Nine rescue, rehabilitation, and revitalization projects and two outstanding leaders of the preservation movement were unveiled on May 3. The 2022 Preservation Alliance's Preservation Achievement Award winners include the preservation of rare and iconic properties, stewardship of community assets and gathering places, and community development successes.
"It is wonderful for us to have the opportunity to honor people who are making a difference in communities across the state," said Nicholas Mitchell, Chairman of the Preservation Alliance Board of Directors. "These are the kinds of places we can't imagine New Hampshire without," said Jennifer Goodman, Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance, "and we hope these awards help inspire more preservation activity."
Click here to learn more.
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The Planning Board in New Hampshire: A Handbook for Local Officials (updated 2021)The Board of Adjustment in New Hampshire: A Handbook for Local Officials (updated 2021)
2021 editions of the Office of Strategic Initiatives's (OSI) handbooks for Planning and Zoning Boards are now available. Designed to serve as introductions to the organization, powers, duties, and procedures of Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Adjustment in New Hampshire, these guides will acquaint board members and others with the basic board responsibilities of each and suggest procedures by which the work of the boards can be carried out in a fair and effective manner.
Visit the OSI website where you can view additional planning and zoning publications.
USDA Launches Resource Guide on Building a Recreation Economy
July 2020 — USDA has launched a Recreation Economy Resource Guide to provide rural community leaders and economic development practitioners a complete list of programs at Rural Development, Forest Service, and National Institute for Food and Agriculture that can be used to support recreational economies in rural America.
The guide addresses key factors necessary to build a sustainable recreational economy including natural resource management, conservation activities, infrastructure investment, business development and more.
New Hampshire Broadband Impact Survey
State of New Hampshire
Social Distancing Broadband Impact
Take the Survey to help the State identify gaps in residential Internet connectivity.
State Ten Year Plan on Transportation
Proposed Lakes Region Projects in 2021-2030 Ten Year Plan
Proposed Lakes Region Projects in 2021-2030 Ten Year Plan
The purpose of the State's Ten Year Plan is to develop and implement a plan allowing New Hampshire to fully participate in federally supported transportation improvement projects as well as to outline projects and programs funded with State transportation dollars. View list of projects.
A resource for farmers and municipal decision makers
Headwaters Economics Toolset
Economic Profile System
In 2017 we were introduced to the Headwaters Economics Toolset. Using these report generators you can download socioeconomic reports of communities, counties, and states, including aggregations and comparisons. The Economic Profile System (EPS) uses federal data sources, including the Bureaus of Economic Analysis, Census, & others. EPS is also known as the Human Dimensions Toolkit by the Forest Service. Try it yourself here.
We'd like to thank UNH Cooperative Extension for providing us reports for all of the towns in the Lakes Region. Click the links below to view the reports. They will also be available on the towns' pages.
Please note: This information changes frequently. These reports were generated on July 14, 2017. For more up-to-date information, please use the tool to generate your own reports.