HCPP grants enable municipalities to purchase technical planning assistance in order to plan for housing and conservation through a unified approach.

July 9, 2009:

Congratulations to Acworth, Chichester, Marlow, Nottingham, Salisbury and Seabrook for being selected as the first group of HCPP awardees!

Given the recent budget cuts, HCPP was only able to award $100,000 within this single grant round and will not be able to accept further grant applications during fiscal year 2009 as was previously anticipated. With over 10 percent of New Hampshire's municipalities submitting applications, the proposals OEP received demonstrated the number of people through the state who understand the need for comprehensive land use planning and stand ready to act if given the necessary resources. OEP feels fortunate, in this time of economic downturn, to meet the state’s commitment to support forward-thinking, holistic planning at the local level. Indeed, OEP has full confidence that the recipients of this first round of HCPP funding will demonstrate the successful results that this innovative program enables.

Acworth, Marlow, Nottingham, and Seabrook have been awarded funding, under "Stage 1" of the program, to conduct projects that expand the knowledge platform upon which sound planning decisions can be based. Details assembled will include housing and demographic, natural and historic resources information and a build-out analysis. Chichester, a Stage 2 awardee, will be conducting a visioning project, where the town’s existing knowledge base will be used to cultivate a community-wide discussion about how to best plan for regional housing needs as well as local land conservation and historic preservation. Coming into the program at the fourth and final stage, Salisbury will be following through with the research and discussion that went into its Town Master Plan by auditing its land use regulations and developing an open-space zoning provision and related subdivision amendments.

For more information on HCPP or to follow the progress of the awardees visit stay tuned to our website or call OEP at (603) 271-2155.

Click here for a report on Spring 2008 Applications

Eligible Applicants:
Participation in HCPP is voluntary. Eligible applicants for HCPP grants are limited to New Hampshire municipalities.  Municipalities may apply individually or join together to submit a single joint application if they intend to embark on an inter-municipal planning project.  Applicants may have a consultant prepare the application.  However, the application must ultimately be signed and submitted by the municipality.

Applications:
Application Form
Application Guidance
Self-Assessment Checklists:

Stage 1 - Research, mapping, and data analysis
Stage 2 - Growth and development strategy planning
Stage 3 - Master plan updates
Stage 4 - Implementation into the regulatory framework

Application Assistance:
Phone and E-mail Assistance:
Please contact OEP Planners Dari Sassan (271-1765 or dari.sassan@nh.gov) or Jennifer Czysz (271-8009 or jennifer.czysz@nh.gov) for assistance at any point during the application process.

Program Statutes and Rules:
HCPP Administrative Rules
RSAs 4-C:24 through 4-C:30

 Adobe Acrobat Reader format. You can download a free reader from Adobe.

 Microsoft Word format. You can download a free reader from Microsoft.