1. (a) Each applicant shall have a score in this qualification category, and the points awarded under this section shall count towards the total HC designation score.

2. (b) Municipalities shall receive a maximum of 25 points for eligible completed, ongoing, or planned projects, which include sewer and water infrastructure improvements that are intended to support the development of workforce housing and other types of housing necessary for the economic development of the statute, as outlined below:

   1. (1) Completed eligible infrastructure improvements projects shall receive 10 points if they were completed within the 6 calendar years preceding the municipality’s application for HC designation;
   2. (2) Ongoing investments in eligible infrastructure improvements projects shall receive 10 points if the municipality is amidst the development or construction phases of the project and it will be completed within the next 6 calendar years following the application for HC designation;
   3. (3) Planned eligible infrastructure improvements projects shall receive 5 points if the municipality has completed a formal plan for the project and has an obligation to move forward with and complete the project within 9 years following the application for HC designation. A HC designation renewal application, which occurs every 3 years, shall demonstrate measurable progress of such planned projects; and
   4. (4) Planned eligible infrastructure improvement projects that lack sufficient funding to move forward, and therefore do not currently have an obligation to move forward or complete the project and would also be reliant upon funding in a subsequent HC designee eligible award program shall receive a score of zero points but shall still be considered an eligible project for the purposes of meeting the required HC designation criteria.

3. (c) Eligible completed infrastructure projects or improvements shall meet the following criteria, while ongoing and planned projects or improvements shall meet criteria (1) and demonstrate a defined path or plan to achieve criteria (2) through (4), where applicable:

   1. (1) Have been implemented in the 6 calendar years preceding the municipality’s application for HC designation, or meet the definition of ongoing or planned projects in section Bea 504.07(b) if an ongoing or planned project or improvement;
   2. (2) Have received all necessary local approvals and permits;
   3. (3) Have received all necessary approvals and permits from the New Hampshire department of environmental services; and
   4. (4) For sewer infrastructure improvements, increased the number of sewer system residential service connections, or for water infrastructure improvements, increased the number of community water system residential service connections.

4. (d) Additional considerations as to whether a project shall be considered planned, include but are not limited to:

   1. (1) Whether the applicant municipality has a pending application to the New Hampshire department of environmental services for water or wastewater infrastructure funds;
   2. (2) Whether the improvements are under construction;
   3. (3) Whether the applicant municipality has a capital improvement program (CIP) reserve fund which fully funds such improvements under the municipality’s active CIP;
   4. (4) Whether the applicant municipality can demonstrate that it has planned for the installation of sewer or water infrastructure based on its inclusion in the municipality’s active capital improvement program;
   5. (5) Whether the applicant municipality can demonstrate that it has planned for the installation of sewer or water infrastructure based on discussion of such improvements in the municipality’s master plan; and
   6. (6) Whether the applicant municipality has appropriated through its local governing body the municipal engineering costs for the project.
5. (e) The department shall review qualifying sewer and water infrastructure investments, listed below, prior to each HC designation application round.

6. (f) Qualifying investments when intended to support the development of workforce housing and other types of housing necessary for the economic development of the state includes:

   1. (1) Wastewater treatment plant;
   2. (2) Sewerage;
   3. (3) Water treatment plant;
   4. (4) Water distribution system;
   5. (5) Community well;
   6. (6) Interconnection of 2 community water systems;
   7. (7) Interconnection of a community water system to a non-transient non-community water system;
   8. (8) Interconnection of a community water system to a privately owned redistribution system; and
   9. (9) Interconnection of a wastewater treatment plant and sewerage to sewerage in another municipality.

7. (g) A maximum of 5 bonus points shall be awarded to applicants that can demonstrate the following:

   1. (1) That the municipality has adequate water and sewer capacity to accommodate a minimum 10 percent increase in its total number of housing units above the total number of housing units reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in the most recent decennial census;
   2. (2) That the municipality has implemented qualifying sewer and water infrastructure improvements in the 6 calendar years preceding the municipality’s application for HC designation in or adjacent to infill locations in downtowns, town centers, village centers, and other community center areas as shown on the NH Community Center Area GIS layer on the New Hampshire Geodata Portal accessible at https://www.nhgeodata.unh.edu/datasets/5e007caee50e428d8bb62e31baf6c0de/explore?location=43.596458%2C-71.640395%2C11.93; or
   3. (2) That the eligible water and sewer infrastructure improvement benefits an entire zone or district within that municipality’s land use regulations or zoning map and enables within that zone or district the construction of workforce housing and other types of housing necessary for the economic development of the state.
8. (h) The department shall make additional bonus points available based on department priorities and best practices, and lessons learned from prior application rounds. Any additional bonus point criteria shall be publicized prior to the commencement of each application round.

Source. #14043, eff 8-8-24