KEENE, NH – The City of Keene Community Development Department is set to unveil a series of strategies to help combat the city’s housing needs.

According to a news release from the department, there will be an open house later this month where the strategies will be presented and discussed, and the city is looking for a “broad representation of stakeholders including employers and residents” to provide feedback to help guide upcoming action on the issue.

“The City of Keene Housing Strategy is the culmination of a 6-month effort to develop a comprehensive assessment that articulates our current and future housing needs,” Senior Planner Mari Brunner said in the release. “The proposed housing strategies include a variety of actions that the City could take, but we don’t have the resources to do all of them – at least not right away. We need the community’s input to help City Council decide which strategies to act on first.”

The open house is set for Thursday, April 20th from 3:30-5:30 at the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship at 25 Roxbury Street in Keene. City staff is also making a presentation to the Keene City Council that evening to review their final report and housing strategies.

Keene residents and employers are encouraged to stop by at any time during the open house to provide feedback on the strategies, which are also viewable on the city’s website.

The Housing Needs Assessment project began in October of 2022 as the housing crunch remained front of mind for the city.

“We are excited to get started on implementation,” Brunner said. “With the recent release of the regional housing needs assessment and the completion of our local assessment, we have all the data we need. Now we need to act on it.”

Mayor George Hansel touched on the issue on WKBK’s Open Mic program on Tuesday, and reminded folks that the former Roosevelt Elementary School and River Valley Community College space on Washington Street has been purchased and turned over to Keene Housing, where several new apartment units will be built. More information is available here.