Zoned Out: How ‘Republican’ Leadership Sold New Hampshire to Wall Street

Gov. Kelly Ayotte is standing firmly behind the 2025 zoning overhaul laws that strip cities and towns of key local zoning powers, arguing the state should now “wait and see” while developers take advantage of looser rules. The laws fast-track permits for large developers, allow housing in commercial zones, override local parking requirements, and force approval of accessory dwelling units — all sold as solutions to New Hampshire’s housing crisis.

Builders and real estate interests are cheering. Prices have dipped slightly and listings are up marginally, but housing remains historically unaffordable, with the median home price still hovering around $520,000, far out of reach for most Granite Staters.

Meanwhile, the Legislature is at war with itself.

Democrats are proposing taxes on second homes and long-vacant properties to discourage speculation and empty housing.

Some Republicans tried — and failed — to roll back last year’s zoning mandates, arguing the state trampled local control and property rights. Those repeal efforts were killed by the House Housing Committee.

Ayotte, praised publicly by the Home Builders Association, insists the balance is right and that the state has already done enough.

The Public Should Remember: this isn’t just about “housing supply” — it’s about who benefits.

Kelly Ayotte has longstanding ties to Wall Street–backed private equity interests, including Blackstone, a firm nationally known for buying up single-family homes and driving prices higher. Opponents point out that while the exact dollar figures are debated, Blackstone’s influence in housing markets across the country — including New Hampshire — is well documented, and Ayotte’s alignment with large developers has been consistent.

And let’s be clear about the irony:

Republicans campaign on less government, local control, and property rights — yet under so-called Republican leadership in Concord, the state is mandating zoning from the top down, overriding towns, concentrating power in Concord, and clearing the runway for corporate developers.

That’s not small government.

That’s not local control.

That’s centralized housing policy dressed up as free-market reform.

The housing crisis continues — not because towns won’t build, but because policy is being shaped to favor large, well-capitalized players while working residents are priced out. Under “Republican” leadership, Concord is expanding state power, shrinking local voice, and deepening what many see as housing tyranny — the SWAMP in a red tie.