Newport Mill (Courtesy of Rearch Company)
If you haven’t noticed yet, there have been a lot of major structures going up around the Granite State the last couple of years. According to the United States Census Bureau, the value of state and local construction in NH in 2023 was $1.18 billion, a 19.5% increase from the year before.
Construction projects range from massive sports domes to affordable housing projects, and they’re being built by variety of local and regional companies with investments from public and private partners.
On the affordable housing front alone, thousands of new units will be built in the coming years through incentives like Invest NH. The program was designed to increase affordable housing stock through grants to municipalities and developers and encouraging updated zoning regulations to allow such projects.
Invest NH aims to create nearly 1,500 new units of housing, with 918 of them being affordable. The plan invests $100 million into 30 projects across the state.
New Hampshire Housing has played a crucial role in helping get some of these projects, including one at the site of the old police station in Manchester, off the ground. It allocated millions of dollars through various programs like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the Affordable Housing Fund.
Outside investors, like Chicago’s Greg Carlin, has invested millions to bring casinos to life in Hampton and Rochester. Schools and colleges around the state are also expanding their facilities. Saint Anselm’s Jean School of Nursing at Grappone Hall is being built with investments by the college and a $5 million commitment by Robert and Beverly Grappone. Their son Greg was a Saint Anselm alum who ran Grappone Automotive with his sister Amanda before he passed away from cancer in 2015.
National and international companies like New Balance are building manufacturing facilities and some are making NH their corporate headquarters. In 2023, Portsmouth and Nashua were among the top 30 U.S. cities for post-pandemic corporate headquarters following a site selection study by The Boyd Company, a firm specializing in business relocation.
A number of factors are playing into NH’s building boom. New Hampshire’s natural amenities and low tax burden, as well as its access to metropolitan centers like Boston and New York, has people moving to the state in record numbers. The Lakes Region and areas near the White Mountains saw substantial population boosts from July 2020 to 2023 in part due to remote work options during the pandemic. In 2021 and 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau reported twice as many people moving from Massachusetts to NH as the other way around.
The following is a sampling of the major projects underway in NH, some in their final stages and others still months away from completion. All have at least broken ground. They provide a snapshot of what’s happening in NH’s economy and a glimpse of what’s to come in 2025 and beyond.
Newport Mill
The Newport Woolen Mill, also known as the Dexter Richards & Sons Mill, is currently being transformed. This historic four-story brick building in Newport, built in 1905 and once a thriving textile production facility along the Sugar River, will soon become 70 new affordable housing units. While the renovations will introduce modern amenities, plumbing, and mechanical systems, many of the building’s original architectural features—such as arched windows, hardwood floors, and interior structural beams—will be preserved, maintaining the character and history of this landmark.
This multi-unit residential project has an expected completion date in early 2025. Funding for the Newport Mill Housing Project is a collaborative effort including low-Income Housing Tax Credits through the NH Housing Finance Authority and the city of Newport working with private developers to provide support, infrastructure improvements, and incentives for the project.
ReArch Company, a Vermont-based company with offices in Lebanon, is leading construction.
Residences at Chestnut
The first shovels of dirt were dug at the corner of Merrimack and Chestnut Streets in Manchester last November. Today PC Construction, a Vermont-based company with offices in Manchester, is well underway building the Residences at Chestnut.
This 160,000-square-foot multi-family residential development by Lincoln Avenue Capital is being built on the former site of the Manchester Police Department. It features two mid-rise buildings offering 142 studio and one-and two-bedroom affordable housing apartments.
Dan Noblet, a construction executive for PC Construction, says PC is currently working on Building Two, a 44-unit structure expected to open in the late spring or early summer of 2025. Building one, the larger of the two buildings, will be completed by April 2026.
The modern housing complex includes amenities such as a community kitchen and gathering space, rooftop deck and lounge, fitness center, parking garage, resident storage, a pet spa, shared workspaces, walking paths and an enclosed dog park.
The $46.9 million Chestnut project has received support from NH Housing, the City of Manchester, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, a federal tax credit that incentivizes private investment in affordable rental housing for low-income households.
Of the 142 units, 106 will be set aside for people earning less than 60% of the area median income, which is approximately $78,000 annually.
Noblet says the project is part of a wave of mixed-use developments PC is involved with. “In the last five years we’ve worked with a couple of developers on mixed use projects, but this is the first one with low-income housing that will also help veterans,” he says.
Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Grappone Hall, Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is further investing in nursing education with the construction of a 46,500-square-foot nursing school facility. The $35 million facility is being constructed by Eckman Construction in Bedford—the firm’s 20th project on Saint Anselm’s campus—and was designed by Lavallee Brensinger Architects in Manchester.
The building will feature a 150-seat auditorium, a public health community space, an 11,000-square-foot simulation center, dedicated student common spaces on three floors and collaborative learning spaces for kinesiology, anatomy, and physiology.
“What makes this building special is that it has the feel of a hospital,” says Preston Hunter, vice president of Eckman Construction. “Many of the spaces in the building have been designed to simulate healthcare environments like ICUs and neonatal departments.”
Funding for the project was a combination of private philanthropy and institutional resources. Hunter says construction is scheduled to be completed by late spring or early summer of 2025.
New Balance manufacturing building (NB Londonderry) 
Boston-based New Balance, a global manufacturer of athletic shoes and clothing, is constructing NB Londonderry, its newest U.S. athletic footwear production factory near the Manchester-Boston Airport. The construction project is led by Consigli Construction Co. in Milford, Massachusetts.
New Balance has invested $70 million in the 102,000-square-foot single-story building. The creation of the facility reflects the company’s pride in its MADE US athletic footwear, innovation and lean manufacturing,
“New Balance is proactively working to innovate and expand its domestic supplier network as well as drive new automation opportunities that enhance associate safety and ergonomics and increase productivity,” says Amy Dow, New Balance senior director of public relations and government affairs. Dow says that New Balance is the only major athletic shoe manufacturer that has maintained factories in the United States.
Eric Thiboutot, project executive for Consigli, says, “Partnering with New Balance to deliver its new, cutting-edge facility in Londonderry has been a rewarding experience for us at Consigli as we have been able to help boost the regional economy and support local businesses like Denron Hall Plumbing & HVAC, Hampshire Fire Protection and Piquette & Howard Electric Service.”
The factory will add more than 150 jobs and plans to begin production in 2025.
The New England Sports Hub 
The buzz around the 135,000-square-foot New England Sports Hub at 165 Route 108 in Somersworth heated up in mid-August when the dome for this massive indoor sports and recreation facility—dubbed the largest in New England— was finally inflated.
The New England Sports Hub project was made possible through a combination of public and private funding.
The construction of the Sports Hub was overseen by Air Structures American Technologies in New York and the electrical work is being done by Martineau Electric in Dover.
The Sports Hub will feature a large, air-supported dome, accommodating a variety of sports and activities year-round, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, field hockey, and fitness classes. The facility will also be available for community events, trade shows, and other gatherings.
The New England Sports Hub is set to open this fall.
Lilac Club Casino
The Lilac Club Casino project is nearing completion at 7 Milton Road in Rochester. This 32,000-square-foot development in the old Lilac Mall is being developed by Chicago gaming entrepreneur Greg Carlin, who is also refurbishing Ocean Gaming Casino
in Hampton.
The construction was overseen by Harvey Construction, a general contractor in Bedford with a track record in large-scale developments.
The Lilac Club Casino will feature 220 Historical Horse Racing machines and a variety of gaming options, including slot machines, 28 table games, a poker room and a Bingo Hall. In addition to gaming, the casino will also offer dining, entertainment, and event space.
The grand opening of the casino is expected sometimein 2025.
NH Military and Veterans Campus
Construction is well underway on Easterseals NH’s Military and Veterans Campus in Franklin. PROCON, a Hooksett-based design-build firm, is leading the construction project and broke ground in September 2023. The facility will provide a range of services and support to veterans and their families, including housing, healthcare, mental health counseling, employment assistance, and educational opportunities.
Funding for the project is a collaborative effort involving various sources including Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. New Hampshire Housing has allocated approximately $7 million in federal tax credits, which M&T Bank is purchasing to support the development of affordable housing units for veterans within the complex. Easterseals NH secured additional funding through state and federal grants and donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
The total cost of the project is estimated at around $42 million. While the initial phase of construction, including housing and a retreat center, is expected to be completed in summer 2025, additional funding is needed to realize the full vision of the complex, which includes a multi-purpose recreation center and a maker space.
Current Issue - December 2024