Category Archives: Rochester

The Takeover of Local Government

From John Anthony at Sustainable Freedom Lab: The destruction of our economy… the destruction of our health care system… guns confiscated… borders wide open… destruction of property rights… privacy rights… the UN’s new Agenda 2030… HUD’s oppressive Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule… and so much more, is happening and very fast.

Do you know what these are and how to stop them? Most Americans have no idea what they are actually fighting.  Worse – they don’t know that most of these battles will be won or lost on the LOCAL level – not in Congress!

AFFH is a decades old term that HUD just translated into a package of mandates governing how communities must use new grant money.   Acceptance of funds through familiar programs such as CDBGs, suddenly triggers the revised AFFH “obligation.” This chilling tactic allows HUD to take control of local zoning, reverse voters’ decisions and even annex your hometown into a region.

Recently, HUD forced the citizens of Rockford, IL, to abandon their vote to build 49 affordable housing units and instead accept 69 units.  Neither the mayor, the council nor the community wanted the larger number of homes.  It didn’t matter. HUD struck like a sledgehammer.   They threatened to notify the Department of Justice of possible civil rights violations and failure to affirmatively further fair housing.  The community had no choice but to buckle.

Worse, once a community accepts HUD funds, AFFH rules govern any money’s they receive, public or private, that HUD concludes may affect fair housing or urban development. 

People are fighting back.  The communities of Castle Rock, CO, Goffstown and Rindge NH, and Westchester County, NY have already rejected HUD grants issued under the new AFFH rule.

According to Tom DeWeese of American Policy Center, international policy is currently directing local communities to enforce cutbacks on water use by as much as 75%.

The Sierra Club’s plan forces 500 families to live on one acre of land and they deem it “Smart Growth.” The new corporate law called “Benefit Corporations” enlists corporations to enforce sustainable development policies in their products and promotions. Nearly every state has now either passed or is considering this legislation.

Rochester NH is about to be ‘urbanized’ under a CDBG.

Rochester Community Development Block Grants

We have warned you about the Regional Planning Commissions and their “master plans” which employ the use of HUD grants in order to seed the process.

Towns accepting HUD money for these projects suggested in master plans are actually signing a contract with the federal government, an agreement that comes with ‘strings’.

Several cities are, however, on the “fast track” and can apply for similar grants (Community Development Block Grants) directly or through the county. The goal of these programs is urbanism.

*There are, however, five “entitlement communities” which get money directly from HUD as a special set-aside (These communities are Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth, Manchester, and Nashua). Projects located in these communities can apply either directly to the city or to CDFA through their county.

http://www.nhcdfa.org/block-grants/program

From residents of the City of Rochester we learn:

The city of Rochester NH has taken bold action to extend housing developments, as those promoted by the Federal Government, into previously rural sections.

This is supported by the city’s desire to take Community Development Block Grants and maintain their entitlement city status.

This is another example of “you have to sign it so you know what’s in it!”

A coordinated TRG (Technical Review Group) was developed through agreements between City Departments and the developers, to be presented before the Planning Board Departments and the developers, to be presented before the Planning Board.

The notes from the TRG (Technical Review Group) meeting prior to the January 4, 2016 meeting mentioned that they also need to confer with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission. We are not sure why, nor was it indicated.

The proposal is to build 153 housing units on 1/3 acre plots on 75+- acres.

View the plans here: Summary of Chesley Hill Rd. Development

At a recent Rochester Planning Board meeting, the director of planning for the City of Rochester (Jim Campbell) of this board indicated that it was not necessary to even notify abutters to this property. Really?

Not only does this video include the developers proposal, it includes “testaments” from residents of the area concerned about the devastating effect on this neighborhood’s quality of life, investment, safety and education.

For what purpose, we ask, social experimentation?

Initially there was concern about maintaining a rural character, but we are not sure how this would be accomplished with this amount of density.

We urge citizens of other communities to review this meeting.

Our hope is that you become aware of what is coming to your communities and how these government planning units will affect your quality of life and that of your family for generations to come.

The presentation by the developers begins at approximately the 00:23:45 mark…
It then goes into public comment from the neighborhood…

After public comment the members ask questions of developers…

They didn’t seem to have a clue of what they wanted to build – how big – lot size etc.

http://rochesternh.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=6af189cef008ce5147b5aa228f410930

Town Meeting Time is Here

Beginning in January, and running up to June in some cases, towns will be concentrating on implementation of these globalist planning schemes hatched by regionalists and which contain mandates from HUD. Town meetings and ballot votes will be held to pass them by the unsuspecting public.

Cities are not exempt.

Here is a 5-year plan for Rochester, NH that bears watching.

RochesterNH 5-Year Plan