February 2026 Media Scan
Volume over outcomes. Process over solutions. What's missing matters more than what's covered.
5,800+ units built statewide—highest since 2006. Portsmouth cited as one of top 5 cities issuing most building permits. But state met only ~80% of its 2020-2025 production goal. No analysis of how many units are affordable.
Volume framing Portsmouth citedKey stat: Portsmouth workers need $44.21/hour to afford median rent—second highest in state after Lebanon ($49.40). Includes data visualization of wage requirements by city. No discussion of policy solutions or Housing Action Plans.
Local dataMayor McEachern frustrated by lack of support for hotel tax and "unfair distribution" of state funds. Frames revenue problem but doesn't connect to housing production capacity.
Process focus State blameSeacoast Board of Realtors roundtable. Key data: median Seacoast home $849,900 (+6.2% YoY). Beth Moreau discusses co-living. GSD Communities' John Randolph: "They can't live in the Seacoast. They just, point blank, can't." Mentions ADUs, tiny homes—no systemic solutions or production targets.
Local data Solutions mentionedBills for 0.75% tax on second homes $500K+, and "supplemental residence tax" on vacant properties. Debated in House Ways and Means. Framed as state-level policy—no local implementation discussion.
State legislationMayor McEachern: "Those conversations are the toughest conversations." Rochester Mayor-elect: grandson moved to North Carolina—couldn't find apartment under $3,000. Human interest framing, no production targets or timelines.
Process focus5,800+ units built statewide—highest since 2006. Portsmouth cited as one of top 5 cities issuing most building permits. But state met only ~80% of its 2020-2025 production goal.
Mayor McEachern frustrated by lack of support for hotel tax and "unfair distribution" of state funds.
Bills for 0.75% tax on second homes $500K+, and "supplemental residence tax" on vacant properties.
Seacoast Board of Realtors roundtable. Median Seacoast home $849,900. Beth Moreau discusses co-living. GSD Communities on workforce crisis. Mentions ADUs, tiny homes.
Portsmouth workers need $44.21/hour to afford median rent—second highest in state.
Mayor McEachern: "Those conversations are the toughest conversations." Human interest framing.
5,800 units built statewide—how many are affordable? How many in Portsmouth? Silence.
Zero coverage of production targets, implementation timelines, or accountability mechanisms
Rochester mayor's grandson moved to NC. Who else is leaving Portsmouth? No data.
127 units approved—when will they be occupied? What are the milestones? Unasked.
Other cities with Housing Action Plans—Keene, South Portland, Cambridge—go unmentioned
PHA says we need 1,500 units by decade's end. What's actually in the pipeline?
When media celebrates unit counts without asking about affordability, when state policy debates substitute for local action, when $44/hour wage requirements are presented without response—it creates an environment that rewards inaction.
Politicians can point to "20-year highs" while families keep leaving. We can debate pillow taxes while avoiding the real question: Does Portsmouth have a plan to create housing at the scale and affordability we need?
The media isn't telling the whole story. We need to fill the gaps.