Ensuring that those who want to stay here, or come here, have safe and affordable places to live is key to the long-term sustainability and success of our region.  Therefore, the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission and Mount Ascutney Regional Commission joined together to help address this critical issue.

First, we seek to understand the situation by developing a data-driven regional housing study, which will quantify where our residents live and work, how long their commutes are, the value of their homes, and other essential data points critical to grasping the scope of the problem.  This information has become the foundation from which to engage our communities in open and honest conversations about the issues that impact housing and possible solutions, such as – development costs, environmental impacts, health indicators, location, regulations, infrastructure, financing, and transportation.

Addressing housing in the greater Upper Valley region is a complex issue with few easy answers.  The challenges in Hanover and Lebanon are different those in Claremont and Springfield.   We understand that there is no single solution to the housing issues facing our communities, but finding solutions is equally important to all of them.  We know full well that the three commissions do not have all the answers and so we have looked to gather and coalesce experts in a variety of fields, along side conversations with our communities, for substantive input.

The Keys to the Valley Initiative must lead to action, so it has developed implementable strategies for creating homes that are needed by our community members.  To do that, we have researched different housing models that are suitable for the region.

We need your help, ideas and participation in these conversations on the places we live. Please join and lend your voice to the Keys to the Valley Initiative, helping our greater Upper Valley region to adapt and be the place we call home. Since the launch of the results of our study in April 2021, the commissions continue to support our communities and monitor the goals outlined in this website to further the homes our region needs.

For more information on the tenets and principles that act as project guides, please view our Tenets and Principles page.

For more information about the three commissions, please view our Who We Are  page.

For more information about the advisory committees who will help to guide this initiative, please view our Advisory Committees page.

For more information about our partners and funders who make this initiative possible, please view our Partners and Funders page.