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Wednesday, May 9, 2001 Choose smart growth instead of no growth By John
Hayes
Tight restrictions on growth often disguised as ways to protect the environment or relieve traffic congestion are pushing the cost of housing beyond the reach of millions of families. In many high-growth markets, teachers, police officers, fire fighters and other public servants are commuting 50 miles or more to work each day because they can't find affordable housing to rent or buy close to their jobs. Growth boundaries, large-lot zoning and resistance to infill development are pushing people to satellite cities in search of homes that are affordable to middle income families. Seemingly lost in the ongoing debate over growth is a clear understanding of the economics of development and the market forces driving demand for new homes. When large tracts of land are removed from the inventory of developable land because of restrictions in use or the creation of growth boundaries, then the value of all remaining land still available for development increases. That can add thousands and thousands of dollars to the cost of a home. Americans also need to consider the relationship between job growth and housing demand. It's a simple equation. More jobs equals more demand for housing. If job growth is a priority, then policy makers have a responsibility to ensure that equal priority is given to demand for a broad mix of housing choices. Working families suffer when we ignore the relationship between jobs and housing. A recent report from the Center for Housing Policy, "Housing America's Working Families," indicates that more than three million working families in America either spend more than half their income on housing or live in a severely inadequate unit. This disconnect between job creation and housing is felt most by middle and lower-income workers, including public servants and people who work in the service and retail industries. Demographic trends over the next two decades will continue to increase demand for housing. The population of the United States will grow by some 37 million over the next 15 years. That means that we need to build 1.3 million to 1.5 million homes each year to keep up with the underlying demand for new housing. Because little can be done to moderate demand pressures, the growth debate should focus on the supply side of the market. That means developing a master growth and zoning plan that will provide for a good mix of housing in various price ranges and the timely construction of infrastructure improvements roads and schools that will accommodate the county or city's anticipated growth in an orderly manner. Advocates of no-growth policies pay lip service to affordability, but they offer no solutions to the housing crisis experienced by low- and moderate-income families as a result of restrictive growth policies. Instead, we should emphasize smart growth smarter choices about where and how we grow our communities. This nation will continue to grow. If we deny that fact and fail to plan for it, then we will continue to see more sprawl-related problems. If we acknowledge that growth is going to occur and plan accordingly, then we can make a positive contribution that will yield tremendous benefits for future generations. (John Hayes, who is with Torrey Homes, is president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 461 builders and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Heard and Meriwether counties.)
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