Doug Spohn, an Atlanta area home builder who has served on several national and regional groups studying growth, planning and environmental matters, has urged local home builders to become involved in the process of determining consensus on these issues.

Speaking at the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia's August meeting, held recently at WhiteWater Country Club, Spohn reminded the association members that the resolution of the current growth debates "will have a major impact on your life and the future of your business."

"What's going on is an evolutionary process," he observed. "People just making speeches about our problems...that's counterproductive. We need dialogue. We need to be able to teach the other side about our problems and listen to their problems. We need to come together. If we disagree on 40 things but find that we can agree on five things, then that's an improvement."

Discussing what has been termed by various people as sustainable, sound, planned or smart growth, Spohn said there are three fundamental issues, all equally important. These include economics of growth, environmental issues and social issues.

"We can't deny there are real problems with growth, traffic, and water quality, and if we can't solve the air quality problem, we'll have the government telling you when you can drive, what you can drive, where you can build, and what you can build," he said.

Noting that a major contributor to our air problem is the fact that Atlanta is the nation's leader with the average citizen here driving 34 miles a day, he said that the city also leads in another category, the expanse of the metro area.

"Since World War II, we have built lots of highways, and we've moved lots of people to the suburbs. In 1990, Atlanta's suburbs stretched for 65 miles. Now that area is 110 miles from one end to the other," he said.

Spohn reminded the crowd: "Every one of you is an environmentalist if you care about the future. Does it make any sense to use up our resources? Does it make any sense not to have jobs? Does it make any sense to use up all of our infrastructure? Does it make any sense not to plan?"

Telling those in attendance that many of the first groups studying these issues did not include representation from the building and development community, he noted that builders are involved in the more recent discussions. He also directed attention to the proposed "Controlled Growth Manifesto" for Fayette County, commenting that the document was apparently produced completely by local governmental officials and asking: "Where were the citizens?"

Spohn urged the association members to take more of a proactive position in confronting growth issues. "You have a good opportunity to be part of the community in a leadership role and build what is right."

Spohn, a sixth generation home builder, served for several years on the Environmental Collaborative Committee of the Vision 2020 project and is currently a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission's Environmental Development and Land Use Committee. He is also chairman of the NAHB Sustainable Development Task Force.