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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