FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2002

Contact: Tim Underwood
Executive Vice President
(816) 942-8800

Tour Showcases Alternatives for New Housing Choices

Local home-building professionals get fresh ideas from trip to Charlotte, N.C.

Kansas City area home-building professionals recently saw first-hand how a wide range of housing choices can be provided through alternative forms of community development. More than 25 local professionals took part in the trip to Charlotte, N.C., hosted by the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City (HBA).

The group included a mix of builders, developers, Realtors, urban planners and a representative from the mayor's office. The group toured a variety of successful new home communities, including neighborhoods mixing both traditional single-family homes with condominiums and mixing residential and retails areas.

"I think everyone came away impressed with how Charlotte has worked together as a community to encourage production of a variety of housing choices," said Tim Underwood, HBA Executive Vice President. "Based on the success we saw in Charlotte, it is clear that there is a strong demand for housing choices that is not currently being met in Kansas City."

With the average new home price in the metropolitan area now topping $225,000, many young professionals and families are finding themselves unable to afford a new home. A recent survey by the Center for Housing Policy showed that the typical school teacher and police officer cannot afford the median priced home in Kansas City

The group of local home-building professionals visiting Charlotte saw how a city and private industry can work together to provide more housing choices while maintaining a vibrant housing market. Charlotte features a number of award-winning communities utilizing "New Urbanism," which borrows elements from neighborhoods like The Country Club Plaza, Brookside and Prairie Village. New Urbanism communities feature town centers, diverse housing types and essential services such as schools and shops, all within walking distance. Similar neighborhoods across the nation have show successful in developing dynamic communities that promote housing choices.

"Providing housing choices for working families and professionals is one of the biggest challenges facing the metropolitan area," Underwood said. "Promoting housing choices is essential to our city's economic prosperity and keeping our local neighborhoods alive."

The Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Kansas City is the voice of the housing industry and the source for housing information. Comprising more than 1,000 member companies, the HBA represents an industry that contributes approximately $2.5 billion to the Kansas City economy and supports more than 36,000 jobs in the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

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