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� i p CONCLUSIONS A�VD THEIR SIGNIFICANCE TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Ke}r Groups in the Development Process BUILDE2;; The builder is the primaxy initiator of the development pro- " cess, but I�is d�'cisions are g reatly influenced by what he knows or assumes to be acceptable to the lenders and con�umers, His business , is complicated, campetiiive, and unstable. The builder tends to be cautious and conservative in his outlook and is disposed for the most part to go on construc�ing familiar styles of houses in subdivisions with the same la�youts that have proved saleable in the past. LE�1DE1�: Many of the lending institutions have been closely involved over the years in an effor� to pr.omote home ownership. The fed�ral programs administered by FHA and VA have operated to make home ownership increasingly possible. Together, lenders and government have strongly encouraged new housing construction as against rehabili- tation of the existing housing supply and have encouraged detached single-family homes as against multi-family housing. CONSUMER: This development has fitted the desires of the "typica�" home buyer--the family with growing children. 7t has not well served the other groups of c�nsumers--the people wh� have no childr�n, cannot afford to bu}r, or prefer a multi-family dvvelling�-e�ren though these groups Combined represent half the population. The buy�ing public chose from what was available, and this choice in turn further reinforced t�e belief that more single�family houses in the suburbs was "w�iat the public wanted". All three rou s need a reat deal rnore information to make sound decisions. Gene.rally, there is a dearth o local informa�ion on such things as land costs, site availability, and housing market opportunities. This information is not gather�d on any systematic basis by the existing associations serving the local industry, and only a few builders have the staff to do this kind of research themselves. MPC and other planning agencies could per�form a valuable service to these groups by providing facts and interpretations on subjects of ix�terest and relevance to their operations. Ove� the long run it could be expected that these groups would make mQre et�lightened aecisions. Builders and lenders have expressed a s�tron desire for stabilit and order in the development process. The builders complain that sub- divis�on regulations and zoning are not uniform in the same parts of the Metropolitan Area and that individual municipalities have not enforced these controls consistently among different builders. Bui�.ders contend they would more readily accept the regulations and providE� the improve- ments required if they were assured their development wo�ld not be jeopardized by less regulated subdivisions. 3