by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
If Florida doesn’t want to end up like California, its communities need to plan ahead, agreed two of the nation’s leaders in the construction and real estate industries.
California now is short over 100,000 homes, said Jacksonville’s Cathy Whatley, president of the National Association of Realtors. It’s due to regulations.
“If a community will just plan ahead,” said Kent Conine, the president of the National Association of Home Builders, “that can be avoided.”
The two sat side-by-side Thursday morning prior to singing to the choir at the annual Realtor/Builder Luncheon at the Osborn Center which, like the local housing market, set a record.
The local builders association Thursday predicted that the Jacksonville metro areas would surpass 11,000 single-family housing permits for the first time this year. And the luncheon drew an estimated 1,000, the best ever
“The cost of a slab and a roof and walls aren’t the whole cost,” said Conine, a Dallas builder. “Government places many other charges which drive up the cost, and a lot of those could be avoided with planning.
“The legislative bodies need to think 10-20 years out, rather than five months out. Growth is going to come, and it needs to be accepted that it’s coming.”
Whatley, who owns the Buck & Buck agency in the Arlington area, recalled Jacksonville’s planning efforts.
“Thirteen years ago, we worked on the ‘2010 Plan’ that was a plan for the future,” she said. “It wasn’t that long ago, but we decided that our problems would be recreation and open space. Things changed quickly, and it became apparent that traffic was a bigger problem. So, you have to stay aware of the changing times.”
While some parts of North Florida have had problems due to lack of planning — Orange Park, for instance, has tried (unsuccessfully) to tax citizens for infrastructure — others have the benefit of master planning. Two Clay County developments, Fleming Island and OakLeaf Plantation, for instance, were planned to include all infrastructure, including schools and retail. Eagle Harbor, also in Clay, includes most of the elements, and retail has popped up next door.
“We have a strong economy and a strong industry,” said Conine. “It’s great to be president of the builders in just a great time, and I know Cathy agrees [she did.]”
The annual luncheon, which is coordinated by the Sales and Marketing Council, a part of the local builders association, included a large trade show.