This came over my newswire this morning (it's long, but I thought it was
interesting). This follows election day reports that all the states with
anti-sprawl or protective open space legislation on the ballots saw the
measures pass with overwhelming support.

So Maura,as our in-house BP specialist on Ohio... is this group's spin on the
question something we should prepare for elsewhere? Are the home builders
donning sheep's clothing, or is this for real? Many of the points (focus on
urban revitalization, brownfields redevelopment, etc) are in synch with our
state master plan (good plan, hard to execute), but the high density stuff,
and the anti-state and federal regulations? Mnmmmm...

-- Sprawled out in NJ
___________________

Ohio Businesses Join to Fight Anti-Growth Rhetoric; Ohio Environment-Growth
Alliance Campaigns for Smarter Growth

     COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 1999--Today a group of Ohio
businesses announced the creation of a new organization, the Ohio
Environment-Growth Alliance, which vowed to fire "truth missiles" at growing
"urban sprawl" and anti-growth rhetoric statewide.

     "Growth and the environment are not mutually exclusive," said Michelle
May, managing director for the alliance. "Too much of the debate today
focuses on the negative effects of growth, overlooking the good that growth
has provided Ohioans through transportation choice, affordable housing and
good jobs."

     To fill the information gap and preserve freedom of choice for Ohio
citizens, the alliance intends to monitor local, state and national issues
and act as a resource for providing information on growth, land-use,
environmental and transportation issues.

     As part of the education effort, the alliance also unveiled a five-point
policy statement entitled "A Common Sense Approach to Growth," which warned
that state and federal mandated growth control measures could lead to loss of
jobs, freedom of mobility, housing choice and overall quality of life.

     "The issue is about preserving our freedom to choose. Today many groups
are calling for federal- and state-mandated land use controls that push an
anti-suburb, anti-auto agenda on the public," May said. "And although it
seems everyone has a plan for how we can all live better, there are millions
of us who still believe that the decision should reside with the individual."

     The group called for increased cooperation among units of local
government to address land-use and infrastructure planning, including the
preservation of quality open space, innovative land-use practices, and
incentive-based efforts that encourage urban revitalization.

     "We share very similar goals for managing growth with our no-growth
opponents," May said. "It's our approach to achieving those goals -- ours
through local choice and theirs through federal and state mandates -- that
differ.

     "We recognize that the creation of new communities sometimes brings
challenges, however growth needs to be guided by common sense and prudent
planning on the local level," she added. "Overactive and over-reactive state
and federal policies that impose a one-size-fits-all approach for all Ohio
communities will only diminish our economic opportunities and keep people
from going where they want to go."

     May said that while many groups are actively promoting more state and
federal regulations restricting growth and transportation choice, the Ohio
Environment-Growth Alliance will push for free-market and incentive-based
policies.

     Following is a position paper released by the Ohio Environment-Growth
Alliance:

     A Common Sense Approach to Growth

     By the Ohio Environment-Growth Alliance

     Comprehensive Planning

     Comprehensive planning efforts must recognize that Ohioans desire for
single-family homes in suburban settings will continue. The Ohio
Environment-Growth Alliance supports and encourages locally driven, long-term
comprehensive planning that anticipates and plans for economic development
and growth. Long-range planning must make available an adequate amount of
land for residential, commercial, industrial and recreational uses while also
setting aside quality open space and environmentally sensitive areas in the
community. Local planning efforts should be all-inclusive with input from not
only local government officials, but also individuals representing community
residents, agriculture, homebuilders, developers, businesses and schools.

     The Alliance is against federal- and state-mandated growth control
measures. Existing state laws and regulations give communities broad power
for comprehensive planning that can be used effectively to plan and guide
regional growth. Instituting a top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to growth
through mandates will only tie the hands of local communities and remove
their powers of self-determination.

     Infrastructure Planning

     The Alliance encourages local communities to properly plan for growth by
identifying and developing the infrastructure needed to accommodate growth.
Capital improvement plans developed by local governments can be useful in
identifying timetables and funding for infrastructure projects and can help
ensure costs are shared equitably by both existing and new members of the
community.

     Maximizing Density

     The Ohio Environment-Growth Alliance supports higher-density
developments and innovative land-use practices, such as mixed-use
developments, that encourage more efficient use of the land. However, such
efforts require a change in traditional attitudes, in which many residents
oppose higher density developments in their own backyards, and a change in
local zoning regulations and rulings, which often erect barriers to higher
density. The alliance urges local government officials to conduct a review of
current laws and regulations that encourage inefficient land-use practices
around the state.

     Urban Redevelopment

     The Alliance supports local, state and federal efforts that remove
roadblocks to and provide incentives for encouraging urban revitalization and
Brownfield redevelopment. Tax credits and abatements for innerbelt
communities and the creation of "downtown redevelopment districts" eligible
for state sales and income tax credits are just a few of the available
mechanisms to encourage urban redevelopment. State and federal laws, which
act as barriers to Brownfield redevelopment, must also be changed to remove
legal uncertainties and reduce high cleanup costs.

     Cities must also share responsibility in these revitalization efforts by
improving job opportunities, quality of schools, government services and
decreasing crime, which discourages Ohio families from living in our inner
cities.

     Reducing Congestion

     New roads don't cause increased traffic congestion -- more people do. To
meet that challenge, Ohio communities must pursue a balanced approach to
reducing congestion on our roadways: including improving the safety,
convenience and efficiency of transit; improving the efficiency of current
roads; and, where appropriate, building new roads to draw traffic from other,
more burdened roads. Businesses can also help by supporting flextime,
alternate work schedules, telecommuting and company rideshare programs that
reduce traffic during peak hours.

CONTACT:

Ohio Environment-Growth Alliance

Michelle May, 614/846-8761 or 800/288-7423