Most Americans Oppose New Development

"Americans are strongly opposed to commercial development projects, and a majority of them favor using tax dollars to keep land undeveloped, a new survey finds. According to the Saint Index, a survey of 1,000 Americans commissioned by the Hingham, MA-based Saint Consulting Group, nearly three quarters of the respondents said they are opposed to development in their own community and twice as many Americans actively oppose development as support it.

'It's becoming a significant issue,' Saint president Patrick Fox tells GlobeSt.com. 'Americans are looking for ways to stop development.'"

"Ironically, the study found that Americans are less concerned about the environment than they are about protecting property values and maintaining the character of their community."

The survey also showed that most voters think public officials do a poor job managing growth and development in their community.