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Community Planning Survey
COMMUNITY PLANNING SURVEY
Hillsborough County, Florida
11/1 – 11/03/07
n=400, +/- 4.9% Registered Voters
(percentage may not add up to 100% due to rounding)
Q. 1. Generally speaking, would you say that things in Hillsborough County are moving in theright direction or has it gotten off onto the wrong track?
40.3% Right direction
36.6 Wrong track
12.4 Both/mixed (volunteered)
10.8 Unsure/no answer
Q. 2. Which of the following do you think should be the top priority for elected officials in yourcommunity to work on during the next two years? Is it…(randomly rotated)
8.1% Preserving undeveloped land and open space
18.4 Fixing traffic problems
5.1 Creating more housing opportunities for local residents
10.6 Attracting more jobs and businesses
9.1 Reducing school overcrowding
18.8 Fighting crime…or…
20.4 Improving the quality of education
8.5 Other (volunteered)
1.1 Unsure/no answer
Thinking more about current growth...
Q. 3. How do you rate the job that the Hillsborough County Planning Commission has doneplanning new housing growth over the last 20 years? Would you say it is excellent, good, fair,poor or very poor?
TOTAL POSTIVE ASSESMENT
.8% Excellent
16.1% 15.3 Good
32.8% Fair
TOTAL NEGATIVE ASSESSMENT
25.8% Poor
43% 17.2 Very poor
8.1% Unsure/no answer
Q. 4. Thinking about the construction of new homes, would you say that the rate of new housinggrowth in Hillsborough County is too fast, about right or too slow?
72.3% Too fast
18.7 About right
4.8 Too slow
4.2 Unsure/no answer
Q. 5. Generally speaking, would you say that the cost of housing is too high, pretty fair or toolow?
71.5% Too high
24 Pretty fair
1.7 Too low
2.8 Unsure/no answer
Q. 6. How would rate the economic condition of the local housing market for buying and sellinghomes in your county? Would you say it is...
7.9% Good
32.4 Fair
54.9 Poor
4.8 Unsure/no answer
Q. 7. Over the last year, do you think the local housing market has gotten better, stayed aboutthe same or gotten worse?
4.8% Better
21.3 Same
69.2 Worse
4.7 Unsure/no answer
Looking at planning for future growth, I would like to read you some choices of types ofneighborhoods and homes. After I am done, please tell me which one you would prefer tolive in, if you were choosing a home today.
Q. 8. Would you choose to live in…(rotated)…a single-family detached house, which has ayard…or… a multi-family apartment or condominium, which is maintenance-free?
85% Single-family
13.2 Multi-family
1.8 Unsure/no answer
Q. 9. Would you choose to live in…(rotated)… a neighborhood with different types of housingstyles, such as a mix of single-family houses, condominiums and apartments…or… aneighborhood with only single-family detached houses?
28.7% Different types
68.1 Only single-family detached houses
3.2 Unsure/no answer
Q. 10. Supposing for a moment that you could not afford a single-family detached house, wouldyou…(rotated)…purchase a townhouse or condominium, so you would not have towait…or…save more money until you could afford a single-family detached house?
31.2% Purchase/so would not have to wait
62.3 Save/until could afford house
6.5 Unsure/no answer
Q. 11. Would you choose to live in a neighborhood that is…(rotated)…close enough to storesand shops to be able to walk to them from your home, so it is more convenient…or…far enoughaway from stores and shops, so you will not have any businesses near your home?
56.6% Close to stores
40.8 Away from stores
2.7 Unsure/no answer
Q. 12. Would you choose to live in a neighborhood that has…(rotated)…homes with small yardsthat cost less, because you do not have to pay for as much land…or… homes with large yardsthat cost more, because you have to pay for more land?
47.1% Homes with small yards
49.2 Homes with large yards
3.6 Unsure/no answer
Q. 13. Thinking more about how neighborhoods are designed and developed, do you think thatsuch decisions should be made…(rotated)…on a county-wide basis, so growth can be plannedregionally and more efficiently for the entire county area…or…by each local town orneighborhood, so they can make decisions that are best for the needs of their local citizens andallow each area to decide how it will grow?
32.8% County-wide
60.7 Each local town/neighborhood
6.5 Unsure/no answer
Q. 14. Suppose for a second that you were moving into a new neighborhood that was just beingdeveloped, how close to your home would you want a public park for recreation that includes ball diamonds and soccer fields? Would it be...nearby, in the very same neighborhood...withinwalking distance of a couple blocks...or...in the general area, but close enough to drive to it?
16.2% Nearby
26.6 Walking distance
53.9 Close enough to drive
3.3 Unsure/no answer
Q. 15. How close to your home would you want a public park for things such as hiking? Wouldit be...nearby, in the very same neighborhood...within walking distance of a coupleblocks...or...in the general area, but close enough to drive to it?
12.8% Nearby
22.9 Walking distance
61.6 Close enough to drive
2.7 Unsure/no answer
Q. 16. How close to your home would you want a public school? Would it be...nearby, in thevery same neighborhood...within walking distance of a couple blocks ...or...in the general area,but close enough to drive to it?
15% Nearby
33.9 Walking distance
42.9 Close enough to drive
8.2 Unsure/no answer
Q. 17. If you had children enrolled in a public school that was located within a quarter mile orless of your home, would you allow them to walk to school?
52.9% Yes
35.2 No8.8 Maybe (volunteered)
3.2 Unsure/no answer
Turning to traffic in your community…
Q. 18. Generally speaking, would you say that traffic congestion in Hillsborough County is avery big problem, somewhat of a problem, not much of a problem or not a problem at all?
61% Very big problem
29.1 Somewhat of a problem
5.3 Not much of a problem
2.2 Not a problem
2.2 Unsure/no answer
Q. 19. Which of the following would you say is the biggest reason for traffic congestion? Isit…(randomly rotated)...more cars on the road from new growth and more families moving intothe area…government planning has failed to expand roads and highways to keep up withincreased traffic needs…or…people are driving more often and commuting longer distances?
44.8% More cars on the road from new growth/more families
32.1 Government planning has failed to keep up
14.9 People driving more/commuting longer distances
3.8 Other (volunteered)
4.4 Unsure/no answer
Q. 20. Do you favor or oppose requiring that new housing developments be built near existingfreeways and highways in order to reduce traffic congestion?
39.6% Favor
47.4 Oppose
13 Unsure/no answer
Q. 21. Do you favor or oppose requiring that new housing developments include publictransportation stations for bus and light rail service in order to reduce traffic congestion?
75.4% Favor
20.9 Oppose
3.6 Unsure/no answer
Looking at where you live…
Q. 22. Do you favor or oppose requiring that public transportation stations for bus and light railservice be built in or near existing neighborhoods, in order to reduce traffic congestion?
73.4% Favor
22.3 Oppose
4.3 Unsure/no answer
Q. 23. If a public transportation station for bus or light rail service was built in or near yourneighborhood, would you be more likely to use it for commuting, or would it not affect yourcommuting habits?
39.5% More likely to use for commuting
56.3 Would not affect commuting habits
1.6 Don’t commute (volunteered)
.4 Already use them (volunteered)
2.2 Unsure/no answer
Thinking more about your neighborhood…
(SPLIT SAMPLE – Random assignment between versions A and B)
Q. 24a. Do you favor or oppose allowing vacant or unused land near your neighborhood to bere-zoned for construction of single-family homes that are similar in price and size to the existingones that are nearby?
70.5% Favor
25.4 Oppose
4.1 Unsure/no answer
Q. 24b. Do you favor or oppose allowing vacant or unused land near your neighborhood to bere-zoned for construction of single-family homes that are moderately-priced and can be affordedby working families?
59.2% Favor
32.4 Oppose
8.4 Unsure/no answer
Q. 25. Do you favor or oppose allowing vacant or unused land near your neighborhood to be rezonedfor construction of condominiums and town-homes?
24% Favor
70.7 Oppose
5.3 Unsure/no answer
Q. 26. Do you favor or oppose allowing vacant or unused land near your neighborhood to be rezonedfor construction of apartments?
19.8% Favor
76.7 Oppose
3.5 Unsure/no answer
(SPLIT SAMPLE – Random assignment between versions A and B)
Q. 27a. Do you favor or oppose allowing homes to be built close together, with less spacebetween them, if it would reduce the amount of land needed in order to make houses moreaffordable for working families in the community?
46.8% Favor
48.5 Oppose
4.7 Unsure/no answer
Q. 27b. Do you favor or oppose allowing homes to be built close together, with less spacebetween them, in order to reduce the amount of land being used?
34.2% Favor
62.1 Oppose
3.7 Unsure/no answer
Thinking about home builders, that is, the people who are in the business of constructingnew housing...
Q. 28. Would you say that, in general, your opinion of home builders is favorable orunfavorable?
43.8% Favorable
41.5 Unfavorable
8.2 Mixed (volunteered)
6.6 Unsure/no answer
Q. 29. Do you agree or disagree that home builders should be allowed to participate in localgrowth planning, because they have expertise about where people want to live, the types ofhomes they want, and the best ways to build them?
54.2% Agree
40.9 Disagree
5 Unsure/no answer
Q. 30. Prior to this survey, have you ever heard of the Tampa Bay Builders Association?Follow-up if yes: Would you say that you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of it?
17.3% Favorable
13.8 Unfavorable
21.7 Heard/no opinion
34.4 Never heard (volunteered)
1.9 Mixed opinion (volunteered)
10.9 Unsure/no answer
Q. 31. In your opinion, how credible is the Tampa Bay Builders Association as a resource forproviding information on growth, planning policies and community development in HillsboroughCounty? Is it…7.5% Very credible
20.3 Somewhat credible
9.6 Not very credible
7.7 Not at all credible
54.9 Unsure/no answer
Finally, I have a few short questions for statistical purposes...
Q. 32. I would like to read you a list of age groups. Please stop me when I get to the one you are in.
11.4% 18 to 29
26.2 30 to 44
31.3 45 to 59
29.5 60 and older
.8 Refused.8 Unsure
Q. 33. What is your main racial or ethnic heritage?(volunteered)
65.1% White
14.6 Black/African-American
10.1 Hispanic
1.7 Asian
4.1 Other
.6 Mixed race
2 Refused
1.7 Unsure
Q. 34. Do you consider yourself a...(rotated Republican and Democrat) ...Republican...Democrat ...or something else?
31% Republican
23.7 Something else/Independent
40 Democrat
5.3 Unsure/no answer
Q. 35. Thinking about your current occupational status, are you working full-time outside thehome, a homemaker, retired or something else?
53.2% Working outside home
7.4 Homemaker
27.4 Retired
10.7 Something else (student, unemployed, disabled, part-time, full-time at home, etc.)
1.3 Unsure/no answer
Q. 36. Do you have any children in your household under 18 years of age?
34.9% Yes
63.9 No
1.2 Unsure/no answer
Q. 37. Which of the following categories best describes the type of home you live in? A singlefamilydetached house…a townhouse or single-family unit which is attached to another unit,such as a duplex…an apartment or condominium in a multi-family building…a mobilehome…or…something else?
78.1% Single-family detached house
4.9 A townhouse or single-family unit which is attached to another unit
12 An apartment or condominium in a multi-family building
2.8 Mobile home
1.2 Something else
1 Unsure/no answer
Q. 38. Do you own or rent the home in which you currently live?
82.8% Own
14 Rent
2.2 Other (volunteered)
1 Unsure/no answer
Q. 39. Are you considering purchasing a home within the next 2 years?
15.9% Yes
78.3 No
3.8 Maybe (volunteered)
1.9 Unsure/no answer
Gender:
47.5% Men
52.5 Women
