
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 22, 1995                   TAG: 9501200053
SECTION: ECONOMY                    PAGE: 17   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

40 YEARS OF HOME BUILDING

The Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association Inc. observes its 40th anniversary this year. The group's 430 member firms include builders, developers, remodelers, manufacturers and suppliers of materials, subcontractors and related professionals, government agencies and utilities.

\ March 1955: The association was formed at a meeting at the Ponce de Leon Hotel, now the Crystal Tower office building, in downtown Roanoke. Elbert Waldron was elected president. Two months later the group was chartered as the Roanoke Valley Home Builders Association. Initial issues included Roanoke's sewer connection fee, workers' compensation laws and contractor licensing.

1960s: Major issues were the shortage of skilled labor, Roanoke zoning and subdivision ordinances, and interest in development in Botetourt County.

1966: Sponsored a Parade of Homes tour of new construction.

1970s: Major issues included sewer connections, cost of underground wiring, Roanoke County's comprehensive land use plan, Botetourt County's subdivision ordinance, energy conservation and septic tank regulations, state erosion and sediment control ordinance and OSHA regulations.

1971: Launched the annual Better Living Expo - The Home Show, which showcases new building products and services.

1980s: Major issues included the shortage of mortgage money, soil and erosion control laws, Salem zoning ordinances, flood control, developer-impact fees, asbestos, radon, landfill regulations and contractor licensing.

1985: Remodelors Council formed. The Ladies Auxiliary, which had been created in 1967, disbanded.

1989: The organization's name was changed to Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association.

1990s: Major issues included storm-water management, sewage treatment plant, mechanics' lien law, Spring Hollow Reservoir, Roanoke County zoning ordinance rewrite, debris landfills, the economy and the endangered species act.

1990: Members built and donated the first of three houses for Habitat for Humanity.

1991: Helped to form the Roanoke Regional Housing Network.

1994: Became the first home-builders association in the United States to offer Certified Graduate Remodelor classes.

Source: Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association

by CNB