If the concepts of "suburban sprawl" or "smart growth" have not caught up with you, please read on. Would you believe that half the population of St. Louis, Missouri, has left the city and moved out to the suburbs? And no one has replaced those who moved. Thousands and thousands of homes stand empty while suburban communities thrive. St. Louis is but one example of what appears to be the latest politically correct hit on homeownership and development.

New legislation pending in Albany would have the state intervene at the local level in the planning of community development. Some of the concepts presented by the legislators could be helpful to local governments. Preserving farm land and other green space is admirable. But the last thing we need is the state stepping in to tell local governments how to provide for land use and zoning. The people of St. Louis left that city because they did not agree with the way the city was being run and found a better lifestyle in the suburbs. Should they be condemned or forced to live somewhere not desired?

At the heart of this debate is the right of you and me to live where we want. Daniel B. Walsh of The Business Council of New York State puts a damper on the Albany proposal by commenting, "Nothing would bring economic development in New York to a screeching halt faster than implementing a.....land use regulatory regime on a statewide basis."

Sixty-eight million families in this country own their own homes ¬ or some 67 percent of us. And the drive for home ownership has not lessened. Sixty percent of all renters rank buying a home as one of their life's top priorities. Home ownership, in the cities of our nation, is extremely difficult for many reasons. Price is important, but do not forget the exorbitant cost of rehabilitation. Obtaining permits for construction work in most cities takes an outrageously long time. The result is that some city structures continue to decay while real estate developers move on to the suburbs where construction permits are easier to obtain.

I, for one, would prefer the marketplace to decide on where homes are constructed. Just because many cities are bogged down in endless paper work and bureaucratic delay does not mean that the freedom of homeownership should be curtailed by phrases like "suburban sprawl" or "smart growth."

New York State does not need to intervene at the local level on land use and zoning issues. Let the marketplace create the demand. And if the cities of the nation can be as creative as New York City in protecting the quality of life for visitors and residents, then the market will take people back to those places ¬ not a top down interference from Albany.