Environmental impacts of recreational home developments

The growth of recreational home developments in many areas can be directly traced to tourism. Attractive areas with recreational amenities and inexpensive land become prime locations for new home developments. Many times these locations are in environmentally sensitive areas. The literature has assessed seasonal or second homes and the impact they have on the environment, but little investigation has been conducted for other segments associated with home development. In this study, permanent homeowners, seasonal homeowners, and recreational lot owners in Michigan were surveyed. Information on location preferences, reasons for property purchase, frequency of visitation, attitudes and knowledge concerning future development, and land use controls were analyzed. Results indicated the property owner segments had many differences, which helped explain why environmental impacts occured and the potential for future impacts remains high.