The amount of Douglas County countryside taken up by homes decreased slightly in 2001, but opinions remain split over whether the amount of rural development in the county is healthy.

According to a report released Tuesday by Douglas County’s Zoning and Codes Department, 98 single-family building permits were issued for the unincorporated parts of Douglas County in 2001. That’s down from 112 permits in 2000.

Despite the decline, the amount of rural housing being constructed in the county still raises questions for some.

Ron Durflinger, a Lawrence homebuilder and chair of the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission, said nearly 100 homes being built out in the county is a large amount since the city of Lawrence typically sees just slightly more than 300 homes constructed in a year.

“It’s about 33 percent of what we are doing in Lawrence, and that is a significant number considering that only about 15 percent of the county’s population lives in the unincorporated area.”

It is not so much the number of homes, but how they are being built that concerns Durflinger. The county’s report also showed that all but 15 of the homes were built using the 5-acre exemption, which basically allows property owners to build a home without going through the rezoning or platting process as long as they have five or more acres.

Durflinger said the exemption creates road access and traffic problems by allowing unplanned growth to occur.

“The fact that so much of the development is occurring that way is a red flag to me,” Durflinger said.

Jim Kearney, an agent with Coldwell Banker/McGrew Real Estate who specializes in rural home sales, said he wasn’t concerned about the rural real estate market.

“There’s more lights going on out there each night, but I don’t think it is getting too crowded,” Kearney said. “I think we’re going at about the right pace.”

Kearney also said more regulations weren’t needed, since the 5-acre exemption is not allowed in the area immediately surrounding Lawrence.

“I think growth needs to be controlled out there, but not over controlled,” Kearney said. “I live out in the country because I don’t want to be controlled too much.”

The report shows Palmyra Township, near Baldwin, had the most new homes built in 2001, with 33 permits issued. Lecompton Township had the least with five.