SAPFO's Plans Leave Questions

That word haunts the dreams of anyone following Chapel Hill news -- myself included.

Late last year, mayoral candidates debated the different ways to manage growth in the town.

The effects of unchecked growth on the environment has been a swan song for local leaders.

In the last few weeks, the Chapel Hill Town Council effectively put a halt on all new growth in the town until a comprehensive development ordinance could be hammered out this fall.

Now another facet of "growth management" has re-emerged: tying new growth to school capacity.

At its meeting last week, the Chapel Hill Town Council held a public hearing on the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.

Although the name is complicated, the ordinance's underlying idea is not. Under the new rule, if a new housing development wants to be built in Chapel Hill, developers would have to prove that the influx of new kids would not overcrowd available school space at the elementary, middle and high school level.

Before it can be enforced, this ordinance must be approved by both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school boards and the governing bodies in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Orange County.

So far, both school boards have given their approval.

Although nothing definitive was laid out at last week's Town Council meeting, the ordinance was referred to the Chapel Hill Planning Board for further study. The board should have its recommendations ready for the council's March 25 meeting.

The idea is simple and appealing.

No new housing developments are allowed to be built if there aren't sewer lines, water lines or roads to accommodate them. Why shouldn't developments be forced to prove that there's enough space in local schools?

Because the proposal looks so good on paper, most of those speaking before the council at the meeting last week spoke in favor of rapid adoption.

A little too rapid, I'd say.

SAPFO, as the ordinance is known, is riddled with lingering questions.

And despite the fact that this ordinance has been through the political mill for years -- passing from board to board and attorney to attorney -- and it has been rewritten and revised, fundamental questions still remain.

First, how will SAPFO affect affordable housing in this area (another swan song of local politicos)?

This concern has been present since the ordinance first began circulating. After all, if you begin issuing certificates to developers based on school capacity, the reduction in housing stock would raise the price tag of any new home built in town.

Of course, affordable housing has always been a high priority for local leaders. I doubt this ordinance would severely reduce the amount of affordable housing available -- especially if the council follows through on its proposal to stipulate a certain amount of affordable housing per new development.

Another concern is how to project school enrollment figures. It's not as easy as looking into a crystal ball and anticipating how many kids will be in 10th grade three years down the road.

How will UNC factor into this as it expands its base of students and adds new faculty and staff (who will probably be tugging along children with them)? Will the Horace Williams development be exempt from school capacity certification?

But perhaps the biggest concern should be the willingness of the county to open up its checkbook.

If the idea behind SAPFO is to balance growth with school capacity, will school capacity continually be paced with growth?

This was a problem pointed out by council member Bill Strom last Monday night. To pace school construction with growth, Orange County must keep a steady stream of funding for new schools -- not bulk school building via a multimillion dollar bond when overcrowding hits the breaking point.

School overcrowding is a problem.

But before passing this ambitious ordinance, it would be best to answer a few of these pending questions to avoid a host of future troubles.

Columnist Jonathan Chaney can be reached at jhchaney@email.unc.edu.