Officials Continue SAPFO Discussions

Orange County Commissioner Alice Gordon said two representatives each from Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough and from the county and local school systems will meet today to address any remaining concerns and draft a final version of SAPFO. Each jurisdiction will be sent the final version for consideration.

According to a projected timeline, the jurisdictions should approve SAPFO by Nov. 15. Land jurisdictions need to be approved by Feb. 15 to put the ordinance into effect.

"SAPFO is a good window of opportunity," Gordon said. "If the timeline is followed I think we'll be pretty close."

Unusual in North Carolina, SAPFO is a cooperative effort by the governments of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County and both local school boards to pace development to ensure adequate facilities for the expected population growth.

The SAPFO draft stipulates that developers must go before school boards and outline their plans for construction, including how many units they plan to build and the expected occupancy numbers.

Barry Jacobs, the Orange County Board of Commissioners chairman, said, "We're not stopping development, we're just trying to pace it with the ability to provide schools."

But Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Mark Dorosin said he is opposed to SAPFO because it inhibits growth.

"The theory is that the school system will more accurately predict when new schools need to be built, but I think it's a backdoor way to stop development through the school system," he said.

Dorosin voted against the ordinance May 14 when it came up for consideration before the board.

He said the ordinance could be used by anti-development advocates to block any growth, as schools are built through public bond referendums. If schools are not approved to be built, Dorosin contends this effectively will stop development within the community.

Maryanne Rosenman, Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board member, said that when demand for schools exceeds capacity, a cap is placed on development permits that remains until facilities can be built to handle the number of students the development will produce.

With an expected increase in population, community leaders fear overcrowding schools possibly will lead to behavioral problems and lower student achievement.

Without adequate facilities to house students "teachers can't spend as much time with each student," Rosenman said. "SAPFO will create a better educational experience."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.