Agenda - 03-31-1999 - 1b - Laserfiche WebLink

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~-a~rn~~ ~ b March 22, 1999 Update to Mayor and Town Council Re: Schools and Land Use Task Force From: Council Member Julie McClintock The Schools and Land Use Task Force met on March 10. This group has met for nearly 2 years. About 9.months ago the group suggested that Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough attorneys study whether concurrence principles could be applied to school facilities through ordinances adopted by Orange County governments. The principle of concurrence is that planning approvals are paced to the adequate provisifln of public facilities to support them. A verbal report was delivered at the March 10 meeting by Geof Gledhill, Orange County attorney, who gave a summary of a model that could work.. No enabling legislation is required, he said. He said the first step is .for all. parties to enter into an agreement or agreements: (1) to develop a facilities plan _ for school needs for a certain period of time,- say 10 years; and (2) for•each planning jurisdiction to adopt an ordinance which would prohibit the • permitting of a development project over a certain size unless it had a certificate from the appropriate School Board, certifying that adequate school facilities are or will be available when the demand is generated by the buildout of the development. ~ The second step is to develop the school facilities plan. The third step is for the planning governments to adopt the• ordinances. The ordinances and agreements would insure that the pace of "' development approvals would not exceed the capability of Orange County government to provide classroom space for children. The Task Force acknowledged that the County would still need to fiord the means to pay for new schools and the school boards would still need to build new schools. If these ordinances were adopted by all jurisdictions, then they would create an incentive for developers to "sweeten the deal" by donating . land and other amenities for schools. Task force members further agreed with the suggestion that it is essential to develop criteria for land appropriate for siting of .schools, e.g. a high'+usable site, available public facilities, a site large enough for joint facilities, and located near enough to the area to be served. Alternatively, the idea of receiving money in lieu of land was considered. . Craig Benedict, Orange County Planner,"described how this system might work. School boards would determine school needs through a requirement that each developer meet with the school system to discuss what are the student generation rates and the associated school needs of the proposed project based