Minutes - 03-30-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

supposed to come up with the funding for the schools. Generally, there is a bond referendum, and if it fails, then the schools go into over capacity. She said that the need for new schools was accelerating. She said that each board would make its own decision about the Schools APFO, and no one would force any board to do anything it did not want to do. Mark Sheridan said that the discussion tonight suggests that some additional focus should be put an what can be done cooperatively to moderate and check growth in the area. Jim Ward said that the Schools APFO was only indicating when the problem was going to come but did not address the problem of the inability to fund the schools. He agrees that there needs to be a way of moderating the growth. Craig Benedict said that the Schools APFO was a way of monitoring and synchronizing growth. He said that the ordinance did address the funding and student projection issues. He said that the enrollment in Orange County per year could be higher than Chapel Hill-Carrboro 20 years from now. Pat Evans asked if there was anything about the ordinance that encouraged growth further out from the urban areas. Craig Benedict said that the pattern and location of the growth was controlled by the land use and comprehensive plans of the towns and the County. He said that during the comprehensive plan process, the County would try to direct growth to where there are adequate public facilities. 4. School Site Needs Analysis (briefing by Chapel HiIIlCarrboro School District Craig Benedict talked about the limited opportunities of land acquisition for schools. Steve Scroggs said that the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System perceived the need for having sites to build schools in the future. He showed four potential school sites on a map. Mark Dorosin asked if there was any consideration to build taller schools since the land was so scarce. Steve Scroggs said that there were certain state requirements that prohibited the placement of kindergarten, first grade, ar preschool aged children on the second floor of any classroom space. Several other questions about the potential school sites were answered satisfactorily. Craig Benedict explained the process of a developer obtaining a CAPS. Next Steps Craig Benedict explained the next steps: 1) include any additional comments heard tonight in a report to the Schools and Land Use Council with some additional information and research; 2) direct the Schools and Land Use Council and the staffs to work on the capacity level of service and the enrollment projections; and 3) give the Planning Director direction on whether he should move forward and begin talking to some developers, realtors, and citizens Allen Spalt said that the overall concept and the planning that has gone into this ordinance is impressive. He thinks it would be goad to go forward with this quickly and far the Planning Director to speak to outside groups about the broad concepts even if every detail is not yet settled. Kevin Foy asked if Craig Benedict was asking for something formal from the boards. Chair Carey said that the Assembly of Governments has never been adecision-making group. He said that unless there was violent objection, we would move forward. He asked Craig Benedict to explain what would happen if some of the jurisdictions participated and some did nat. Craig Benedict said that if the County were not interested in both documents it would fall apart because it is the funding mechanism. He said that there could be modifications to the agreement each year if the enrollment projections needed to be modified or if the level of service needed to be addressed again. He said that within a school district if one unit dropped out of the agreement, then the whole area would drop out.