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Pews & Observer(Print Friendly ) : http : //www . . . news/triangle/Story/278494p - 259799c . html http : // l52 . 52 . 16 . 193/standing/help/tools/_scripts/friendly -print . cgi 32 news -/ serum o Published : Saturday , January 20 , 2001 4 : 43 a . m . EST Smart - growth ideas abundant By RICHARD STRADLING , Staff Writer The General Assembly ' s smart - growth commission has come up with dozens of ways the state can help local governments manage growth , and its leaders say they ' ll sift through them to fashion proposals for the coming legislative session . As commission members wrapped up a year of study and debate Friday , they acknowledged some of their ideas wouldn ' t get much support from the General Assembly this year and should be shelved . Given the state ' s budget problems , for example , proposals to spend more money to protect farmland and help build affordable housing may not fly , they said . The two chairmen of the commission , Rep . Joe Hackney and Sen . Howard Lee , both of Chapel Hill , say they ' ll meet in the coming weeks to set priorities and will share the commission ' s recommendations with Gov . Mike Easley and General Assembly leaders . Hackney and Lee say they don ' t know what they ' ll propose this year but acknowledge that some of the commission ' s recommendations will take years to bring about . " We have only fired a very small first shot , " Lee said . " There is a long way to go . " The 37 - member commission had a broad mission to look at the environmental , social and economic impacts of the state ' s burgeoning population , which grew 21 percent over the last decade . The commission came up with proposals for building more schools in urban areas , encouraging reuse of older buildings , and protecting wetlands , farmland and beaches . It wants the state to locate its offices in already developed areas and to make sure state road projects are consistent with local land - use plans . The commission suggests the state craft a " smart growth " vision and guidelines and require that all local governments draft local land - use plans that are consistent with them . That wouldn ' t change much in urban areas like the Triangle , where even small towns. already have communitywide plans , Hackney acknowledged . But the commission also wants to reward communities that plan for growth by giving them the power to enact new kinds of development regulations and to levy local taxes and fees to pay for roads , schools and parks . For example , it suggests changing state law to let local governments require developers to include some moderately - priced housing in their subdivisions . Many of the commission ' s recommendations are vague and subject to interpretation . For example , though it wants all local governments to create at least a basic land - use plan , it doesn ' t say how that should be enforced . Some members thought the state should have to approve the local plans , to ensure they ' re consistent with the state ' s smart - growth guidelines . Others countered that giving the state control over local land - use plans wouldn ' t be fair or politically possible . " We have worked very hard to make it so local governments have the most autonomy possible , which has been their chief complaint in dealing with growth problems , " said Barry Jacobs , an Orange County commissioner . Staff writer Richard Stradling can be reached at 829 - 4739 or rstradli@nando . com BACK © Copyright 2000 , The News & Observer . All material found on newsobserver. com is copyrighted The News & Observer and associated news services . No material may be reproduced or reused without explicit permission from The News & Observer . _ 4 of 1 1 /23/2001 8 : 31 AM