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Cabarrus
<br />builders ] Cabarrus bu kiers
<br />respond to
<br /> respond to proposal
<br />
<br />cap idea
<br />
<br />Plan won't end school
<br />crowding, they say
<br />
<br />By GAlL SMITH
<br />Concord Bureau
<br /> CONCORD -- Capping the num-
<br />ber of homes built in Cabarrus
<br />County is not the way to solve the
<br />school overcrowding problem,
<br />home builders told the Cabarrus
<br />County commissioners Monday.
<br />
<br /> "We urge caution in areas that
<br />would send a message to potential
<br />industries that Cabarms County is
<br />anti:growth," said Dave Bluto,
<br />president of the Home Builders
<br />Association of Cabarrus County.
<br />
<br /> On Friday, commissioners
<br /> talked about establishing a task
<br /> Iorce that would consider a pro-
<br /> gram o[ building caps to limit the
<br /> number ol new homes, apartments
<br /> and mobile homes in the county.
<br /> County planners proposed such an
<br /> approach as a way to manage
<br /> growth that is crowding the public
<br /> schools.
<br />
<br /> Just northeast ol Mecklenburg
<br /> County, Cabarrus has experienced
<br /> unbridled growth in recent years.
<br />
<br /> For example, the county's esti-
<br /> mated population at the end o!
<br /> 1994 was 113,847, a 4.3% increase
<br /> over the previous year. This year,
<br /> 17% of the students in Cabarrus
<br /> County Schools were taught in
<br /> mobile classrooms, compared
<br /> with 6% just two years ago.
<br />
<br /> As with other suburban counties
<br /> around Charlotte, residential
<br /> growth has begun to outpace the
<br /> ability to provide services. County
<br /> voters last May voted down
<br /> $81 million in school bonds that
<br /> would have paid for new schools
<br /> and renovations on old ones.
<br />
<br /> Commissioners say they have to
<br /> take a look at managing residential
<br /> growth because the money isn't
<br /> there for new classrooms. But on
<br /> Monday, they sounded cautionary,
<br /> saying the task force hasn't been
<br /> [ormed yet and the county may not
<br /> implement such a program. They
<br />
<br />see Crowding/page 4A
<br />
<br />for housing
<br />
<br />Crowding
<br />
<br />Continued from page lA
<br />
<br />took no action, but they may
<br />consider establishing the task
<br />force at a Feb. 18 workshop on
<br />growth management.
<br /> "There was never the word
<br />'moratorium' mentioned," said
<br />commissioners Chairman Jeff
<br />Bamhart.
<br /> "1 do think it's important we
<br />look at these options -- all the
<br />options out there," he said.
<br />
<br /> 'Tm not sitting here.., to shove
<br />anything down anybody's throat."
<br /> The county's stance was soft-
<br /> ened from the dralt proposal pre-
<br /> sented to the commissioners at a
<br /> Friday retreat. The original draft
<br /> said that the task force would
<br /> consider setting housing caps, but
<br /> the revised proposal says it would
<br /> "examine the feasibility" of such a
<br /> program.
<br />
<br /> la 1994, Cabarrus approved
<br />building permits lot 1,785 new
<br />housing units, compared with
<br />1,200 in 1993.
<br /> Bamhart and other commission-
<br />ers said they wanted to work with
<br />representatives of the develop-
<br />ment industry on a solution, and
<br />the county's proposal now calls for
<br />home builders, Realtors and others
<br />to serbe on the task force.
<br /> Commissioner Frank Niblock Jr.
<br />said he wants a task force to have
<br />no direction Irom the county on
<br />what it should consider.
<br /> "I think it needs to be com-
<br />pletely open and above board,"
<br />said Niblock, a former residential
<br />developer.
<br /> Barnhart said the county has to
<br />do something to get. a grip on
<br />
<br />school crowding problems.
<br /> Builder Mike Ouickel said he's
<br />_opposed tQ..a building cap, but he
<br />knows the countj/ needs to do
<br />somethin,q since his three children
<br />went through thc county's public
<br />
<br /> He said the $81 million bond
<br />last year was like handing the
<br />school system a blank check.
<br /> Instead ol imposing a cap ,o,!
<br />new construction, he said th~
<br />county and school system should
<br />ask voters to approve a smaller
<br />bond.
<br /> "Let's build one, two (schools)
<br />at a time," Quickel said.
<br /> He said a building cap would
<br />hurt the county's economy be.
<br />cause of the impact of the con-
<br />stmction industry. Because of con-
<br />cerns about the county's proposal,
<br />he said he postponed shopping for
<br />a new pickup track last weekend.
<br /> Builder Ever¢lte Gilliam said
<br />17,000 people are directl7 or indi-
<br />rectl~alfected Dy me construction
<br />industry in Cabarrus County.
<br /> He suggested a quick solution to
<br />the money crunch for schools:
<br />"This whole issue can be put to--'~
<br />rest with a 'tax increase," he said._.J
<br /> Commissioner Ken Ollo. Mills'~
<br />said the development industry
<br />sho,u,.Id tell state legislators to ap- J
<br />pro~e a 1% sales tax local option/'
<br />for schools.
<br /> "We need a lot of help getting
<br />that passed in Raleigh," he said.
<br /> Local developer Kenny Propst,
<br />pre~[d~nt of the Ooncord. Cabarms
<br />County Chamber of f"nrom~ce,
<br />said he hopes {he noway formed
<br />Quality Growth Council can help
<br />With ~he taq'~, torce, The council
<br />was formed last year after a group
<br />of Cabarrus leaders went to Gwin-
<br />nett County, Ga., to look at how
<br />that sprawling suburban county
<br />dealt with its growth problems.
<br />
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