Full Schools May Block Building Permits in Chapel Hill-Carrboro

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district has warned county commissioners and mayors that school growth could put building permits on hold.

 A local ordinance in Chapel Hill-Carrboro prevents home builders from receiving permits if schools are overcrowded. Right now schools in the district are at full capacity. When they reach 105 percent, the ordinance takes effect, says Todd LoFrese, an assistant superintendent with the district.

Todd LoFrese: "We were letting everyone know of the tightness we were experiencing. And that we were concerned that we were going to be over that 105 percent level before the new school comes online. "
LoFrese says the next elementary school is not scheduled to open until the fall of 2014. He says elementary schools are the most crowded, especially in the northwest part of the district. The district is already using school space that isn't normally used for classrooms to accommodate students.