Before the Signal Mountain Planning Commission deferred voting on a proposed 106-home subdivision Thursday, town officials wanted to make clear that a new policy from the Hamilton County Board of Education may affect the school zoning of the proposed residences.
The homes, about a half mile from Signal Mountain’s Nolan Elementary, could end up zoned for a school such as Red Bank Elementary, eight miles away and down off the mountain. The policy would allow the school board to make the new development a school boundary island in the middle of neighbors whose children go to Nolan.
The policy is designed to keep new developments from overcrowding schools or displacing families already zoned for a certain school — so they are not zoned out to make way for the newcomers. But it’s making waves in Signal Mountain, where top performing schools are a big driver of many real estate decisions.
In December, the school board adopted the new growth, capacity and enrollment management policy to create a process to address the effect new housing development has on overcrowded schools. The policy passed by a 7-2 vote, with several members saying they believed the proactive approach would best serve students.