FORT MILL TOWNSHIP--When two new schools open in Fort Mill Township in 2007, county officials hope to have standards set to keep them from getting overcrowded.

The proposed comprehensive plan calls for developers to wait until school districts have more new schools available for new students, or calls on them to help pay for the new schools.

Specific ordinances have yet to be set, and everything hinges on whether the comprehensive plan in its current form is adopted by the York County Council. But such an ordinance would apply not only to schools, but also to roads and other public infrastructure, and public services such as police and fire protection.

Developers could either wait for governments to catch up, or they could help pay for these services themselves.

"The operational expenses up [in Fort Mill] are going through the roof," said Eric Greenway, the county's planning and zoning director. "We need to make sure we provide them with balanced residential, industrial and commercial growth patterns up there, so they can keep the money they need to operate the school system."

Superintendent TEC Dowling said he would like to see more developers, such as Clear Springs Development, LLC, the developers of Baxter Village, help the school district. Clear Springs donated the land for Orchard Park Elementary and sold at a reduced price the land for the new high school off Springfield Parkway, Springfield Elementary and the future middle school.

"In my opinion it is long overdue," Dowling said.