Anything government can do to buy undeveloped land so that it won't be turned into housing subdivisions would save money for New Albany and Plain Township taxpayers.

That is the major conclusion of a recent report prepared by the Smart Growth Coalition, nine representatives of the village, township and New Albany-Plain schools who spent nearly a year studying the area's future challenges.

While the coalition praises the area's planning over the past 15 years, it anticipates problems supporting the school district if 4,000 acres of undeveloped land within the district is used for homes and brings too many students.

The developed portions of the district already are 85 percent residential, the report says.

"Planning was the most important thing that ever happened in this community," said coalition member Keith Morris. "But we are at a crossroads in this community right now."

The report recommends that community leaders study how Granville, east of New Albany on Rt. 161, acquired open space. In 1997, Granville village and township voters were the first in Ohio to approve a levy to buy properties to protect their school district from development pressures.

The New Albany-Plain Local Joint Parks District would be the agency best suited to seek a levy to buy undeveloped properties. The report urges the village, township and schools to meet monthly to work together. The report also recommends upholding development standards to protect the area's character and urges more business recruitment.

New Albany, Plain Township and Columbus signed an agreement this year with Metro Parks to develop a park in northern Plain Township that could take up to 1,200 acres.

New Albany grew to an estimated 6,287 residents last year, up from 1,621 in the 1990 Census. It has become one of the fastest growing and wealthiest communities in Ohio.

Since 1993, the local governments have achieved 19 of 22 community goals, which include building a Columbus Metropolitan Library branch, a fire station and a pool.

But there is concern that an overcrowded school district could impede progress.

New Albany-Plain schools draw from the village, township and a portion of northeast Columbus. The district has 3,911 students, which is 1,000 more than the district had anticipated, said Superintendent Steve Castle.

"I think we've stumbled a little bit along the way," he said.

The report notes: "To realize that all of the improvements added to our community over the past several years were not sufficient to have enough classrooms to educate students of our school district is most disappointing."

In November, voters rejected a $34 million bond issue that would have funded a new fifth- and sixth-grade building. The district now uses four trailers to accommodate students.

Growth is expected to continue, with the district projecting 750 more students in the next five years. The district now has all of its buildings on one central campus and could reach its capacity of 5,500 sooner than anticipated.

It's expensive to educate children in New Albany. The district spends $10,738 per student. A house has to be valued at $634,000 to generate enough property taxes to cover the annual cost of one student, said Jon Yarger, a coalition member.

The report recommends that undeveloped land within the Columbus area of the district -- where the land costs less and homes tend to have lower price points -- would be the most desirable to take out of future development.

Plain Township Trustee Donald Shoemaker said he agrees with the report's recommendations, but a levy to buy land might be a tough sell in this economy. He said the school district and the fire department should be a higher priority now.

jwoods@dispatch.com