In response to a major downtown rezoning that would permit the development of thousands of new housing units in New Rochelle, WXY was commissioned by the city government to study the impacts of new development on the public school system. To understand the overall impact on school enrollment, WXY used the US Census PUMS file to construct tailored residential demographic multipliers that calculated how many public school-age children would be produced by new development units. In a novel approach to school district planning, these multipliers were validated against actual, observed student generation rates by unit type from three case study buildings in New Rochelle.

WXY also produced a 10-year enrollment projection for the district based on demographic trends and historic enrollment patterns. Total projected public school enrollment in year 10 was analyzed in the context of the city’s individual school capacities and spatial constraints, and a picture of the district’s required future capital investments was established. Opportunities for accommodating new students through classroom optimization, assignment policy changes, and new school construction were each considered.

Based on these findings, WXY developed an impact fee structure to estimate the future expense incurred by the school district and the proportional share to be passed on to developers.