Cooler heads prevailed on the County Council this week with regard to a proposal to accelerate the doling out of housing allocations to those developing property along the Route 1 corridor. We hope to see that trend continue.

The council on Monday tabled legislation proposed by County Executive Kenneth Ulman that would have amended the county's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance to allow for twice as many housing allocations annually as would otherwise be permitted along Route 1, a part of the county that for years has been the focus of revitalization efforts.

The ordinance halts development in a given area when school enrollment or the number of cars on the road exceed capacity. But while county officials have not had to invoke it for the past two years, it won't take much to overwhelm schools, roads and other infrastructure in the eastern county.

Council member Jennifer Terrasa has proposed a way to speed revitalization while at the same time giving the county a way to keep up with demand for public facilities.

However, this approach too could have its drawbacks.

Terrasa's amendment would establish a fund into which developers would pay extra as they draw housing allocations at the accelerated rate. This fund would pay for new or expanded facilities that the speeded-up development would make necessary.

Officials have repeatedly pointed to the creation of affordable housing as one of the aims of Route 1 revitalization, but Terrasa's proposal could have developers adding the cost of payments to this fund to the cost of the housing they build.

Those who rent or buy this new housing -- whether it's of the affordable or luxury variety -- will have a cost built into rent or mortgage that no one else in the county will be paying.

Terrasa insists this won't happen because the money developers spend for the extra allocations would be offset by the expenses associated with waiting for the go-ahead to build.

She could be right about that, but we're skeptical. Meanwhile, we're also skeptical that the county will be able to keep up with the accelerated demand for facilities even if the fund can afford it, which we hesitate to take for granted.

The council has done the right thing in allowing for further public testimony and deliberation of this and other possible amendments.

As important as it is to keep revitalization of Route 1 on track, it's equally important to protect the quality of life for existing residents. Proceed with caution.

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