The College Station city council takes more than four hours Monday night to make some changes to the city’s impact fee ordinance.
The impact fee is a one time charge or assessment that is imposed on new development at the time the city issues a building permit.
There was a 5-2 vote approving the ordinance as recommended by city staff, providing what was quoted in the agenda as a “five-year update of land use assumptions, capital improvements plans, and maximum assessable impact fees for systemwide water, wastewater, and roadways.” That vote followed 40 minutes of comments from developers who opposed the fee increases, other residents who supported the increases, and councilmembers. Voting yes were John Nichols, Bob Brick, Dennis Maloney, John Crompton, and Elizabeth Cunha. Karl Mooney and Linda Harvell voted no. That vote gives the council the authority to raise the maximum impact fee on homebuilders by $17,000 dollars.
Two and a half hours later, after more public comments and two motions failing, there was a unanimous vote approving a ten percent increase in the impact fee collection rates charged to homebuilders. The new rates, which starts March 1, 2022, adds $500 dollars to the cost of new home. How much the city-at-large will still subsidize the cost of new roads, waterlines, and sewer lines was not announced.
The council left for future discussion, what if any changes may come in impact fees for new commercial developments. Also to be determined, what if any grandfathered developments will be exempted from impact fees.
Click below for comments from the November 22, 2021 College Station city council meeting:
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