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Officials backing higher impact fees
The fees would apply to a mostly undeveloped4,800-acre area straddling Interstate 75 that is prime for building.
By DAN DEWITT
Published July 6, 2006
BROOKSVILLE - In a wide-ranging discussion Wednesday about how to serve the shopping centers, industrial parks and more than 10,000 new houses planned for eastern Hernando County, one idea seemed to catch hold: Higher impact fees. The higher fees would apply only to projects built in or near a 4,800-acre planned development district, south of State Road 50 and straddling Interstate 75. The area is now mostly undeveloped, which is one reason county planners suggested the higher rates at Wednesday's County Commission workshop. Impact fees are designed to pay for the new facilities - such as schools, roads and libraries - required to serve new houses or businesses. But county planners said the fees are inadequate, partly because the cost of road construction has skyrocketed since the fees were last raised, a year ago. Also, the road network in the development district needs to be built nearly from scratch, which is more expensive than improving roads in developed areas. The county Planning Department presented three options for paying for the improvements, including an additional property tax or a flat annual fee for property owners in the district. But the idea of creating a zone for higher impact fees - which would be called an impact fee overlay district - got the most favorable reception. County Commissioner Nancy Robinson said she thought it made sense. After the meeting, so did Cliff Manuel, president of Coastal Engineering Associates, which represents several of the developers in the area. "It's fair to everybody," said County Engineer Charles Mixson. "Having an overlay district is a good thing because everybody pays the same." The higher fees would not be the developers' only expense, said Deputy County Administrator Larry Jennings. The county would sign agreements with all of the developers in the area, and probably other nearby projects, such as shopping centers planned for north of SR 50 and the proposed Hickory Hill subdivision. The development agreements would call for developers to pay for transportation improvements, donate rights of way or even build publicly accessible roads on their properties. The impact fee overlay district is designed to generate additional money in the following years, as the projects are developed. Many questions remain unanswered, Jennings said. The county does not know how much money the transportation improvements would cost. He also did not know whether a controversial widening of Ayers and Hayman roads - which developers have proposed as a way to connect the development district with western Hernando - would be paid for by the increased fees. Several residents urged the county to proceed cautiously in the planned development district, saying that the money raised from developers could never keep pace with the costs of serving the new developments. Manuel disagreed, saying the high cost estimates for building roads in the area would be more accurate for an urban setting than a rural one, such as the development district, which is now mostly covered with pasture and pine plantations. "If you can't build the roads to serve development in this area, then you can't do it anywhere," he said. In other business Wednesday, the commission: * Voted to end a ban on open-air burning of trash and brush because of recent rains. The commission had imposed the ban in April because a prolonged drought had made such burns a fire hazard.* The commission also voted to erect a temporary traffic light at Nightwalker Road and State Road 50. The state has already approved a light for the location, but it was expected to take a year to complete. The county will be able to install the temporary light in about 60 days, Mixson said. Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6116. BROOKSVILLE - In a wide-ranging discussion Wednesday about how to serve the shopping centers, industrial parks and more than 10,000 new houses planned for eastern Hernando County, one idea seemed to catch hold: Higher impact fees. The higher fees would apply only to projects built in or near a 4,800-acre planned development district, south of State Road 50 and straddling Interstate 75. The area is now mostly undeveloped, which is one reason county planners suggested the higher rates at Wednesday's County Commission workshop. Impact fees are designed to pay for the new facilities - such as schools, roads and libraries - required to serve each new house or business. But county planners said the fees are inadequate, partly because the cost of road construction has skyrocketed since the fees were last raised, a year ago. Also, the road network in the development district needs to be built nearly from scratch, which is more expensive than improving roads in already developed areas. The county Planning Department presented three options for paying for the improvements, including an additional property tax or a flat annual fee for property owners in the district. But the idea of creating a zone for higher impact fees - which would be called an impact fee overlay district - got the most favorable reception. County Commissioner Nancy Robinson said she thought it made sense. So, after the meeting, did Cliff Manuel, president of Coastal Engineering Associates, which represents several of the developers in the area. "It's fair to everybody," said County Engineer Charles Mixson. "Having an overlay district is a good thing because everybody pays the same." The higher fees would not be the developers' only expense, said Deputy County Administrator Larry Jennings. The county would sign agreements with all of the developers in the area, and probably other nearby projects, such as shopping centers planned for north of SR 50 and the proposed Hickory Hill subdivision. The development agreements would call for developers to pay for transportation improvements, donate right of way or even build publicly accessible roads on their properties. The impact fee overlay district is designed to generate additional money in the following years, as the projects are developed. Many questions remain unanswered, Jennings said. The county does not know how much money the transportation improvements would cost. He also did not know whether a controversial widening of Ayers and Hayman roads - which developers have proposed as a way to connect the development district with western Hernando - would be paid for by the increased fees. Several residents urged the county to proceed cautiously in the planned development district, saying that the money raised from developers could never keep pace with the costs of serving the new developments. Manuel disagreed, saying the high cost estimates for building roads in the area would be more accurate for an urban setting than a rural one, such as the development district, which is now mostly covered with pasture and pine plantations. "If you can't build the roads to (serve) development in this area, then you can't do it anywhere," he said. In other business Wednesday, the commission: Voted to end a ban on open-air burning of trash and brush because of recent rains. The commission had imposed the ban in April because a prolonged drought had made such burns a fire hazard. The commission also voted to erect a temporary traffic light at the intersection of Nightwalker Road and State Road 50. The state has already approved a light for the location, but it was expected to take a year to complete. The county will be able to install the temporary light in about 60 days, Mixson said. Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6116.
[Last modified July 5, 2006, 22:43:06]
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