Title
Impact Fee Abatement Briefing
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
The Land Use and Environment Committee considered this issue on April 18, 2018. The committee discussed the matter and raised questions about its implementation. They recommended moving discussion forward to a City Council Study Session.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive the information, and provide staff with feedback and direction regarding possible approaches to impact fee waivers and exemptions. Briefing only; no action requested.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive a briefing on impact fee abatement and provide staff with feedback and direction regarding approaches to impact fee waivers and exemptions.
Staff Contact:
Keith Stahley, Director Community Planning and Development Department 360.753.8227
Presenter(s):
Keith Stahley, Director Community Planning and Development Department
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia charges impact fees to defray the costs that new development has on the City's infrastructure. The City charges impact fees for parks as well as transportation. These fees are used as one of the funding sources to help to construct new parks and transportation facilities. The City also collects impact fees for the Olympia School District.
Impact fees are a commonly used funding source for infrastructure construction in the State of Washington. Most cities in the urban part of the state collect impact fees. In Thurston County the cities of Olympia and Tumwater collect impact fees as does Thurston County. The City of Lacey does not collect impact fees; however, it does collect State Environmental Policy Act mitigation fees that serve a similar purpose.
Some communities choose to reduce impact fees for affordable housing projects. This practice is known as an Impact Fee Abatement or as an Impact Fee Waivers and Exemption.
Impact fee waivers or exemptions are less commonly used; however, many other cities throughout the state have adop...
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