In an effort to make growth pay for itself, new developments in Delray Beach will have to contribute more to cover the costs the city expects to incur for the equipment and facilities needed to serve those new homes.
In addition to increasing the existing impact fees the city charges for parks at its Aug. 18 meeting, the City Commission unanimously approved new impact fees that will go toward municipal, police, fire rescue, water, wastewater and storm water capital projects.
The new fees — which apply to new residential developments and expansions exceeding 1,000 square feet — are based on an impact fee justification study completed in January and prepared by DTA Public Finance Inc. The new fees take effect Jan. 1.
The city will charge far less than the study’s recommended park impact fee of $6,741 for each new residential unit because the state limits how much existing fees can be increased. Instead, the current $500 impact fee will rise to $562.50 in January.
With the other impact fees added in, someone building a 2,000-square-foot home — on a vacant lot with 2,500 square feet of impervious area — will owe the city $12,757.50 in impact fees. That includes $3,380.50 for water (half the fee the study recommended), $2,780 for city administration, $2,440 for fire rescue, $1,375 for storm water, $1,220 for police and $1,000 for sewer.
Some of the fees are per unit and others are per square feet. Future increases can only be made once every four years, based on a new impact fee study, and each fee is limited to a 50% increase, spread out over several years.
— Larry Barszewski
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