Road impact fees on hold

A proposal to fund county road improvements through road impact fees was put on hold on Tuesday.

Planning commissioners, serving as the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee, voted unanimously to continue the item indefinitely.

They had mulled over a 44-page report prepared by TischlerBise that listed nine infrastructure projects to be completed over the next two decades in order to accommodate projected growth in the Carson Valley Service Area.

Projects included extending Heybourne Road from Stephanie Way to Johnson Lane, extending Ironwood Drive from Lucerne Street to Heybourne Road, and completing the county's portion of Muller Parkway.

In total, the county would be responsible for about $80 million worth of improvements. However, there is currently no funding for those projects. Proposed was a schedule of impact fees to be collected at the issuance of building permits or certificates of occupancy for new developments.

The schedule included an estimated fee of $7,570 for a detached housing unit, and a $5,210 fee for an attached housing unit. Nonresidential impact fees ranged from $13.09 per square foot for retail and restaurant development to $1.57 per square foot for warehousing.

"Over time, as a result of increased traffic due to development, the level of service on county roads will degrade," said County Senior Civil Engineer Jeff Foltz. "Unfortunately, the county does not have funds for the projects."

Dwayne Guthrie, representing TischlerBise, said impact fees are not a tax but more a market-oriented solution.

"The intent is for new development to proportionately share growth-related infrastructure needs," he said. "The money goes into a special fund for only growth-related projects."

But planning commissioners raised issue with the study's population projections, arguing the numbers don't account for the current downturn.

"I think the population numbers are way out there," said planning commissioner Jim Madsen. "There is two years' inventory of unsold homes in the Valley."

Guthrie said his projections fall below what's permitted by the growth ordinance. The study anticipates a 1.6 percent annual residential growth rate, or approximately 377 housing units per year.

Planning commissioners also wondered if the county's level of road service, currently C, could be dropped down to level D to reduce need.

But Community Development Director Mimi Moss said the level of service is set by the master plan. She said any change would require a master plan amendment.

"It's very difficult to do that," she said.

"I don't know if we want to change long-term plans based on what's happening this year," Foltz added.

Sheena Beaver, representing the Builders Association of Western Nevada, said if the same impact fees were used in the past, it would have cost the Starbucks roasting plant an extra $2 million to come to the Valley.

"We need businesses and jobs to come here to Douglas County," she said.