Impact Fee Nexus Study
February 12, 2024
Alison Lechowicz
Project Manager
CITY OF FORT BRAGG
Impact Fee Background
Impact fees are one-time fees paid by new development when building permits are issued by the City
Assembly Bill 602 requires impact fee updates every eight years L&T evaluated a wide range of potential fees and the City can determine if they are appropriate for the community
Fees are intended to recover the capital costs of public facilities needed to accommodate growth
Fees cannot recover costs that were funded by other revenue sources such as grants or donations
The City of Fort Bragg has a lower tax rate than neighboring cities and thus does not have the same level of tax revenues to offset the cost of facilities 2 Impact Fee Study Workflow
October 23, 2023, we presented water, sewer, storm drain, police, fire, and CV Starr impact fees
Conducted additional legal review
Revisions:
More recent employment data and lodging data incorporated and resulted in minor changes to the fee calculations
Water – fine-tuned nonresidential estimated water use; single family fee did not change Sewer – removed the debt service component; fee decreased Storm drain – recommended single fee for all land use types Police – No change to single family fee; slight updates to nonresidential categories Fire – Single family fee decreased slightly; updated medical and emergency response stats based on statewide info; broke out commercial, industrial, and lodging fees CV Starr – Minor decrease to the fee due to nonresidential development updates 3 Average Single Family Fee – 1,660 sq ft
4 Current October 2023 January 2024
Water $4,631 $3,280 $3,280
Sewer $3,640 $2,916 $2,640
Storm Drain $615 $1,099 $1,236
Police NA $539 $539
Fire NA $390 $336
CV Starr NA $646 $640
Total Impact Fees $8,886 $8,870 $8,672
Storm Drainage Impact Fee
Land Use Classification Current Fee
per Sq Ft
Proposed
Fee per Sq Ft
RVH, RM, RH High & Medium Density Residential $0.15013 $0.74462 RL Low Density Residential $0.37054 $0.74462
RS, RR Suburban & Rural Residential $0.37054 $0.74462
CN, CO, CBD, CG, CH Commercial $0.14623 $0.74462
IH, IL, HD, IT Industrial, Timber Resources, Harbor District $0.14623 $0.74462 PR Parks and Recreation $0.14361 $0.74462
PF Public Facilities & Services $0.05068 $0.74462
OS Open Space $0.21541 $0.74462
5 Proposed fee for all improved area: livable space, car ports, patios, walkways, and driveways Single Family Residential Fee Survey
Community Water Sewer Storm
Drain Police Fire CV
Starr Parks Civic Traffic Total
Eureka $3,208 $3,423 $701 $7,332
Fortuna $2,165 $4,445 $531 $1,310 $8,451
Fort Bragg (Proposed) $3,280 $2,640 $1,236 $539 $336 $640 $8,672 Fort Bragg (Current) $4,631 $3,640 $615 $8,886
Willits / Little Lake FD $4,025 $7,840 $1,627 $13,492
Ukiah / Ukiah Valley SD $1,833 $12,240 $14,073
Arcata $7,429 $8,161 $199 $15,789
Sonoma / Sonoma Valley
County SD $4,260 $17,739 $21,999
Clearlake $7,500 $11,936 $1,660 $2,049 $23,145
Lakeport $8,877 $16,309 $166 $1,660 $27,012
Cloverdale $7,192 $11,160 $255 $1,502 $11,732 $5,727 $3,147 $40,715 Windsor $4,695 $11,387 $3,758 $118 $2,905 $13,463 $1,626 $12,492 $50,444 Notes: For all fees calculated on a square footage basis, 1,660 sq ft is used to generate rates shown in the table. Water and wastewater impact fees are shown for the smallest meter size available. Some agencies shown in the table charge additional impact fees which are not shown in the table, including fees for affordable housing, schools, or other purposes. 6 Estimated Permit Fees for a Single Family Home
7 Single Family Residential Customer (1,660 sq ft home) Current Proposed
Water and Sewer Impact Fees $8,271 $5,921
Water and Sewer Connection Fees $4,823 $4,823
Water and Sewer Permit & Inspection Fee $255 $255
Storm Drain Impact Fee $615 $1,236
New Recommended Development Impact Fees $1,516
Other City Fees $2,681 $2,681
Total Cost $16,645 $16,431
Notes: Fees shown are based on a new single family residential development in a low-density residential zone with a building permit valuation of $250,000. “Other City Fees” category includes Business License Surcharge, Planning Department Building Permit Fee, Public Works Department Building Permit Fees, General Plan Maintenance Fee, and Construction and Demolition Deposit (refundable after construction).
Nonresidential Impact Fees
Water and sewer – 20 fee categories based on water use and sewer flows and pollutant loading
Storm drain – single fee of $0.74462 per sq ft of impervious area 8 Commercial
(per 1,000 sq ft)
Industrial
(per 1,000 sq ft)
Lodging
(per room)
Police $2,028.54 $782.16 $553.24
Fire $371.20 $184.49 $103.07
CV Starr $271.66 $104.75 $74.09
Conclusions
9