Agenda - 04-21-1998 - 10b - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 include updated cost information, the recommendations of the School Facility Construction Standards Work Group, and the findings of a graduate student study of student generation rates in new housing built between 1992 and 1994. The 1996 update of the Technical Report concluded that the maximum amounts that can reasonably be charged on impact fees are $3,404 for the Orange County Schools District and $11,593 for the Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools District. The Apartment Association of North Carolina has requested lower impact fees for apartment units based on a report prepared for them by Professor Emil Malizia of the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning. The report concludes that apartments generate fewer students per unit than traditional single - family dwellings. While interesting, the report may not have applicability to Orange County since it is based on statewide, rather than Orange county- specific data. Previous work on the subject performed by Orange County showed no relationship between housing size and number of students. The original Technical Report as well as updates to it were prepared by retired Planning Director, Marvin Collins. Plans for a new update are imminent and the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning has been contacted regarding preparation of a 1998 Technical Report update. The County Attorney's view is that an analysis of student generation rates by housing type in Orange County, considering separately single family housing and multi - family housing, can be undertaken to determine whether Orange county data supports a different impact fee for the two housing types. Such an analysis was done for Chatham County housing. The data resulted in a supportable school impact fee of $3,529 for new single family housing unit and $1,164 for a new multi- family housing unit. The researcher reached the following conclusion: "Multifamily fees are significantly lower than single family and mobile home fees due to the relatively low number of students per multifamily household in Chatham County." (Emphasis added.) Orange County's impact fee presently includes all student generation data per household. A reduction in the fee for multifamily housing will necessarily result in an increase in the fee for single family housing. A lower justified impact fee for multifamily housing could also tend to make the impact fee less regressive. RECOMMENDATION: The Administration recommends that the Board receive the report from the Apartment Association of North Carolina, but defer any response until such time as the update to the Technical Report is completed.