Orange County NC Website
32 <br /> in longer approval time if the plans need revisions/resubmittals. Because this <br /> concern has been expressed by parties that are directly affected by this <br /> provision, language has been modified in both Attachments 2 and 3 to <br /> increase the number of days to 180. <br /> o Going forward, a receipt of a ZCP or who have an `accepted'building permit <br /> application will be able to pay that year's fees. <br /> Following the initial year of implementation, developers should be able to <br /> plan for scheduled impact fee increases. This modification would represent a <br /> departure from current policy. <br /> • We support using the 50/50 basis and starting at 37% MSIF. <br /> The current revenue neutral projection is 43% of the maximum supportable impact <br /> fee based on 75% of new multi-family units in the zero to two bedroom category <br /> and 25% in the three bedroom or more category. This bedroom distribution was <br /> chosen because it is more likely to reflect actual construction. If the projection <br /> formula is revised to have an equal distribution of bedroom counts, the projection <br /> model would produce more revenue from the three or more bedroom units. If that <br /> number of units did not materialize, the amount of total revenue collected would be <br /> less than current collections. As a result, a higher fee would be needed across all <br /> housing types to produce a revenue neutral position. <br /> • We support spreading any increase of fees over five (5) years instead of three years. <br /> The BOCC may choose to spread the increases out over a greater number of years. <br /> Three years is currently suggested in the Ordinances in Attachments 2 and 3. If a <br /> five year implementation timeframe is used, it would also delay an update to the <br /> impact fee study for two years that would potentially capture more recent changes <br /> to housing choices and student generation rates. If the BOCC chooses to extend the <br /> implementation period,the Board would also need to determine the rate at which <br /> fees would increase during that timeframe. <br /> • We support an annual fee increase related to projected cost of construction <br /> increases, rather than an effort to achieve some arbitrary percent of MSIF. <br /> As the County Attorney has advised, impact fees must be tied to legally defensible <br /> data, which serve as the basis of the impact fee studies. Actual school construction <br /> costs are one of the components of the formula that calculates the MSIF; however, <br /> tying increases to projected cost of construction is not included in the analysis. The <br /> purpose of the impact fee is for new residential growth to pay for public costs <br /> associated with population growth. An amount less than 100% of the MSIF means <br /> that revenues to pay for additional school capacity must be funded through other <br /> means, likely property taxes,which is a policy decision made by the Board. <br />