Minutes 10-04-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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9 4. Direct the consultant, TischlerBise, to finalize the draft school impact fee studies; and 5. Direct staff to bring back amendments to the Code of General Ordinances— Educational Facilities Impact Fees for adoption consideration on October 18, 2016. Commissioner Rich said she is not convinced that collapsing works, and would like people to pay their impact fee rather than pay an average fee. Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said not collapsing them would make more technical sense, and the only reason collapsing is being suggested is because of the actual numbers showing in the student generation rates. Commissioner Dorosin referred to slide 10 on the hand out, Chapel Hill— Carrboro MSIF Percentages, and asked if there could be clarification of this issue. He said 60% was picked across all units. He said the current fee for single family detached is $11,423, which based on new updated numbers, falls somewhere between 60 and 70% of the MSIF. He said the current multi-family fee is $12,086 which is between 10 and 20% based on the new numbers. He said he wanted to make sure the differences reflect the very changes in demographic and housing size choices that people are making, and how the student generation numbers play out over time. He said in an ideal universe these would all be around 60%. Craig Benedict said there are less single-family homes in Chapel Hill, and thus families move into a 3-bedroom multi-family unit, which affects the student generation rates. He said an apartment complex that is mostly 1-2 bedrooms will have less student generation, and will pay a proportional amount for that. Commissioner Dorosin said this is an illustration as to why regular updates should be completed. Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is bedroom distinction in any category with the current fee. Craig Benedict said no. Commissioner Dorosin said he would favor moving away from that practice and toward a more accurate analysis, given the more detailed data. Commissioner Rich said there is the 800 square foot with higher impact fees, and she would like to get away from that. Commissioner Burroughs said she is comfortable with the numbers, as presented by the consultant, because they match with reality. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the gist of the conversation is to disaggregate these housing types even further, based on the number of bedrooms, or is the current data acceptable. Craig Benedict said there are bedroom disaggregations in the study now, and before there was a one size fits all. He said now they are able to determine student generation rates more effectively. Commissioner Dorosin said he is favor of further disaggregation, because it is more accurate and reflects the true nature of the study. Discussion ensued. Chair McKee said he has concern about not collapsing. He said the fee for the detached single family, 3 bedroom homes in Orange County Schools (OCS) is higher than the 4 bedrooms, which is the exact opposite of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS). He said there seems to be a disconnect. He said if fees stay at 60%, there seems to be significant increases. Craig Benedict said there would be some significant increases in certain categories. Commissioner Price asked if the cost of housing will be impacted, if families choose a multi-family dwelling, because the impact fees will be enormous. Craig Benedict said it is not the County's role to make decisions about how the private sector incorporate these impact fees into housing costs, and these numbers may impact final