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3 <br /> Representative Meyer suggested that they do not use the verbiage "being rushed"in the opening <br /> statement first. <br /> Senator Foushee said they only know that the bill has been introduced. <br /> Representative Meyer said he would like to know the "whys" of impact fees and he asked why the <br /> assessment of the impact fees is important. <br /> Travis Myren said every few years there is study of student generation fees and these were indicated <br /> recently and these new developments were showing more students and he said the largest increase in fees <br /> was in apartment buildings. <br /> Representative Insko said she heard that this development in Chapel Hill was only for UNC students. <br /> Commissioner Rich said a lot of the impact fees decreased in this study and where the fees increased <br /> were in the multifamily home dwellings, <br /> Representative Insko said if she were the Commissioners, she would focus on how to respond to the <br /> huge increase in the impact fees for this one development. She suggested starting the letter by saying <br /> that many fees went decreased. She also suggested adding in that any large unit can appeal these impact <br /> fees. <br /> Representative Meyer said he understood that with this particular project in Chapel Hill that the increase <br /> of impact fees for it increased from $100,000 to $1.2 m and in the Board's proposed letter they it states <br /> that these bills will take away $2.8m in impact fees for Orange County. The perception is that this one <br /> project is paying over 1/2 of all of the impact fees that Orange County will be collecting. <br /> Travis Myren referred to the back sheet of the hand out at their places-Historical Impact Fee Activity. <br /> Commissioner Rich added that impact fees have not increased since 2008. <br /> Representative Meyer said their impact fee structure will make housing that much more expensive. <br /> Commissioner Rich said impact fees are not an affordable housing tool. <br /> Commissioner Burroughs said the unattended consequences are that developers are not interested in <br /> affordable housing and this is outside of the impact fees. <br /> Commissioner Burroughs said that the impact fee does not have the unintended consequences of slowing <br /> the growth of the stock of affordable housing because developers are not offering affordable housing <br /> unless they are responding to other tools to incentivize affordable housing. <br /> Representative Insko said this whole current issue had become a public relations problem. <br /> Representative Meyer said the increases in impact fees will slow or stop the growth of larger housing <br /> complexes and this will affect the housing market. <br />