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7 <br />The best sources of these data are actual local records. One <br />of the judicial standards is that impact fees should not exceed a <br />proportionate share of the costs that the local government will <br />incur in accommodating the new development. <br />The Anne Arundel County, Maryland, school costs were based on <br />a combination of the prototype facility costs and the cost of <br />recent and current construction programs. The School Board uses a <br />prototype school, and the prototype is the basis for cost. Current <br />costs for the prototype school were available, and the costs were <br />consistent with a current bid. <br />Land acquisition and site development costs were estimated <br />from the actual records of school construction projects over the <br />past five years. Land acquisition and site development costs were <br />also calculated as a percentage of construction costs - no price <br />adjustment was needed. <br />The data used were $83 per square foot for buildings, plus <br />four to five percent for architectural and engineering costs <br />(depending upon school type), and eight percent for equipment. The <br />total building cost per square foot was $87.78. Land acquisition <br />had been running at $10,000 per acre, and site improvement costs <br />were 2.5 percent of construction. The grand total was $98.84 per <br />square foot or $12,767 per student at 129 square feet per student. <br />Multiplying the service provision standards, per demand unit, <br />by the capital cost per unit of service establishes the capital <br />improvement cost per unit of development. This also may be <br />expressed as a formula: <br />Total Cost = Needed Improvements x Cost Per Unit <br />For the Anne Arundel County, Maryland, school impact fees, the <br />calculations for a single - family unit are: <br />Demand Units <br />Standard <br />Needed Improvements <br />Cost Per Square Foot <br />Cost Per Student <br />Total Cost Per <br />Single - Family Unit <br />.6977 student per unit <br />129.168 square feet per student <br />90.115 square feet <br />$98.84 <br />$12,767 <br />$8,907 <br />These calculations result in the capital improvement cost per <br />unit of new development - a single - family unit. <br />Proportionate Share of Capital Costs <br />The standard to which an impact fee will be held is that the <br />fee not exceed a proportionate share of the costs that local <br />government will incur to accommodate new development. Normally, new <br />development will pay towards capital improvements in the form of <br />general taxation, debt service payments, and user fees. The task is <br />