County approves traffic impact fees for new development in the greater Tehachapi area
County approves traffic impact fees for new development in the greater Tehachapi area
By: Carin Enovijas
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Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 399 times
0 responses 2 comments On June 27, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal to charge developers a Traffic Impact Fee for new building in the greater Tehachapi area. On July 3, the Tehachapi City Council will vote on the proposal to adopt similar fees within the city.
If approved by the council, the fee will cover the cost of improving existing infrastructure and help to build new roads, intersections, lights and turn lanes.
“This fee will help to offset the impact of new development on our traffic system,” said Kern County 2nd District Supervisor Don Maben.
“The fee structure is designed to encourage infill development. It provides an incentive to developers to build within our core area,” Maben said. He also said that the higher fees associated with development outside the core area will help to reduce sprawl across Tehachapi’s still open spaces.
Tehachapi Community Development Director David James said the proposed impact fee is compatible with Tehachapi’s Smart Growth Plan.
The fee schedule is segregated into two parts, the core area, and the regional area, covered by the county. Fees for each single family dwelling built in the core area, which includes most of Tehachapi’s city limits, would be $2,952.
For the same type of dwelling built in the unincorporated regions a higher fee of $4,772 would be applied.
New industrial, commercial and retail developments would pay substantially lower fees than single or multiple-family residential developments.
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Tue Jul 4, 2006 22:02:00 PDT
What a huge joke doesnt our local taxes already go to roads? This will do nothing to restrict outlying building its just another excuse to take our hard earnd money. Mayben can you get the county to improve the dirt county road that i built on cause ive spent my own money grading and improving it. What a discrace you are.
Thu Jul 6, 2006 06:51:03 PDT
This is an excellent alternative option for resources to improve the roads as a result of the impact of large developments. The impact of bringing in 10, 20, 100, 500 families causes enormous wear and tear on the road infrastructure. Although taxes maintain roads, widening them, adding signals and other traffic control measures probably cost more than the taxes paid by current residents. As far as the comment that a "dirt road" that is privately built should be improved with anyone's tax dollars (developer or residents), that is bizarre. This particular legislation seems to have been thought out in that it addresses both the cost (or impact) those developments have on existing roads as well as providing incentive for the location of growth.
