Peachtree City is working to revise its impact fee ordinance to remove a focus on the library and recreation efforts, switching the funds designation over to streets and cart paths to serve future development in the city, nearly all of which will be in the Wilksmoor (West) Village.
Impact fees are paid for each individual brand-new building erected in Peachtree City, with portions going to capital projects around the city to specifically serve the newly-developed areas. Monies are separated for example to an expansion of the police department needed in the future, as well as the purchase of future fire apparatus.
The catch with the current designation of impact fees for recreation and library uses isn’t very compatible with the city’s future needs, as the city doesn’t plan to add more recreation facilities and the library has already met its expansion benchmark for the increase of circulation materials, according to Community Development Director Jon Rorie.
Adding more recreation, Rorie said, “is the last thing we need to be doing as we move forward.”
Rorie told the city council April 17 that he recommends spending $21,000 to update the impact fee ordinance to make the necessary changes to remove the library and recreation projects, replacing them with necessary funding for street and cart path construction.
The updating of the ordinance will be conducted by Ross and Associates of Atlanta, which has done previous impact fee work for the city. The process is expected to take some time, culminating in December with a potential adoption of a new impact fee ordinance by council.
Impact fees are charged on each residential, retail, commercial and industrial building constructed in the city. The city has been operating the impact fee program since 1992.
