ANNA MARIA – Developers can expect to soon pay impact fees when building new structures or increasing the size of existing structures in Anna Maria.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, Anna Maria City Commissioners will be presented with the second and final reading of Ordinance 20-871, an ordinance that will establish the impact fees previously discussed on first reading on Aug. 13.
According to the ordinance, the intent is “to ensure that new development pays its proportionate share of the anticipated costs of public facilities necessary to provide parks and recreation and roads and mobility protection for the new development.”
According to the ordinance, “The city of Anna Maria parks and recreation impact fees shall only be paid for residential development or increase in size of residential property and shall be assessed at the rate of $1.15 per square foot of interior building space.”
The parks and recreation impact fees will apply equally to new residential structures built for use as family residences and those built for use as vacation rentals.
“The city of Anna Maria roads and mobility impact fees shall be paid for all new development of any kind, or any increase in building size, and shall be assessed at the rate of $0.73 per square foot of interior building space,” according to the ordinance.
When applicable, the two impact fees combined total $1.88 per square foot of interior building space. At those rates, the impact fees for a new single-family home with 5,000 square feet of interior building space would be $9,400. The impact fees for a commercial or other type of non-residential building with 5,000 square feet of interior building space would be $3,650.
Impact fees will not be assessed on existing residential or non-residential structures unless the interior building space is increased.
The impact fees shall be paid when the building permit is issued or at another time specifically provided for in a developer’s agreement with the city.
The ordinance notes the city retained Raftelis Financial Consultants to prepare an impact fee study to determine the proportionate demand that new development generates for additional parks and recreation and road and mobility improvements.
“It has been determined that impact fees are necessary to offset the costs associated with meeting future demands. The impact fees bear a reasonable relationship to the burden imposed upon the city to provide parks and recreation and roads and mobility facilities to new city residents. An essential nexus exists between projected new development and the need for additional parks and recreation and roads and mobility facilities to be funded with impact fees,” the ordinance states.
“The decisions of the city commission as set forth herein are reasonable and prudent steps pertaining to sound growth management, which have been taken for the benefit of the citizens of the city, both present and future,” the ordinance notes.
The ordinance states separate capital fund accounts will be established for the two different impact fees. The monies deposited into each impact fee capital fund account shall be used solely for the purposes set forth in the ordinance and shall not be used for any expenditure that would be classified as an operational, maintenance, repair or replacement expense.
The impact fee ordinance will become effective 90 days after its adoption. If adopted Thursday as anticipated, future development will be subjected to impact fees beginning in late November.
Thursday’s city commission meeting will begin immediately after the 5:30 p.m. budget meeting and public input on the proposed impact fees will be accepted.
