Gulf Shores Devlelopment Fees could be lowered

Originally published by the Mobile Press Register

Link: http://www.al.com/news/press-register/baldwin.ssf?/base/news/1247390233317080.xml&coll=3


Gulf Shores considers reducing 'unreasonable' boom-era development charges
Sunday, July 12, 2009
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter
GULF SHORES — With an eye toward aligning the city's development costs more closely with its neighbors', elected officials will consider halving some fees and eliminating others at the City Council's Monday meeting.

Community Development Director Andy Bauer last week outlined a proposal for revamping what City Hall charges developers and others seeking to build structures and subdivide parcels.

Gulf Shores hasn't made any changes to its fee schedule since July 2006, he said.

"We increased our fees considerably at that point in time," Bauer told council members last week. "Part of the reason was we were in a development boom where it seemed that everyone had enough money to go around.

"We hadn't adopted our impact fees at that point and we were trying to make up for some money we thought we were missing."

Impact fees, which apply to all new construction, be it Gulf-front condo towers, single-family homes or strip malls, were adopted in May 2007. The fees, which the state Legislature approved for Baldwin County and its municipalities the year prior, allow local governments to collect up to 1 percent of a building's fair market value and spend it toward improving infrastructure near the project.

With those fees in place, however, Bauer and other municipal officials said, Gulf Shores is charging sometimes "unreasonable" amounts to those who submit building plans with City Hall.

"We're trying to make sure what we charge in these economic conditions is fair and reasonable for what we have to do," said Mayor Robert Craft. "It did get beyond what I thought was reasonable in the past, so I certainly support some adjustment."

One of the largest proposed changes is to cut in half the fees charged to someone applying for a planned unit development zoning.

Under the current system, an applicant is charged $1,500 plus $150 for each lot involved in the rezoning. As such, Bauer said, the bill for plans recently filed by the owners of Homeport Marina, who wish to add a 250-room hotel and conference center, a fine dining restaurant, ferry terminal and retail space to their property, would reach $39,000.

Bauer has recommended a flat $1,500 fee for the planned unit development reviews.

Other proposed changes include:

Reducing the fee for a final plat review from $2,000 plus $150 for each lot involved to a flat fee of $300. Bauer said this is a step that doesn't take his staff much effort and was essentially charging applicants twice for the same work planners performed.

Halving the fee for preliminary subdivision plat review from $2,000 plus $150 per lot to $1,000 plus $75 a lot.

Eliminating fees that aren't often even charged, including those imposed for applicants who miss Planning Commission meetings and those to pay for the transcription of taped Planning Commission meetings, which Bauer said aren't even taped.

The fee schedule revision does include two new fees — $250 for both tree removal and signage permits — which Bauer said would pay for reviews his staff spends sub stantial amounts of time reviewing.

Should the council approve the changes, Bauer said Gulf Shores development fees would still rank with those charged in Fairhope as the highest in Baldwin County, but, "It's bringing (them) closer in line with some of the neighboring communities."