New Proposed Impact Fees in North Fulton Municipalities Raise Concern
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The City of Milton and City of Alpharetta are both in the process of preparing new Impact Fee programs. The City of Milton Impact Fee Advisory Committee met last week on August 26th to discuss the latest draft of their Impact Fee ordinance. The next work session is scheduled for September 14th with the final draft being presented to City Council on October 5th. This will be Milton's first Impact Fee program to be adopted.
The Council for Quality Growth received a draft of the ordinance on August 31st and is concerned that the fees, as proposed, place an unreasonably high burden on residential developers and homebuilders. As shown in the attached table, the City is proposing a Parks and Recreation Impact Fee of $6,125 per housing unit, which is more than 10 times the fees required in other North Fulton communities. This will bring the total impact fees due to $7,500 per unit, which is again significantly higher than any of the surrounding Cities, which poses to drive development away from Milton.
The City of Alpharetta is considering a similar increase in Parks and Recreation Impact Fees. The City engaged the consulting firm Ross + Associates to prepare an Impact Fee Methodology Report, which was presented to City Council in April of this year. This report called for an update to the City's Impact Fee program including an increase in the Parks and Recreation Impact Fee for residential developers from $545 per dwelling unit to $5,147 per dwelling unit, to fund park and trail improvements outlined in the City's Comprehensive Plan.
The Council for Quality Growth has yet to receive a working draft of the new ordinance, but will be involved in the drafting process to ensure that unreasonable cost burdens are not placed on the development community, which would translate to stifled growth and progress in the City of Alpharetta. The City plans to bring a draft of the ordinance to City Council on Monday, September 21st.
To view a pdf of the Impact Fee Comparison Table, click hereTo view Milton's draft Impact Fee ordinance, click hereTo view the Ross + Associates Impact Fee Report for Alpharetta, click hereFor questions or comments, please contact James Touchton, Director of Government Affairs witht he Council for Quality Growth at jt@councilforqualitygrowth.org or Council for Quality Growth Policy Analyst Chelsea Hagood at ch@councilforqualitygrowth.org
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City of Brookhaven Passes New Tree Ordinance
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On Tuesday, August 25th the City of Brookhaven City Council passed a new Tree Ordinance. The Council for Quality Growth commends the Mayor and City Council of Brookhaven on working with neighborhood representatives and other members of the Brookhaven community to pass the ordinance. However, the Council sill has concerns on the impact of the adoption of the ordinance and will continue to offer input as the ordinance is implemented.
The Council for Quality Growth thanks its members and the development community for responding to the request for comment on the draft ordinance. James Touchton, Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Council for Quality Growth, has been and remains involved with the City Staff and Council members to ensure that your comments are heard and incorporated into the ordinance where possible. Touchton was in attendance Tuesday evening and provided additional public comment on the final draft ordinance.
The Council looks forward to working with City of Brookhaven staff as the new ordinance is implemented to ensure that it continues to support and encourage quality growth and development in the City.
To view the draft of the Brookhaven tree ordinance as adopted, CLICK HERE
To view the PDF of a chart comparing the changes to the Brookhaven Tree Ordinance with other Municipalities in the Region's Tree Ordinances
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Council Hosts Atlanta City Council President Caesar Mitchell at Atlanta Advisory Committee
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 On Wednesday, September 2nd, Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell updated Council members on a number of projects and investments being made to directly improve the quality of life of citizens. Specific updates include the following: - Invest Atlanta has received two RFP proposals with mixed use elements in response to the sale of the 20-acre site on which the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center is located.
- The process to find a new purpose for the 50-plus acre site upon which Turner Field sits remains ongoing. Georgia State University remains the most well-known proponent.
- The City looks forward to redeveloping the West Side, and commends the strong leadership of Arthur Blank and Dan Cathy for reinvigorating interest in the area.
- In terms of transportation, Atlanta is no longer just about fixing roads. Discussion is underway on how to create a strong transit network. First on the agenda, is improving last mile connectivity. In addition to basic infrastructure investments, the City is considering establishing bike share programs similar to those found in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
The Council for Quality Growth thanks Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell for speaking to the Atlanta Advisory Committee and thanks Atlanta Gas Light for sponsoring the breakfast.
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Council Hosts DeKalb County Director of Planning and Sustainability, Andrew Baker, at DeKalb Advisory Meeting
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On Thursday, September 3rd, Andrew Baker, the Director of Planning and Sustainability for DeKalb County, spoke to DeKalb Advisory Committee regarding the recent changes made to DeKalb's Zoning Code. More specifically, Mr. Baker explained the rationale behind the introduction of new density ranges, definitions and new urban design standards for mixed use developments. It was clarified that the county sought to limit the number of changes made to zoning on residential and commercial land types. Members were also introduced to new user-friendly tables which explain the new zoning classifications and development requirements.
For those members seeking an even more user friendly and customized experience, Mr. Baker encourages a visit the DeKalb Planning website for access to an interactive ArcGIS map. The map is layered with up to date information on a parcel's zoning designations, owner's name, and other key information. To ensure accuracy, planning staff reviewed each category of information for more than 275,000 individual parcels. The primary take away from the meeting, however, is that the zoning document is a living document. As such, DeKalb County continues to feedback for possible amendments, even as planning staff now shifts their focus to updating the County's Comprehensive Master Plan.
The Council for Quality Growth thanks Director Baker for speaking to the DeKalb Advisory Committee.
To see an overview of DeKalb's new Zoning Code, please click here.
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Council Welcomes Newest Staff Addition: Policy Analyst Chelsea Hagood
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I am pleased to announce the newest full-time addition to the Council Policy & Government Affairs staff, Chelsea Hagood. Chelsea will serve as the Policy Analyst for the Council, starting September 1st and comes to the Council with a knowledge of the planning & development arena.
Prior to joining the Council, she worked with the Atlanta Regional Commission and as a planning consultant where she focused on redevelopment planning and policy analysis. During this time she worked on projects in the City of Atlanta, DeKalb County, Rockdale County, Clayton County and the City of Stockbridge, GA. Chelsea earned her Master's Degree in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech in 2014.
Chelsea will handle a variety of responsibilities, including, but not limited to:
- Gathering, analyzing and interpreting data related to infrastructure planning, legislative initiatives, regulatory issues, land use, transportation and environmental planning policies.
- Attending, participating and reporting on a variety of public meetings and citizen advisory activities, including Board of Commissioners Meetings, Planning Commission, Development Advisory committees, ARC Transportation, Land Use & Environmental committees, DNR Board meetings, GRTA meetings, etc.
- Helping further establish and develop the Councils 501-c3, the Quality Growth Institute.
- Preparing and delivering reports, writes white papers and coordinates committee meetings on a variety of issues related to government affairs, planning and development, transportation, public utilities, and environmental planning while working closely with membership volunteers.
- Coordinating moderated discussions with elected officials and membership through the Council Advisory System and coordinates program speakers with presentation subject matter.
- Assisting James Touchton, Director of Policy and Government Affairs with coordination and management of the Council Internship Program.
We look forward to having Chelsea on board and please do not hesitate to introduce yourself and contact her also with any policy questions you might have. Her contact information is: Chelsea Hagood
Policy Analyst
5901-C Peachtree Dunwoody Road
Suite 500
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
direct 770.813.3374
office 770.813.3370
cell 706.495.2409
ch@councilforqualitygrowth.org
councilforqualitygrowth.org
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Council Commends DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Withh Adoption of Zoning Code
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On Tuesday, August 25th, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved by unanimous consensus a new zoning code for DeKalb County. The zoning code update represents nearly seven years of intensive planning and community engagement efforts and hard work by many members of the Council for Quality Growth and the DeKalb County Community Development staff. The Council thanks Interim CEO Lee May, the Board of Commissioner, Deputy COO Luz Borrero, Zoning Administrator Marian Eisenberg, County Planning Director Andrew Baker and the many others who were an integral part of the zoning code updates.
Michael Paris, President and CEO of the Council for Quality Growth said -
"The Council commends the Board of Commissioners and staff for all of its hard work on the zoning code rewrite. The new code contains many visionary and innovative concepts which will set the tone for the region. The long term opportunities this ordinance brings to the community are immeasurable an will propel DeKalb as an economic leader"
The new ordinances are consistent with and provide a strong platform for the implementation of policies detailed in DeKalb's Comprehensive Plan. All changes become effective on September 1, 2015.
To read more, click here.
To access the new zoning documents, click here.
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Council for Quality Growth Hosts Peachtree Corners Mayor Mike Mason
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On Tuesday, August 25th, the Council for Quality hosted Peachtree Corner Mayor Mike Mason and Alyssa Davis from Gwinnett Village CID at the Gwinnett Advisory Committee Meeting.
Ms. Davis helped to moderate the Council for Quality Growth's discussion on transportation, which was conducted as part of the Gwinnett County's "Great Exchange on Transportation" campaign.
Mayor Mike Mason spoke on Peachtree Corner's plans for pedestrian-friendly developments along the new Town Center. He also spoke on the significant plans to transform Technology Park into what the Peachtree Corner's Livable Center Initiative Study called a "robust tech industry community where employees can live and collaborate in a dynamic mixed-use environment." To read more, click here. For more information on Peachtree Corners' Livable Center Initiative, click here.
The Council thanks Mayor Mike Mason and Director Alyssa Davis for their participation in the Gwinnett Advisory Meeting.
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Council for Quality Growth Hosts Kennesaw State University President Daniel Papp
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At the Cobb County Advisory Committee Meeting held on Wednesday, August 26th, Kennesaw State University President Daniel Papp spoke on the changes occurring as a result of KSU's recent merger with Southern Polytechnic University. The first effect of the merger was the need to eliminate redundancy in administrative services and building uses. Consolidation of administrative services is expected free up $5 to $6 million dollars for other university needs. The second effect was the need to make a few one-time costs for items such as new highway signs.
The most significant data however, relates to the sheer scale of services the university will now offer.
To read more, click here.
The Council for Quality Growth thanks President Papp for participation in Wednesday's Cobb Advisory Committee meeting.
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Forsyth County to Consider New Impact Fees
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On Monday, August 24th, the Forsyth County Impact Fee Advisory Committee met to review the 2015 Impact Fee Study released by Duncan Associates. The study calls for three specific changes in the way which current impact fees are calculated throughout Forsyth County and the City of Cumming.
The key changes can be summarized as follows:
- Combine fire and emergency fees into a single public safety fee, and assess the fee on both residential and non-residential land uses.
- Distribute fire and library fee revenue across a single county-wide service area, rather than dividing revenues along north and south benefit district lines.
- Introduce a new road impact fee based on the cost of all arterial streets in the County, including state and federal highways. Assess this potential new fee on both residential and non-residential land uses.
Impact fees were last adjusted in Forsyth County in 2003. As they stand, they fund only 28.6% of growth-related capital costs.
If updated fees are adopted, the study projects that the resulting revenue could cover up to 42.9% of park, library and public safety costs. The road impact fee alone would cover up to 49.9% of planned arterial road expansion costs.
The study also calls for developers to be eligible to receive credit against the fees for right-of-way dedications and construction of arterial road improvements. However, credit for arterial improvements would be limited to planned projects listed on the County's Short Term Work Plan.
To download the complete 2015 Impact Fee Study by Duncan and Associates, click HERE.
For a quick overview of the proposed Impact Fee Updates, see the table below:
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Source: Forsyth County Impact Fee Study by Duncan Associates
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The Council for Quality Growth seeks and thanks Council members for their feedback on the proposed changes. Contact James Touchton at JT@councilforqualitygrowth.org to submit any comments or input.
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 2015 Four Pillar Tribute Honoring Dan T. Cathy - October 1, 2015 |
 Council Seeks Fall Interns |
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It is that time of year again when many undergraduate and graduate students are finalizing their spring semester schedules. The Council is currently seeking independent, dedicated individuals to serve in fall unpaid internships with our organization These internships will be structured learning opportunities geared to teach applications of public policy development.
Those seeking a bachelor's or master's degree in Public Administration, Urban Planning, Political Science or other Public Policy related areas of study will be most successful. Other areas of study including Economics, Environmental Studies, Environmental Design or Engineering, Real Estate, Business Administration, and Geography are also welcome. Interns will be expected to research various public policy issues affecting the agency, write articles for newsletters, and assist regular staff with formulating real public policies affecting our members.
Please Note: This is an unpaid internship.
Working schedule is flexible due to the responsibilities classes demand.
For a complete overview of the Council internship requirements and description, click HERE or contact James Touchton at JT@CouncilforQualityGrowth.org
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September 3, 2015
What are Council Members saying about their investment in the Council for Quality Growth?
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Join the Council for the 2015 Redevelopment Forums!
Contact Amanda Janaskie, aj@councilforqualitygrowth.org, for sponsorship opportunities
Registration is open for Cobb and North Fulton. More details coming soon for Gwinnett.
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