Grand Junction adopts revised impact-fee ordinance after multi-month review

Grand Junction City Council adopted an ordinance on April 2 revising the city’s impact-fee rules for transportation, police, fire and parks after a multi-month review and repeated public workshops.

The measure, finalizing changes to Sections 21.02 and 21.05 of the Zoning and Development Code, updates fee tables and implementation timing and modifies credits for right-of-way and active-transportation construction. The council voted 7–0 to pass Ordinance No. 52 50.

Why it matters: Impact fees are one-time payments collected from new development to fund growth-related capital facilities. City staff and consultant Tishler Bice told council the revised schedule is intended to more closely match the city’s capital needs and legal requirements under Colorado law and the city’s code.

Tamara Allen, community development director, summarized the legal framework and process. “Impact fees are one-time payments for growth-related infrastructure,” Allen said, noting the work required by Senate Bill 15 and the city code, and explaining that the city must show proportionality and benefit to fee payers.

The ordinance reflects several staff and consultant recommendations that were changed during the public process. Key policy and technical items discussed and included in the final ordinance: - Fees adopted: parks, police, fire and transportation were approved in full; municipal facility fees and an affordable-housing linkage fee were not adopted. - Phased implementation: council…