Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultant outlines Pasco transportation impact fee study; council asks for districts and public outreach
Summary
Farrin Pierce consultant Kendra Breeland presented a draft transportation impact fee program built from an 18-project candidate list and recommended next steps; council requested districting scenarios, an update schedule and outreach to the development community.
A consultant working for the City of Pasco presented a draft transportation impact fee (TIF) approach on March 17 and asked the City Council for initial feedback on project lists, method and next steps.
Kendra Breeland of Farrin Pierce told the council that transportation impact fees are one-time charges on new development authorized under Washington's Growth Management Act to fund capacity projects that serve growth. She said the analysis uses projects drawn from the city's capital facilities element and Transportation Improvement Program and spreads eligible project costs over forecasted future growth to derive a cost-per-trip rate. She noted Pasco has a much older TIF (last updated in 2009) and the current rates do not reflect contemporary project lists or growth patterns.
Breeland presented a draft list of roughly 18 candidate projects drawn from the city's TIP and capital plans and gave a worked example: the Madison Avenue intersection improvement carries a TIP cost of $2,170,000; after removing existing-deficiency costs and adjusting for trips that do not originate or end in Pasco, the portion eligible for the fee calculation for that project was shown as approximately $527,000.
Councilmembers asked for draft districting scenarios (two, three or four districts) so fees can be tailored to where development occurs; several councilmembers emphasized predictability for developers as a benefit of a modern TIF program. Councilmember Prowell requested a recommendation on how often to update the fee schedule; the consultant suggested regular reviews and staff said updates every three to four years would be reasonable. Breeland and staff said the next steps are to refine the project list, run the travel-model calculations and return with draft rates in April, followed by public outreach to the development community and a goal of adoption in June.
Why it matters: a modernized TIF can streamline project-by-project mitigation, create predictable developer fees, and generate funding for prioritized transportation projects that support growth. The council directed staff to return with districting options and a proposed update cadence and to continue public and industry outreach.
