DeBary workshop previews updated Southwest mobility fee, proposes single fee to cover city and county impacts

Jonathan Paul, principal of New Urban Concepts and consultant for the City of DeBary, presented an update on the city’s Southwest mobility plan and proposed mobility fee at a public workshop on Wednesday, May 14. The presentation explained how the updated fee would fund pedestrian, bicycle and roadway improvements around the SunRail station and across a defined benefit district that extends to Interstate 4.

The mobility fee update responds to state law changes and new cost and growth data, Paul said. He described the fee as “an assessment on new development only. It is not a tax, and it is not a special assessment on existing homes or existing businesses.” The update incorporates House Bill 479 and a 2021 statutory provision on “extraordinary circumstances” that limit how quickly a jurisdiction may raise fees and require public workshops and a legislative finding to exceed statutory phasing limits.

Why it matters: the updated schedule would consolidate the city’s mobility fee and Volusia County’s road-impact fee into a single fee that a city-issued building permit would collect. That single fee is intended to mitigate impacts on city, county and state roads in the Southwest sector, but adoption requires further action by the City Commission and negotiation with Volusia County over funding for Dirksen Drive.

Key details from the workshop

- Geographic scope and projects: The Southwest assessment area centers on the SunRail station and covers a benefit district that runs along Highbanks, State Road…