Charleston County staff brief council on development impact fees; feasibility study proposed

Charleston County planning staff gave a brief overview of how development impact fees work under state law and council members asked staff to gather feasibility information before the county pursues an ordinance.

In a Planning & Public Works Committee meeting, county planning staff explained that a development impact fee is “a means of payment of money imposed as a condition of development approval to pay a proportionate share of the cost of system improvements needed to serve the public utilizing the improvements,” and listed state statutory requirements for adoption, including a capital improvements plan, a justification report, third‑party consultant review, annual accounting, and a three‑year expenditure or refund requirement.

Council members asked staff…