Boynton Beach advances mobility-fee plan to fund sidewalks, transit and streetscape projects

Boynton Beach commissioners on Feb. 4 approved, on first reading, a new mobility-fee ordinance and adopted a technical report that sets charges for new development to pay for sidewalks, bike lanes, transit circulation and streetscape projects.

The ordinance (25-002) and the related technical report create a city-administered mobility fee to replace Palm Beach County road impact fees within the ordinance's assessment area. Planning and development staff and an outside consultant described the plan as a 20-year blueprint to “move people, whether they choose to walk, bicycle, ride transit or drive,” with an emphasis on improvements east of I-95 and downtown rather than traditional roadway widening.

The technical report, a detailed justification that staff said was required by recent state law changes, was adopted by resolution (R25-036) earlier in the meeting. Consultant Jonathan Paul, principal of New Urban Concepts, summarized the proposal and compared the proposed city fees with county fees. “The mobility fee is a payment made by new development and redevelopment to the city to fund transportation improvements,” Paul said. He noted the county collected about $32 million from development in Boynton Beach over two decades but had spent roughly $2 million of that inside city limits.

City Planning and Development Director Amanda Radegan said the proposal reflects substantial policy work dating to 2019 and that changes in state law last year clarified municipalities' authority to adopt mobility fees in place of county road-impact fees. The city-wide mobility plan groups projects into four categories — streets, multimodal corridors, transit circulation and programmatic actions — and prioritizes investments likely to encourage walking, bicycling and transit use in areas targeted for redevelopment.

Examples in the report show fees for sample developments: a typical single-family home (about 2,100 sq. ft.) would pay $5,962; a 50-unit multifamily building (50,000 sq. ft.) about $165,000; a 5,000-sq.-ft. office about $30,000. Paul said some uses that generate heavy vehicle activity — drive-through lanes, for example — are captured by additive fees.

Commissioners discussed implementation, negotiations with Palm Beach County and whether to adjust single-family fees to incentivize homeownership. Mayor Penserga and Vice Mayor Kelly, among others, expressed support for keeping more development dollars in the city to address local mobility needs. Commissioners asked staff to prepare options for the Feb. 18 second reading on possible adjustments — for example, a staged increase or reduced fee for certain single-family sizes — and staff agreed to present alternatives.

The ordinance passed first reading by a unanimous roll-call vote. Under state law the fee cannot take effect sooner than 90 days after adoption; staff noted May 2025 as the target effective month if the ordinance is adopted on second reading. Commissioners also directed staff to begin needed interlocal discussions with Palm Beach County on how county road projects and city mobility projects would be coordinated and how any county-required share would be handled.

The mobility-technical report and ordinance set out credits for existing uses and permit mechanisms for special determinations; staff said the ordinance and report both will be part of follow-up work updating the city’s comprehensive plan language and administrative procedures. The second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for Feb. 18, when commissioners will consider any ordinance edits they request.