Sumner staff recommends updated park impact fees; council opens annual comprehensive-plan amendment cycle

Sumner city staff and consultants presented a parks impact fee update at the Jan. 13 study session that would change how the city charges new development for park capital needs and also asked the council to open the 2025 comprehensive-plan amendment cycle.

The most newsworthy change: the consultants proposed charging residential fees by number of bedrooms (a state-recommended approach for proportionally lower fees on smaller units) and recommended accessory dwelling unit (ADU) fees at 50% of the bedroom-based fee. The draft rate study estimates fee revenue between roughly $7.2 million and $9.6 million over the planning period given projected growth and inflation assumptions.

Why it matters: Impact fees are a tool that lets growth help pay for the capital improvements needed to serve that growth. Staff said the update removes trails from the parks fee calculation (trails have been moved into the transportation impact fee), which reduces commercial/employee-based park fees. That change aligns park fees with the updated 2024–2030 parks and trails plan and recent changes to state law.

Details from the briefing and council discussion: - Fee methodology: Consultants (Burke Consulting and team members) said the updated methodology continues to base fees on per-capita investment but now uses bedrooms to scale residential fees so smaller units pay proportionally less. The study converts per-capita investment into fees by housing unit type and square feet for commercial/industrial uses. - ADUs and smaller units: The draft proposes ADU fees equal to 50% of the fee for a same-sized-bedroom residential unit; the ordinance language will be corrected to make that explicit for one-bedroom ADUs as well as other sizes. - Revenue and projects: The consultants estimated $7.2 million to $9.6 million in potential impact fee revenue under growth projections and inflation adjustments; the parks and trails plan identifies about $22.5 million in capital projects potentially eligible for impact-fee funding. Staff noted the city could use grants or other local revenue to cover the gap between fees and project costs. - Comparisons and local examples: Consultants showed that the proposed Sumner fee for 4-plus-bedroom units would be at the high end compared with nearby jurisdictions; one example calculation showed a 127-unit apartment building could generate roughly $427,000 in park impact fees under the proposed structure (the consultants said actual results depend on unit mix: studios and one-bedrooms are more prevalent in current development pipelines). - Timing and action: Ryan Windisch said the council would see an ordinance (Ord. 29/16) amending Sumner Municipal Code 12.38 (park impact fees) at the Jan. 21 regular council meeting and that fee changes would be tied to the city’s annual fee-adjustment schedule (inflation indexing and an implementation date discussed for Feb. 1 in the briefing). The council agreed to open the 2025 comprehensive-plan amendment cycle (allowing private applicants and city-initiated map amendments to be submitted and considered).

Council members asked about infrastructure and practical consequences for annexation, traffic and service provision for sites proposed for map amendments (examples included areas near WinCo and parcels near Zender and Cherry Avenue). Staff said annexation and infrastructure improvements would be separate, later discussions; any private applicant would submit an application and go through planning commission review, public participation and hearings before final council action.

What was decided: Council authorized opening the 2025 amendment cycle (staff will publish application requirements and a public-participation plan). The park impact fee ordinance was scheduled for consideration at the next regular meeting; no final fee adoption occurred at the Jan. 13 study session.

What comes next: Staff will post the application window, accept private and staff-sponsored map amendment proposals, work with the planning commission on a docket and public-participation plan, and return to council with final recommendations later in the year.