Council reviews proposed shift to square-foot residential impact fees, drops unfinished-basement exemption and removes affordable-housing waiver

City staff presented a proposed rewrite of the city’s development impact fee ordinance that would calculate residential impact fees on climate-controlled square footage rather than per housing unit, clarify what counts as residential square footage and remove a standing affordable-housing exemption that previously appeared in the draft ordinance.

Mike (staff) explained the proposal would measure residential development impact by a structure’s climate-controlled square footage — a proxy for spaces intended for living — and would exclude automobile garages and accessory storage from the fee calculation. "The calculation of a residential development impact fee shall be determined by the climate controlled square footage of the structure," staff told the council in a reading of the draft language. Staff said the change was intended to avoid later disputes over whether unfinished basements or attached accessory…