Board adopts corrected traffic impact fee schedule after staff revises growth calculations

The Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution updating the county's Traffic Impact Fee (TIF) program after staff corrected a discrepancy in earlier growth calculations and incorporated offsets intended to lower fees in more rural communities.

Senior civil engineer Zach Oates told the board staff identified an error in a prior growth analysis used for the fee schedule and revised the nexus study. County staff said they met with area planning advisory committees, the Building Industry Association and other stakeholders before finalizing the corrected fee schedule. The revised schedules include targeted grant offsets in some rural community impact zones to moderate fees for those areas.

Public comment included concerns about how achievable development projections were being calculated at the parcel level and whether fees and incentives (such as lower TIFs for certain housing types) align with the county's broader economic goals. County staff acknowledged the complexity of projecting buildout versus permitted units and said detailed, parcel-level buildability analysis is possible but costly and better timed with general-plan updates. Staff also noted that differential fees for use types (for example, lower fees for age-restricted housing) are based on standard trip-generation data and not an arbitrary subsidy.

Board action: The board adopted the updated nexus study and the amended fee schedule and approved staff's recommendation by voice vote (motion passed 5'00). Staff will implement the corrected schedule and proceed with the administrative steps required to publish the update.

What happens next: Staff said they will continue meetings with the BIA and other stakeholders to refine the data and noted that future TIF updates could include a more detailed, parcel-by-parcel deliverability study if the board wants that level of analysis.