Saint Helena council adopts new planning application fees, amends three rates

The Saint Helena City Council on June 24 adopted a resolution establishing new planning application fees tied to the city—ode changes passed in 2023 and to support an online, paperless permitting system.

The vote, taken after a public hearing and extended staff presentation, was unanimous. City staff said the fees respond to new application types created by the 2023 zoning code and to the need to automate fee collection when the city launches online permitting.

Planning Manager Dan Rosa told the council the new schedule includes fully justified cost calculations and recommended (lower) fees the council may choose to set below those costs. He highlighted three items that were already in use online but had not been formally adopted into the master fee schedule: the sidewalk dining permit, the urban lot split and the zoning compliance request. Staff recommended smaller, more business-friendly rates for those three so the adopted schedule matches fees currently shown to applicants online.

Rosa said the new categories include minor use permits and minor modifications created by the zoning update, a certificate documenting the extent of a legal nonconforming use, density bonuses, historic-demolition permits, pre-zoning for annexation and an application to reestablish an abandoned nonconforming use. He said some fees were intentionally set low or waived to encourage applications under new housing streamlining rules (SB 330/streamlining) and for mural permits.

Council members asked for clarity about which items still require planning commission hearings. Rosa confirmed that the historic-demolition permit, historic overlay/delisting, pre-zoning for annexation and applications to reestablish abandoned nonconforming uses would go to the planning commission. Council members also asked about the sidewalk-dining permit and were told the city has used a temporary COVID-era rule but that a permanent sidewalk-dining permit and a $150 fee will be added formally to the master fee schedule to align with the online application.

After discussion the council voted to approve staff nd consultant recommendations with the amended fee amounts presented in the staff slide deck; the resolution sets the fees to take effect Sept. 1, 2025. The motion to approve was made by a council member and seconded; roll call was unanimous.

The council directed staff to deliver the final fee matrix and implementation timeline to support the online permitting rollout and to provide further detail about fee methodology, which consultant Willdan can address if council has technical questions.

The adopted schedule and staff presentation said the city will continue to allow the council authority to choose fees below the fully justified cost for policy reasons, such as economic development objectives or to encourage sidewalk dining and housing projects.