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Manassas Park staff proposes discretion for timing of tap (availability) fees in water/sewer code
Summary
City staff presented a proposed amendment to Chapter 25 of the city code that would allow the director discretion to set whether water/sewer availability (tap) fees are due at site-development permit or at meter installation — whichever is most appropriate to the project — to address developer concerns about shell buildings and pad sites.
At a public hearing Oct. 21, Calvin O'Dell, the city’s director of community development, presented a proposed amendment to the water and sewer ordinance (Chapter 25) to add director discretion on the timing of availability (tap) fees. The change would preserve two existing milestones — payment at site-development permit issuance or at meter installation — but would allow the director to select the milestone that best suits the project to avoid obligating developers for long-term carrying costs on shell buildings or pad sites where meters might not be installed for years.
O'Dell said staff had encountered development scenarios in which requiring immediate payment at permit issuance created unreasonable carrying costs for owners and builders; the proposed amendment aims to reduce those situations by allowing the director to approve the appropriate payment milestone for a given project. No members of the public offered comment during the hearing. Council closed the hearing by motion and will consider the ordinance language in a future adoption vote, staff said.
