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Planning commission reviews 2024 housing fee and affordability reports, requests trend data
Summary
Staff presented two statutorily required reports: the new housing fee report (about $5.5M in fees and 446 new dwelling units in 2024) and the housing affordability report (median construction cost ~$454,000); commissioners asked for five‑year trend data on housing mix and discussed the statutory 20% lot‑size reduction exercise.
The Planning Commission reviewed two state‑required reports covering 2024: the New Housing Fee Report and the Housing Affordability Report.
A staff member summarized the New Housing Fee Report, which catalogs fees tied to new construction and development. The village collected "about 5 and a half million dollars" in 2024 related to residential construction, remodeling and development, and there were 446 new dwelling units, which averages to roughly "$12,318.30 per dwelling unit," staff said.
Commissioners asked for clarification about specific fee categories, including a line for structures "where square footage cannot be calculated such as towers and windmills," which staff said is a value‑based permit fee with a minimum charge. They also discussed the fee‑in‑lieu mechanism for park dedication: staff confirmed that developers pay a fee per lot when they do not dedicate land, and that park impact fees apply per unit for multifamily buildings.
Staff then summarized the Housing Affordability Report. Key figures: the construction cost range for single‑family homes in 2024 ran roughly from $135,000 to $1,550,000 with a median of about $454,000; assessing data rated 97.5% of existing homes average or above; the commission approved five subdivision plats in 2024 and recorded 1,041 building permits.
One commissioner raised concern that 2024’s constructed dwellings included a large share of senior apartments (staff noted Dixon Hollow’s major phase accounted for many units in 2024), and asked staff to provide a five‑year trend to verify whether 2024 is an outlier. Staff said prior reports and the development report will be posted and that the development report will go to the village board on March 16.
Commissioners also discussed the state‑required 20% lot‑size reduction exercise that illustrates how smaller lots could increase lot counts and lower per‑lot costs; staff provided example figures showing how a 20% reduction in Bella Vista lot sizes could increase lot yield. Commissioners cautioned against making policy decisions from a single year’s data and highlighted that many cost drivers (utilities, grading, sewer) are outside village control.
Next steps: staff will post prior reports, provide the requested five‑year breakdown by housing type, and forward the development report to the village board for March 16.
