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Fort Pierce extends one-year impact-fee moratorium for urban infill after staff reports surge in permits
Summary
On first reading commissioners approved Ordinance 24-041 to extend a one-year moratorium on certain impact fees inside the city's urban infill/redevelopment area after staff reported 31 new-construction permits over the past year, a 106% increase from the prior period.
The Fort Pierce City Commission on Oct. 21 approved the first reading of Ordinance 24-041, which would extend a one-year moratorium on the imposition and collection of impact fees inside the city's designated urban infill and redevelopment area.
City planning staff member Cheyenne Harnage presented building-permit data and recommended extending the moratorium. Harnage said the building department recorded 31 new-construction building permits inside the Community Redevelopment Area between November 2023 and October 2024, up from 15 the prior period. "This is 31 new construction, building permits... So what's that? A 106% increase in new construction building permit activity," she said.
Harnage told the commission the moratorium is an incentive in the redevelopment toolbox to attract residential and commercial construction where much infrastructure already exists. The moratorium applies specifically to the city's FPRA redevelopment area; staff said impact fees remain appropriate in the western corridor where new roads and other infrastructure demand is higher.
Commissioners discussed trying to get the county to adopt a similar reduction and asked staff to prepare a financial analysis showing return on investment. One commissioner recommended an ROI spreadsheet to show tax revenue returns from property development to support interlocal discussions with the county.
Commissioners also noted related work including zoning changes and an RFQ on city-owned parcels to pilot new housing. The ordinance passed its first reading by roll-call vote; staff said the measure will return for a subsequent reading and final adoption.
No members of the public testified during the hearing.
