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Developer withdraws request to cap land‑use application fees for large proposed development
Summary
Representatives for a proposed 2,134‑acre 'Midpoint Cummins' project asked the county to cap acreage‑based application fees and pay an initial, replenishable deposit; commissioners expressed concern about precedent and fiscal risk, and the applicant withdrew the request.
Planning staff explained the county's standard land‑use and rezoning application fee structure, which includes a $20‑per‑acre component intended to cover third‑party review costs. For a 2,134‑acre proposal referred to as "Midpoint Cummins," that calculation would have produced application fees in the roughly $86,000–$87,000 range for combined large‑scale land‑use and rezoning requests.
A developer representative, Richie Schultz, asked the board to accept an alternate approach: two capped upfront deposits of $15,000 each (total $30,000) to cover initial review, with a commitment to replenish those funds if review costs exceeded the deposit. Schultz said his team believed the actual review cost would be substantially less than the per‑acre fee calculation and that the applicant would cover any overage.
Several commissioners pushed back, citing precedent and the risk that future applicants would seek similar fee reductions, thereby shifting review costs to taxpayers or complicating county budgeting. "I'm hesitant on doing the fee reduction at this point," one commissioner said, noting that the county relies on application fees to cover third‑party plan review and that the next similar request would be judged against any exception granted.
After discussion, the applicant withdrew the request for a fee schedule change. Planning staff said no action was required tonight; the county retains its standard fee schedule unless the board adopts a formal amendment at a future meeting.
