San Juan Unified raises statutory developer fee to $5.38 per sq. ft.; board adopts fee updates unanimously

San Juan Unified's Board of Education unanimously adopted updates to the district's Level 1 developer fees after facilities staff presented a two‑year justification study aligned with a 4.06% State Allocation Board increase.

Facilities staff described the rationale under AB 2926 and Education Code requirements, and said the district's justification study demonstrates the need for the full statutory Level 1 fees to mitigate development impacts on district facilities. "At the 01/28/2026 State Allocation Board meeting, the board approved a 4.06% increase to the maximum, Level 1 developer fees," Mr. Camarda told trustees.

Staff said the change increases the residential fee by $0.21 to $5.38 per square foot and the commercial fee by $0.03 to $0.87. The staff presentation included historical collections and current receipts (staff reported collections of about $785,000 as of Jan. 28 and projected collections could reach about $1.2 million to $1.3 million by June). The board opened the public hearing on the fee increase, heard no public comments, and then adopted the resolutions updating the statutory fees and declaring the change exempt from CEQA.

Several trustees acknowledged community concerns about cumulative development fees and housing costs. One board member noted that developer fees are payable before construction begins and cautioned about the cumulative burden of many fees on new-home costs, while stopping short of opposing the update.

Outcome: the board approved the fee updates by unanimous vote (resolutions 4258 and 4259). The updated fee schedule will be posted and administered per state law.