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Redmond planners weigh three park impact fee models; 20‑year standard favored for stability
Summary
City staff and consultants presented three legally defensible park impact fee approaches — updated current hours‑of‑use, a standards‑based 20‑year approach, and a 6‑year approach — showing wide variation in maximum fees; council asked for clearer comparisons, outreach to developers, and a phased approach to implementation.
Lindsay (introduced as Lindseay) Falenberg, Redmond’s parks planning manager, and consultants from FCS explained that park impact fees are one‑time developer fees to fund growth‑related capital and that the city may choose a methodology that sets a legally defensible maximum fee but may charge less.
Consultant John Gillarduchi described three approaches: (1) an updated version of Redmond’s current hours‑of‑use approach; (2) a standards‑based approach that counts future project costs and existing asset capacity and subtracts debt/fund balance adjustments; and (3) a short 6‑year approach looking only at near‑term projects. Gillarduchi noted these produce different maximum defensible fees — for a single‑family unit the examples ranged from roughly $4,876 (current updated approach) to $8,290 (20‑year standards) to about $15,000 (6‑year implementation) — and stressed the city is not required to charge the maximum.
Council members focused on housing impacts, volatility over time, and developer responses. “We’d want to make sure that we’re balancing housing needs in Redmond with park needs,” said a council member who had reviewed the presentation; another asked whether an increase would push developers toward providing privately owned public spaces (POPS) in lieu of paying fees. Staff said POPS (Astera Park was cited as an example) remain an option and that the city will be discerning about when to accept in‑lieu private spaces.
Council requested a clear comparison table showing maximum legally defensible amounts and recommended next steps including outreach to master builders and One Redmond, discussion of phasing large increases, indexing fees to inflation, and returning to committee with public‑engagement results; staff proposed returning in July with updates and aiming for an ordinance in September.
