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Council discusses development fees

Subdivision developer voices concern

RITZVILLE - Those attending the Jan. 7 City Council meeting got a replay from developers who are not entirely enthusiastic about commercial development costs here.

City employees distributed documents pre-loaded with concerns of commercial developers.

The current initiatives and concerns of developers appear to be how well the city will support an annexation process proposed by Derek and Susan Schafer, which seeks to add real estate "east of Highway 261, south of I-90 and Weber Road, north of Heinneman Road."

SynTier Engineering, Inc, is hired to support and develop the Schafers' proposal.

In a letter dated Dec. 30, the Schafers requested the city's traffic impact fee be set "at a reasonable level," to "consider reducing fees to a level that makes Ritzville a place people can invest in and afford to purchase a home in," and to "consider finishing the code update including the new mixed-use zone."

The Schafers submitted another letter Jan. 3, which discusses the city's System Development Charges.

"We believe in the free market and that consumers have a choice," the letter stated. "Selling the same home in Ritzville for $20,000 more than in a neighboring community would be difficult.

"Homebuyers and businesses get to choose where they live and locate. High fees (equal) low growth."

Councilman Dennis Chamberlain reacted to the written and spoken presentation.

"I don't mind Ritzville being at the high end, but at three times, is not where we should be." Chamberlain said. "I guess the way I want to put this is the totality of our fees is what we need to be looking at. If we want somebody to build... they're looking at how much it's going to cost total, the bottom line.

"So, we need to be looking at that."

Public Works Director Dave Breazeale said another packing the city's fee schedule is the "late-comer's fee."

"You're supposed to pay those before you connect the water and sewer," Breazeale said. "The city's supposed to collect it from you."

Breazeale said it might be difficult to reduce some development fees due to the city's cost.

The discussion at the council meeting came just weeks after the opening of a new Maverik Adventure's First Stop gas station and convenience store on state Highway 261 at the Interstate 90 interchange.

It also followed a previous discussion in which developers voiced concerns over impact fees.

 

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