AGENDA #6d

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

SUBJECT:       Meadowmont School and Park Special Use Permit Modification – Request for Waiver of Fees

 

DATE:            May 7, 2001

 

 

On April 9, 2001, the Council received a petition from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, requesting a waiver of fees associated with a Special Use Permit Modification application for a new elementary school at Meadowmont (please see attached petition).  Adoption of the attached Resolution would establish a new policy of reduced fees for all public agencies.  We recommend no action on the request.

 

BACKGROUND

 

On February  26, 2001, the Town Council granted expedited processing of the Special Use Permit Modification application for a new elementary school project.  The Meadowmont School Special Use Permit Modification application has not been filed. 

 

The Town Council approved a Special Use Permit for a School/Park at this location in 1997.  The approval included 70 acres of parkland and a 22-acre site for a school.  Work has begun on the shared ball fields.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Development applications within the Town's zoning jurisdiction are subject to fees associated with the type of application or permit requested (schedule attached).  These fees are intended to recover a major portion of the staff time taken to review and process the development proposal. The Development Review Fees schedule provides that certain permits associated with community development programs as well as Town of Chapel Hill development applications are exempt from the fees.  Applications from religious organizations or private, tax-exempt, non-profit organizations are subject to ½ of the prescribed fee.

 

The Special Use Permit Modification application and Final Plan application fees for a new school project with 95,000 square feet of floor area would be $36,000 ($24,000 for the Special Use Permit Modification application and $12,000 for  the Final Plan application).

 

We believe that the Council could reasonably establish a new policy that development applications submitted by public agencies achieve a public purpose and should be subject to a reduced fee.  If the Council is interested in establishing a new policy, we recommend adopting a policy for all public agencies and applying ½ of the prescribed fees for these agencies.  With this type of new policy, the schools, the County, the University, and other public agencies would be subject to a reduced fee schedule.  We note that reducing government agency fees would subsidizes the services that are subsequently offered, benefiting residents both inside and outside of Chapel Hill.

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

We recommend no action at this time.  We believe the Town has established a fee schedule that is intended to recover the costs incurred by the Town during development review. 

 

However, if the Council desires to make this change, we have attached a Resolution that would establish a ½ a fee policy for all public agencies.

 

ATTACHMENTS

 

1. Petition (p. 4).
2. Fee Schedule (p. 5).

           

 

 

A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FEES LIST TO REDUCE THE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION FEES FOR ALL PUBLIC AGENCIES 2001-05-07/R-13)

 

WHEREAS, the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill has received a request from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to waive the fees associated with the new Meadowmont elementary school Special Use Permit Modification application; and

 

WHEREAS, the Town Council has determined that the application of reduced fees for all public agencies would achieve public purposes;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Town Manager is hereby authorized to amend the development review fees schedule to provide that all public agencies be subject to ½ of the current fees. 

 

This the 7^th day of May, 2001.