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:             June 11, 2001

 

 

The following Resolution A would waive the development review fees for the elementary school to be built at Meadowmont as a contribution to the cost of a community gymnasium to be built at that school.

 

Alternatively, Resolution B would establish a new policy of reduced fees for all public agencies.

 

We recommend no action on the request.

 

BACKGROUND

 

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 but did not include a detailed site plan or even a footprint of a school building. 

 

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. 

 

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). 

 

During this spring, the question has been raised of whether the elementary school should include a gym instead of a multi-purpose room.  The difference in cost is estimated by the board of Education to be about $715,000 and the Chair of the County Commissioners has asked how much the Town of Chapel Hill would be willing to pay towards that sum.

 

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 ˝ 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 ˝ 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 subsidize the services that are subsequently offered, benefiting residents both inside and outside of Chapel Hill.

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

In general, we recommend no modification of this policy.  The Town has established a fee schedule that is intended to recover the costs incurred by the Town during development review and we believe that the schedule should include all parties which generate such costs.

 

However, if the Town Council would want to waive the fee for the Meadowmont School Special Use Permit Modification and direct that the County Commissioners consider the $36,000 as part of a contribution from the Town to the community gym, then we recommend you adopt Resolution A.

 

However, if the Council desires to modify fees for all governmental units by 50%, we would recommend adoption of Resolution B that would establish a half-price fee policy for all public agencies.

 

The Town Manager recommends no action at this time.

 

ATTACHMENTS

 

  1. Petition (p. 5).
  2. Fee Schedule (p. 6).

           

 

A RESOLUTION WAIVING THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FEE FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT MEADOWMONT AS A CONTRIBUTION TO THE COST OF A COMMUNITY GYM TO BE BUILT AT THAT SCHOOL IN PLACE OF A MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM  (2001-06-11/ R11a)

 

WHEREAS, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board has requested that the development review fee be waived for the elementary school to be built at Meadowmont, and

 

WHEREAS, the Town Council would like a gymnasium to be built at that school in place of a multi-purpose room, and

 

WHEREAS, the gym would cost approximately $715,000 more than the multi-purpose room,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the waived fee shall be considered as a contribution of $36,000 to the additional cost of a community gym.

 

This the 11th day of June, 2001.

 

A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FEES LIST TO REDUCE THE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION FEES FOR ALL PUBLIC AGENCIES 2001-06-11/R-11b)

 

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 one half of the current fees. 

 

This the 11th day of June, 2001.