Sarasota County commissioners to discuss mobility fees

Sarasota County commissioners will discuss a 20-year mobility plan that could replace road impact fees.

Mobility fees are an alternative to the county’s current system of collecting transportation concurrency, proportionate share and roadway impact fees. Impact fees can only be used to improve roadways, whereas mobility fees can be distributed into multiple different uses related to how residents and visitors travel, including multi-modal transit such as bike lanes and sidewalks; however, mobility fees are collected in districts, and the funds can only be used in the districts from which they are collected.

A mobility plan also aims to reduce the number of miles someone has to travel to reach their destination, and establishing mobility corridors. These are four- to six-lane roads—either through creating new roadways or widening current ones—that include bike lanes, sidewalks and trails. Some streets that are not widened are candidates for added amenities, such as more sidewalks or transit stop lanes.

The State of Florida Legislature passed a bill in 2013 that accepted the use of mobility plans and fees as an alternative to impact fees and transportation currency.

Under the mobility fee plan, new developments would pay fees based on future travel demand. The fee would be applied to unincorporated Sarasota County, unless municipalities choose to opt-in. The city of Sarasota has already considered a mobility plan.

The fee is calculated based on the capacity needs of a roadway to serve the future demand and how much of that capacity will be used by a new development. The staff presentation for tomorrow includes some drafted examples of fees charged for different land uses; for example, the fee for a development with 1,500 to 1,999 square-foot single family homes could be $4,073 per unit.

The county would be divided into three districts to assess mobility fees, and the plan will extend from 2015 to 2035.

County staff will be reaching out to the public for input as well as municipalities before bringing back the mobility plan for final approval.

IF YOU GO

What: Sarasota County Commission meeting
When: 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 31
Where: Commission Chamber, Robert L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice.