Manatee County Planning Commission roundup: impact fee debate

The Manatee County Planning Commission voted 6-1 on Thursday to recommend implementation of the county’s new impact fee study and amend the Land Development Code to recognize the study.

Based on Tindale Oliver’s 2020 study, residential impact fees in Manatee County’s Southeast Benefit District could rise as high as 36 to 39 percent over the previous rate, depending on the size of the house. The southeast district generally extends as far north as the Manatee River and as far west as U.S. Route 301 and includes Lakewood Ranch.

For example, Tindale Oliver's study recommended an impact fee on houses of 1,301 to 1,700 square feet in the southeast district to be $16,544, a 37% increase from the current rate of $12,078 (90% of the 2015 study). For houses, 2,201 square feet or more, the rate would be $21,543, which is 39% more than the current rate of $15,460 (also 90% of the 2015 study).

Impact fees aren’t just for houses. They are charged for non-residential uses such as day care centers to hospitals to auto care businesses. Tindale Oliver’s study included an increase as low as 11%, from $924 to $1,028, for every 1,000 square feet of a mini-warehouse built in the southeast district. It also included an increase as high as 603%, from $3,473 to $24,423, for every 1,000 square feet of a private university or junior college built in the district.

Commission member Bill Smock, favored the study, with caveats. He said he hopes if developers such as Pat Neal and Carlos Beruff say they can build roads privately faster and cheaper, the county should include language that allows them to pay lower impact fees. He would like to see the same happen if the private sector starts building facilities such as fire stations and libraries.

Commission member Paul Rutledge said the study wasn’t perfect, but he voted in favor of it because the county needs to have a new study in place. He hoped the Manatee County Commission would dive into some of the specifics of the study and modify the proposed fee schedule in a way that makes it as fair as possible.

Commissioner member Mike Rahn cast the dissenting vote. Though he supported parts of the study, conducted by Tampa-based engineering consulting company Tindale Oliver, he said the county should wait to raise impact fees.

“There's too many moving parts going on right now in the county with fees and everything else,” Rahn said. “With everything that's going on, with COVID and everything else like that, I just don't think it’s appropriate at this time.”

Neal Communities President and CEO Pat Neal said the Tindale Oliver study is flawed. Specifically, he said the study overestimates the amount of stress new residents put on county roads. He estimated the new impact fees will raise the average price of one of his new homes by $21,000.

Benderson Development Director of Development Ted Mathis said some of the increases advised by the study were too high. He asked if Manatee County was trying to discourage construction of certain facilities by raising impact fees 100% to 200% or more in certain categories. He said he likes gradual increases in impact fees because they give developers a sense of predictability.

The impact fee study will be presented to Manatee County commissioners April 15.

Other items discussed at Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting include:

Moore property rezone

The Manatee County Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval to rezone 38.95 acres near the southwest corner of State Road 64 and Uihlein Road from general agriculture and neighborhood commercial medium to planned development residential. Bill Smock was absent for the vote.

Neal Communities plans to construct a 172-unit single-family subdivision on the site with a limit of 4.5 units per acre.

Manatee County commissioners will vote on the rezone April 1.

Manatee Ranches rezone

The Manatee County Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend approval to rezone 1.54 acres near the northeast corner of State Road 70 and County Road 675 in Myakka City from general agriculture to neighborhood commercial small.

Bill Smock was absent for the vote, while Jedd Heap dissented.

A roundabout is being planned at the intersection but has not been funded. ZNS Engineering Planning Director Rachel Layton said there is not yet an intended use for the property, though she said there are very few commercial businesses to serve the community within a five-mile radius.

Myakka resident Carol Felts said the community doesn’t need any more commercial businesses. She also said the community has fought against the project before and will do so again. Manatee County commissioners unanimously denied a request to rezone the property from general agriculture to planned development commercial in March 2020.

Manatee County commissioners will vote on the rezone April 1.