Kent city officials are considering charging developers a park impact fee to cover the cost of new parks, walking trails and recreational facilities.
Kent developers are already paying road, fire and school district fees when building single-family homes or apartment buildings. These fees are usually passed on to the homebuyers. Kent will also consider charging a park impact fee to commercial or industrial project developers as employees can directly benefit from nearby parks and recreational facilities.
According to a report by FCS Group, a financial advisor with offices in Redmond, Lake, the city could raise as much as $ 12.1 million over the next six years to pay for an urban park project list that will cost $ 43 million Oswego, Oregon and Boulder, Colorado. The city commissioned the FCS Group for up to $ 47,250 to contract for a parking impact fee study that began in July and ends next June.
John Ghilarducci, president of the FCS group, explained a parking impact fee to the council.
“It is a one-time fee that is paid at redevelopment time of redevelopment,” said Ghilarducci. “It is part of the facilities required for growth. It can help fund parts of the planned projects that are required for growth and development. The fee cannot exceed the cost and only applies to new developments, unless the refurbishment becomes something larger (than the existing facility). “
Brian Levenhagen, the city’s deputy park director, told the city council at its December 8th workshop that more money will be needed to pay for new parks as the city’s population continues to grow. The city finances parks primarily through trade and occupation tax and property excise tax (on property sales). Further funds come from grants, donations, sponsoring and partnerships.
Most of these funds are used to cover the parking maintenance congestion. A park impact fee is charged for new parks, trails, or recreational facilities.
The city’s park project priority list includes a new Panther Lake Community Park, West Hill Neighborhood Park, 132nd Avenue Neighborhood Park, and potential new parks in the downtown and Midway area on West Hill.
Levenhagen said the city could also use more artificial turf fields to increase usage and fees, and more indoor or covered recreational facilities like a field house. Park staff would like to see new trails in Mill Creek Canyon Park, Clark Lake Park, and Lake Fenwick Park.
The consultant used a projected population growth in Kent from 130,500 in 2020 to 139,403 in 2026 and an increase to 80,000 employees from 75,000 to determine the proposed developer parking impact fees.
A single family home would include a potential fee of $ 3,281, while an apartment building would have a fee of $ 2,451 per unit. Warehouse and other business developers would pay anywhere from 26 cents to $ 1.30 per square foot, depending on the type of business.
“Our parks need some kind of boost, that could be a way,” Councilor Bill Boyce said after the presentation.
Boyce said he wanted more information on how much the total impact fees would cost a developer and how that cost compares to fees in other cities.
Auburn, Tukwila, Covington, and Renton are neighboring cities that have a parking fee. Federal Way doesn’t have the fee.
Levenhagen is expected to return to the local council early next year with more information on the parking impact fee. He said it remains to be seen how a parking impact fee will fit the city’s current development code. The city’s Economic and Communal Development Department will assist with the work on this issue.
“We will share this response when we return to the city council, probably sometime between February and March,” Levenhagen said in an email. “From there we will show a possible way forward if the council decides to move forward. We currently do not have a schedule for the introduction of a parking impact fee. ”
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