Atlanta, Georgia

Multi-Facility Impact Fee Study
   

For the City of Atlanta, Duncan Associates designed a multi-facility impact fee system that promoted local growth management objectives relating to affordable housing, economic development and multi-modal transportation. The study calculated impact fees for road, park, drainage, fire and police facilities and connection fees for water and wastewater facilities. While connection fees are similar to impact fees, they are much easier to design under the Georgia Impact Fee Act. Throughout the study, every attempt was made to design fees that reflected local characteristics and

concerns of Atlantans. For example, development in the downtown area or near MARTA stations were given a significant reduction in road impact fees because of their greater use of rapid transit and lesser reliance on roads. Through the concept of recoupment (being paid back for prior facility investments), excess park and public safety facility capacities allowed the waiver of impact fees for certain projects. An important advantage of the recoupment concept is that required fees can be waived for qualifying projects without reimbursing the impact fee account or they can be spent in areas not meeting benefit principles. Most Atlanta fee waivers were restricted to development in established enterprise zones