Phoenix, Arizona

Policy Evaluation and Roads and Parks Impact Fee Study
   

For the City of Phoenix, Duncan Associates is conducting a two-phase study. The first phase consists of a comprehensive evaluation of the impact fee system. The second phase consists of an update of the major roads and bridges, park and trails and open space impact fees. While the focus of the policy evaluation is on the impact fees that will be updated in the second phase of this project, many of the issues addressed in the study have broader implications. The City first established its development impact fee program in 1988. The system is complex, with 11 different types of fees that vary between

service areas (ranging from one service area for open space fees to 12 service areas for wastewater fees), resulting in a potential combination of 42 different fee schedules. It also lacks transparency, since the City does not publish fee schedules except for single-family development. One would need to acquire the EDU multipliers from the ordinance, the costs per EDU for the facility and service area in question from the Infrastructure Financing Plan and the offsets by type of facility and land use from the Offsets Report, in order to calculate fees for other land uses. Our prliminary recommendations focus on simplifying the system and making it more transparent for the public.