The calculation of impact fees is based on the estimated number of “trips” generated by building new projects (e.g., trips to the grocery store, trips to/from home). The most significant reason for the decrease in fees is that Dublin has built at a higher density than what was initially forecast. Higher density means more people will be generating more car trips. With fixed traffic costs and more people than expected, the cost per “trip” has been less than expected.

In addition to a 24% decrease in traffic impact fees for residential development near the east Dublin BART station, the developers for Avalon and Metropolitan lobbied hard for additional fee reductions based on their argument that there is less traffic on a per-person basis in transit centers because more people walk and take BART. No data was provided to support this assertion.

When it became apparent that the Council would not support an additional fee reduction for Avalon and Metropolitan without having hard data to look at, the Council chambers began to sound like the floor of the British House of Commons as the developers’ representatives began to chuckle and make sounds of disgust off-camera to show their disapproval to the Council.

At the end of their deliberation, the Council directed City Staff to conduct a study to evaluate whether or not further fee reductions are warranted for Avalon and Metropolitan. If further reductions are approved at the transit center, then the remaining developers in east Dublin will need to pay higher traffic impact fees for their projects to make up the difference.

Related posts:

1. Striking the Right Balance in Residential Density

I agree with the commenter that BMR units are best in the for-sale context. However, I think that impugning BMR residents wholesale is poor form indeed. I own a BRM unit. It’s what brought me to Dublin from the home I rented in Walnut Creek. It was a way to gain stability at a reasonable price, and the City sharply limits any prospect of me making a significant return on a sale within 55 years.

In the rental context, BMR apartments are often built all together in a single building. But in the inclusionary model, like at Avalon II, the affordable units are in the same building as much more expensive units. I believe that our community benefits much more from mixed-income developments than from setting aside those units in all-affordable apartments. I also strongly favor these programs as a way for cities to provide opportunity and stability in housing, which is not a simple trade commodity.

It is simply too easy to accuse BMR residents for problems in dense developments. And yet, when the rental markets dip, we see owners of market rate condos renting to anyone they can get. Each of us is responsible for creating the community we want to see. If I ignore drunks in my public park, I can expect more drunks in my public park. If I push those poorer than me way from me, I can never expect them to learn from me.

Obviously, this is about more than BMR alone. And now that that is off my chest, let’s build Dublin together.

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