Soon it could cost more to build in York County. But would a hike slow development?

Developing land could get more expensive in York County. But a price bump could just as likely speed up building as slow it, some officials say.

York County Council voted Monday night to move along an ordinance upping or adding fees for building, zoning and other planning matters throughout the development process. The move needs one more vote to be finalized. The new rules would begin Nov. 1.

Councilman William “Bump” Roddey, the only member to vote against the fee changes, asked if county staff had reached out to builders for input or to prepare them. No such meeting has taken place, he was told. Andy Merriman, assistant county manager, said it’s “a discussion that will be had.”

“One of the reasons we asked for a Nov. 1, 2017 start date is to get a lot of those ducks in a row, to kind of notify the development community that these things are coming,” he said. “To allow staff to change forms, our software on the computers.”

Permit fees for building and codes, along with review and re-review fees for stormwater and environmental compliance would increase. New fees include revisions to approved plans, flood zone determinations, re-inspections for stabilization.

Another new fee involves reviews for traffic impact analysis work. Hydrant flow tests would involve a new fee, too.

Some changes are relatively small. Revising an approved plan would cost $25-$300 depending on the size of a project. Other changes only seem small. But a dollar difference could, on some larger projects, add up quickly.

Take a building permit on a $1 million construction project. A $500 base cost increase and a dollar more for every $1,000 beyond the $500,000 mark would mean, total, an extra $1,000 compared to current rates. Add in potential stormwater, traffic analysis, site review and similar changes and the cost escalates.

The fee changes are not necessarily an effort to slow or restrict development. Changes are meant to offset the cost of county planning required by development.

“I remember the Council saying that we wanted to see that some of the fees pay for the services, that they pay for themselves,” said Councilman Chad Williams.

Roddey said increased revenue and improved service could lead to projects moving quicker through the system.

“One thing that I’ve been hearing a lot of is, if we’re going to increase fees, is that going to mean better service?” Roddey said. “Getting out doing inspections, taking care of some of the things that they’ve been having issues with, with lag time on inspections or getting things approved.”

In budgeting for the current year, Council added a staff member to its planning and development team with an eye toward the development occurring in York County.

“They added a staff member in planning and development with the understanding that there will probably be increase in permit fees either through the growth in development in the area, or if we needed to increase in some areas to be more competitive with surrounding areas,” Merriman said.

Changes, either for developers or county staff, shouldn’t come as too great a surprise.

“The understanding has been this is coming,” Merriman said.

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Soon it could cost more to build in York County. But would a hike slow development?."