Indian Land takes a look at impact fees to pay for growth

As Fort Mill leaders look toward impact fees to help pay for growth, Indian Land is not far behind.

Robby Moody with Catawba Regional Council of Governments put a presentation before Lancaster County Council July 27. Moody outlined what the county can do to institute impact fees, or charges on new construction used to fund a variety of public services.

The proposal had research running through August, with a draft impact fee ordinance prepared in September and October. A November workshop and fine tuning in December would precede a formal adoption process beginning in January.

“It was sort of a preliminary thing,” said Councilman Brian Carnes, who represents one of Indian Land’s two Lancaster County Council districts. “The Council of Governments was pitching what they could do from a study standpoint.”

Carnes said Council hasn’t decided which public services it might look to help fund through impact fees. Nor does he know whether fees would be countywide or limited to areas like Indian Land.

“It’s to be determined, but I believe it would probably be in the higher growth areas,” Carnes said.

Impact fees are one tool for the Panhandle. Council already passed a nine-month moratorium on new rezonings in the area to allow planning staff to catch up with growth. Council approved a resolution July 27 in support of a petition effort for the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, which could result in enhanced service to the Indian Land and Pleasant Valley areas.

Petitioners need to collect signatures from at least 15 percent of registered voters there to put a special law enforcement tax district on a full ballot. If approved, each household would pay $75 per year to add more patrols, deputies and investigators to the fast-growing area.

The pace of growth is obvious in Indian Land. At the same July 27 meeting, agenda items included a rezoning and development agreement for 165 acres at Harrisburg and Barberville roads, a rezoning at Elven Drive and Calvin Hall Road to multi-family and another rezoning at 1033 Fort Mill Highway and 9838 Stock Lane to multifamily.

Another option for municipalities is to work funding into development agreements. The 165-acre project, Covington, will add up to 330 residential units. About a third of the property would be age-restricted residential.

In the agreement between developer and county, Sinacori Builders agreed to pay $330,000 for public safety, $165,000 to the county school district, up to $10,000 for extra county costs in creating the agreement and to donate two acres for a fire and EMS station.

Yet similar agreements may soon be impossible. The county is putting together a unified development ordinance in 2016 that likely will do away with planned development zoning in favor of mixed use. The move could limit or eliminate the ability of county staff to negotiate development agreements, in an effort to cut out zonings for specific properties.

“Those are all going to sort of go away,” Carnes said, “so we lose the opportunity to negotiate upfront payments for things.”

Council has a workshop set for Aug. 2 in Hilton Head, as part of a meeting among county governments. Impact fees were not on the list of about two dozen topics, but a capital needs list is. A capital improvements list is a required part of any new impact fee ordinance.

Carnes said he is watching the impact fee discussion in Fort Mill, where leaders are through one of two public hearings on a set of four fees. Fort Mill Town Council has not taken either of two needed votes to pass the fees. Carnes is concerned with the “very dampening effect” some fee uses, like transportation improvements, can have on new business.

“It can cost them a substantial amount of money,” Carnes said.

Carnes sees Indian Land and Fort Mill having similar issues with spillover growth from Charlotte. His county will continue looking for tools, whether they pass impact fees, to manage it.

“We’re looking at a mix,” Carnes said. “Obviously growth is very difficult to deal with.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Indian Land takes a look at impact fees to pay for growth."