INC NEWS - INC resolution on impact fees

[kjj1 at duke.edu]

The board of Old West Durham Neighborhood Association has supported impact 
fees for a long time and would like to vote "yes" on the proposed 
resolution urging our legislative delegation in Raleigh to support 
legislation allowing Durham to collect impact fees. Given that new growth 
costs about $1.50 (for new schools, parks, police and fire services, and 
infrastructure development) for every dollar of increased tax revenue, 
impact fees seem like one clear way to make up the difference. And while 
the Homebuilders Association lobbyists have argued that impact fees will 
have a negative effect on construction and make home ownership 
unaffordable, their concerns have not proved to be true in the time Durham 
has been collecting the fees, as both new construction and sales of 
existing homes have continued to grow.

Kelly Jarrett
Vice President, Old West Durham