TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Direction on Citywide Mobility-Connectivity Study, Including the Mobility-Connectivity Plan and Mobility Impact Fee Rates
Recommended Action
Discussion and possible direction on Citywide Mobility-Connectivity Study, including the Mobility-Connectivity Plan and Mobility Impact Fee Rates.
Background Information
In Fiscal Year 2016, the City Commission gave direction to staff regarding Mobility Fees based on the following options:
1. Continue the implementation of the existing Transportation Impact Fee System;
2. Replace the Transportation Impact Fee System by opting into the Sarasota County Mobility Fee Plan and Fee Program, or;
3. Create an independent functionally equivalent Mobility Fee specific to the City of North Port.
The State of Florida through the Growth Management Act of 1985 required all local governments adopt Comprehensive Plans to guide future development. The Act mandated adequate public facilities must be provided “concurrent” with the impacts of new development. The introduction of concurrency focused on accommodating the impact of new development primarily by adding roadway capacity via new and wider roadways and had the unintended consequence of driving development away from urban areas where capacity was not available or cost prohibitive.
During the “boom” period that strained local governments’ ability to provide the necessary infrastructure, many communities across the State started to deny developments or require substantial transportation improvements to meet concurrency. This promoted the Florida Legislature to enhance laws requiring proportionate fair share that allowed new development to mitigate its share of roadway capacity improvements and prohibited local governments from charging new development for “backlogged” and “constrained” roadways.
In 2011 the Legislature repealed the mandated concurrency and enacted further restrictions on local governments to implement concurrency and calculate proportionate share. Finally, in 2013 the Legislature established Mobility Plans and Fees as a principle means for local governments to allow development consistent with an adopted Comprehensive Plan to equitably mitigate its transportation impact and fund multi-modal improvements. The intent of the Mobility Fee is to enact a streamlined, simplified mitigation mechanism process and allow greater flexibility in funding multi-modal transportation improvements. The adoption of a Mobility Fee would provide the City with an additional funding source for providing Mobility through a multimodal transportation system such as bike lanes, sidewalks, neighborhood bridge connectors over stormwater canals, and transit improvements. In addition, the implementation would allow an applicant to simply look up the uses that are proposed and calculate the required mitigation.
During the Road and Drainage District Governing Body Meeting held on January 28, 2020, the Commission approved Contract No. 2020-19 for Citywide Mobility-Connectivity and Mobility Fee Study to ESRP Corporation in the estimated amount of $294,488.70. The Department of Public Works staff has been working with ESRP to identify Mobility and connectivity options as well as Mobility fee options.
On June 7, 2021, there was a City Commission Workshop on June 7, 2021, to discuss the following topics:
1. Preliminary short, medium, and long-term solutions to Mobility and Connectivity within the City of North Port.
2. Options for transitioning from a Transportation Impact Fee to a Mobility Fee for new developments within the City.
On December 15, 2021, the Department of Public Works hosted an online Stakeholder meeting to discuss the proposed Mobility Fee Schedule that is being developed by the City of North Port.
On February 8, 2022, the Department of Public Works hosted a North Port Mobility and Connectivity Online Open House.
On March 08, 2022, the Department of Public Works presented the Citywide Mobility-Connectivity Study Final Rates to the Commission. There was consensus to bring this back as a Special Meeting at a later identified date.
Strategic Plan
Infrastructure
Affordability, Growth & Development
Maintained/Upgraded/Expanded City Infrastructure
Promote sustainable growth and development, while maintaining or enhancing qualify of life in our City.
Financial Impact
The financial impact is dependent on the direction of City Commission. Transitioning from a Transportation Impact Fee to a mobility fee will have technical considerations however, the flexibility of the revenues generated is a key issue driven by the community’s vision. Mobility fee revenue will provide flexibility to spend capital infrastructure revenues on more than just roads.
Opportunities to incentivize development that is the highest and best use would thereby increase the City’s overall tax base.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. North Port Mobility-Connectivity Plan Meeting
2. Facilitator Review Mobility Fee Meetings
3. North Port Mobility-Connectivity Plan Financing Meeting
Prepared by: Garrett Woods, Business Manager
Department Director: Chuck Speake, Interim Public Works Director