FISCAL IMPACT:
All costs will be paid from the North Richmond AOB fund, pursuant to Government Code section 66018, subdivision (b).
BACKGROUND:
The Countywide Area of Benefit was first adopted by the Board of Supervisors on March 15, 1988, to improve the capacity and safety of the arterial road network in unincorporated Contra Costa County through the establishment of a traffic mitigation fee. The Countywide Area of Benefit was initially divided into seven regions. On January 11, 1994, the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 94-3 to establish the North Richmond Area of Benefit (“North Richmond AOB”), and to establish transportation mitigation fees to be imposed on new development within the AOB, to improve capacity and safety of the arterial road network in the unincorporated area of North Richmond.
Since Ordinance No. 94-3 was adopted, the North Richmond AOB fee revenues have funded construction projects that have mitigated traffic demands, and have improved transportation safety, within the North Richmond AOB.
In recent years, the development potential and traffic circulation needs have changed within the North Richmond AOB. County staff and consultants have identified transportation improvements that are necessary to serve transportation demands within the North Richmond AOB through 2040, including transportation demands attributable to new development. To ensure that new development pays its proportional share of the cost of these transportation improvements, the Board will need to hold a hearing to consider adopting an ordinance to adjust the existing transportation mitigation fees imposed on new development within the North Richmond AOB. This board order fixes the hearing on September 26, 2017, at 9:00 a.m., and directs staff to publish, post, and provide notice of the hearing, as required by the applicable Government Code statutes and the applicable provisions of the Ordinance Code.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If a public hearing is not set, and notice is not given, as recommended, the Board could not adopt an ordinance to adjust the transportation mitigation fees imposed on new development within the North Richmond AOB. Fees could continue to be imposed under Ordinance No. 94-3. However, fee revenue could not be used to pay the costs to construct the new transportation improvement projects that the Public Works Department has determined are needed to satisfy traffic demands from development within the North Richmond AOB through 2040.