The College Station City Council is expected to debate impact fees later today Monday, November 22nd at the city council meeting. Impact fees are one-time upfront fees that the city charges a developer (someone who prepares land for or builds homes or businesses) for anticipated future capital improvements (roads, water lines, sewer lines, etc.). If you already live in College Station, you may not think this is important, but if you listen to the arguments for and against, you’ll soon realize that city council decisions have a profound impact on your daily life in Aggieland (think traffic, housing affordability, drinking water, and sewage). For this reason, we recommend attending the city council meeting or tuning in online. Before you do, we’ve got some resources you can watch or read to catch up on the arguments for and against impact fees.
Here’s a couple articles we recommend on impact fees:
- A Strong Towns article titled “Impact Fees Don’t Mean Development is Paying for Itself.” Author Daniel Herriges argues that impact fees are a distraction from the real problem—approving types of developments that cost more than they contribute to city revenue.
- The City of Waco, Texas has had similar discussions on impact fees, and even used the same consultants.
Local interviews
We interviewed two locals on their perspectives on impact fees in College Station. The first interview is with former homebuilder and founder of Stylecraft Builders Randy French. The second interview is with Fred Dupriest who is a professor of practice at Texas A&M University and former member of College Station Association of Neighborhoods. Thank you to both our guests!
