Please make plans to attend our first HBAGK Governmental Affairs Committee meeting of the year on Thursday, May 18 at the Home Builders' office. If you have topics to discuss please forward them in advance of our meeting so we can include them on the agenda and make preparations if necessary.
Five City Council seats will turn over this fall and Town of Farragut is making a strong push for impact fees again. A new issue is in progress: MPC has proposed a sidewalk ordinance that will be very costly and detrimental to our industry. A draft is available online, below is a list of related notes:
The New Ordinance will require sidewalks in every subdivision regardless of size or location. The developer can pay $100 per linear foot of sidewalk as a Fee-in-Lieu as an option. The Fee-in-Lieu amount can be adjusted higher at the discretion of City or County Engineering Departments.
* Sidewalks will be required on both sides of the streets for all new streets constructed as minor arterials, major collectors or minor collectors.
* Sidewalks will be required along adjacent street frontages as well which means you may have to put sidewalks down Northshore, Wesltand or any other street that connects to your subdivision.
* New construction not related to a new subdivision will be required to install sidewalks along all adjacent streets and will be required to construct an internal pedestrian circulation system that directly connects to the public pedestrian infrastructure.
* Sidewalks will be required for all adjacent streets for any redevelopment. If sidewalks already exist but do not meet ADA standards or the Ordinance requirements will have to be torn out and reconstructed to meet these requirements.
* If the sidewalks in the right of way adjacent to the property being developed or redeveloped, but their width renders them substandard, they shall be reconstructed by the developer.
* The developer may be required to construct Transit Shelter Pads.
* No building permits will be issued until the sidewalks/pedestrian facilities have been constructed.
* The Fee-in-Lieu Option is extremely complicated and would take several months to review.
* The Fee-in-Lieu amount can be arbitrarily adjusted by the City or County. The funds paid into the Fee-in-Lieu account can be used for maintenance of other sidewalks and does not have to used to construct new sidewalks.
* Any appeal has to go to court and cannot be appealed to County Commission or City Council.