"Development Impact Fees and the Acquisition of Infrastructure".

• Author: Blom, Barry

Clarke, Wes and Evans, Jennifer

Journal of Urban Affairs, Volume 21, Number 3, pp. 281-288.

This article examines how the use of development impact fees by cities affects capital acquisition by local governments. Development projects initiated by builders and developers increase demand for water and sewer systems, streets, parks, and various other infrastructure. An increasing number of cities have begun using development impact fees--fees imposed on builders and developers--to recover a portion of the costs generated by this increased demand, rather than passing these costs onto existing property owners. The question the article seeks to answer is whether the use of development impact fees reduces capital acquisitions. To answer this question, the authors surveyed 350...