This is the letter that I sent to Council ahead of that vote. It addresses some of the issues discussed here.
Dear College Station City Council,
Impact fees provide an interesting dilemma for you. This issue shines a rather bright light on the influence of the development community in our local governance. The development community invests heavily in our local elections. And why shouldn't they? The City Council makes many decisions on issues, like impact fees, that influence their businesses.
Often the singular focus of the influence of the development community flies under the radar, cloaked in the cape of being business friendly. But this issue leaves you standing alone with no cape. The development community is the only beneficiary of this rather large government handout.
Development that necessitates increased infrastructure needs to pay these costs of its business. Otherwise, those costs fall to the citizens in the form of increased taxes. As development pushes out into new areas it requires roads, sewer, water, and emergency services. Those who do not live at these new distances from the core of the city have already paid for the infrastructure that supports them. Why should they now have to foot the bill for infrastructure that does not even serve them?
Some will say that all will benefit from increased economic activity. But that just does not bear out. Uncontrolled development reduces economic viability. Controlled development does not mean reduced amounts of development, it simply means that there is a plan for development, which, ironically, most often increases development and stabilizes it over time.
Well planned cities attract companies that provide higher paying jobs. When infrastructure follows development at the whim of land prices, developers are incentivized to leapfrog to cheaper land. This type of development increases the cost of new infrastructure and the cost of emergency services that must cover more distance to serve a spread-out population.
When good urban planning organizes development in more concentric patterns, costs are lowered and opportunities, including development opportunities, are increased. There are also other quality of life benefits such as walkable cities, reduced travel times and less traffic that are gained.
College Station has acknowledged that Texas A&M is its biggest asset. Zero impact fees work to diminish our ability to capitalize on this wonderful advantage. Businesses are drawn to universities surrounded by walkable, desirable cities, not cities that have increased taxes and sprawl development.
Impact fees provide a win-win opportunity for College Station. Make no doubt about it, a vote against impact fees is a clear vote for increased taxes and lower quality of life in College Station.