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Parkland Dedication Fees Amendment

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:18 pm
by Natasha Harper-Madison
One of the most important obligations we, as a municipality have, is to provide adequate public open space for the enjoyment and health of our residents, particularly the hundreds of thousands of Austinites who live in apartments and condominiums that don’t have the luxury of private yards.

At the same time, we must be mindful of ensuring that our pursuit of this important goal compliments and supports our housing priorities.

That’s why I intend to bring forward a budget amendment to address the proposed FY 2023 fee schedule for residential parkland dedication fees.
As you may know, these fees more than doubled last year. This year, they are set to double again. Even in our current red hot real estate market, I’m concerned that these increases are outpacing rising property values across Austin and could negatively impact housing projects already struggling with inflated construction costs, all of which will ultimately get passed on to renters and buyers.

That’s why I propose we maintain the current FY 2022 fee amount for the duration of FY 2023. Furthermore, to provide more predictability for home builders who are faced with the possibility of financially disruptive annual fee hikes during the multi-year process of navigating our existing development processes, my amendment would lock in fee rates at the time of site plan submittal.

Kind regards,
NHM

Re: Parkland Dedication Fees Amendment

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:37 pm
by Jose Chito Vela
CM Harper-Madison,

Thank you for offering this amendment, I support it. I share your concerns about the residential parkland dedication fee doubling every year and its impact on housing for Austin residents, especially renters. The HousingWorks report released in June shows that 25% of District 4 renters spend over 50% of their income on rent. Renters are seeing rent increases of hundreds of dollars a month. Parks are a critical part of Austin’s identity and quality of life, but the soon-to-be-discussed commercial parkland dedication fee could replace some of the lost revenue without affecting housing costs.

Chito