What the heck with the infrastructure of the Roads!!!

[AnsleyPark]

Go drive in places like Boston. My favorite city but the roads are hell.

[InternationalWaves]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Go drive in places like Boston. My favorite city but the roads are hell.

Lol I'm not disagreeing.Philadelphia even New York are awful for the most (DC roads are actually fairly nice and pretty) But those cities have much older infrastructure too and much higher snow precipitation!


My plan? Let's make liable or how can I put it. Let's make a bundle deal lol where any developer will have to repave nicely in part..(lamps and gardens not necessary but can help!) the streets or say a portion around the property they building which by in the process of building it many of the same of their trucks was the ones who destroyed what we the citizens have paid for to enjoy and for the sake of those future new residents and or patrons!
Want to gentrify? Well give back to the people! (Sarcasm)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by InternationalWaves

Lol I'm not disagreeing.Philadelphia even New York are awful for the most (DC roads are actually fairly nice and pretty) But those cities have much older infrastructure too and much higher snow precipitation!


My plan? Let's make liable or how can I put it. Let's make a bundle deal lol where any developer will have to repave nicely in part..(lamps and gardens not necessary but can help!) the streets or say a portion around the property they building which by in the process of building it many of the same of their trucks was the ones who destroyed what we the citizens have paid for to enjoy and for the sake of those future new residents and or patrons!
Want to gentrify? Well give back to the people! (Sarcasm)

It's called impact fees and in the CoA those fees go into the General Funds, not a separate fund for these types projects. Many of the higher density zoning requires the street frontage to be changed, wider sidewalks, street trees, decorative lamps, furniture zone.

[ecuresident]

This comes up every few years, and was one of Mayor Kasim Reeds goals- improve city streets. I remember him saying there are multimillion dollar homes on Paces Ferry and potholes all over the place on that road. The main problem they were facing is the city didnt have much money for the roads- the gas tax had most of the money going to federal roads- aka you see the highways getting paved every few years when they dont really need it, and the rest of the money went into a general fund. There was finally an extra 1% tax passed this year I believe with more money allocated to local roads.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

It's called impact fees and in the CoA those fees go into the General Funds, not a separate fund for these types projects. Many of the higher density zoning requires the street frontage to be changed, wider sidewalks, street trees, decorative lamps, furniture zone.

Therein lies a problem.

State law says:

http://www.dca.state.ga.us/developme...s.Etc/DIFA.pdf

§ 36-71-8. Deposit and expenditure of fees; annual report

(a) An ordinance imposing development impact fees shall provide that all development impact fee funds shall be maintained in one or more interest-bearing accounts. Accounting records shall be maintained for each category of system improvements and the service area in which the fees are collected. Interest earned on development impact fees shall be considered funds of the account on which it is earned and shall be subject to all restrictions placed on the use of development impact fees under the provisions of this chapter. The accounting records shall include the following information:

(1) The accounting records to be maintained shall specify the address of each property which paid
development impact fees, the amount of fees paid in each category in which fees were collected, and the
date that such fees were paid; and

(2) As to any exemptions granted, the accounting records to be maintained shall specify the address of
each property for which exemptions were granted, the reason for which such exemption was granted, and
the revenue source from which the exempt development's proportionate share of the system
improvements is to be paid.

(b) Expenditures of development impact fees shall be made only for the category of system improvements
and in the service area for which the development impact fee was imposed as shown by the capital
improvements element and as authorized by this chapter. Development impact fees shall not be used to
pay for any purpose that does not involve system improvements that create additional service available to
serve new growth and development.

(c) (1) Development impact fees, collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic
signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways, shall be expended to fund, in
whole or in part, system improvement projects:

(A) That have been identified in the capital improvements element of the municipality's
comprehensive development plan; and

(B) That are chosen by a municipality after consideration of the following factors:

(i) The proximity of the proposed system improvements to developments within the service area
which have generated development impact fees collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of
way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways; and

(ii) The proposed system improvements which will have the greatest effect on level of service for
roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of
state or federal highways impacted by the developments which have paid such impact fees.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Therein lies a problem.

State law says:

http://www.dca.state.ga.us/developme...s.Etc/DIFA.pdf

§ 36-71-8. Deposit and expenditure of fees; annual report

(a) An ordinance imposing development impact fees shall provide that all development impact fee funds shall be maintained in one or more interest-bearing accounts. Accounting records shall be maintained for each category of system improvements and the service area in which the fees are collected. Interest earned on development impact fees shall be considered funds of the account on which it is earned and shall be subject to all restrictions placed on the use of development impact fees under the provisions of this chapter. The accounting records shall include the following information:

(1) The accounting records to be maintained shall specify the address of each property which paid
development impact fees, the amount of fees paid in each category in which fees were collected, and the
date that such fees were paid; and

(2) As to any exemptions granted, the accounting records to be maintained shall specify the address of
each property for which exemptions were granted, the reason for which such exemption was granted, and
the revenue source from which the exempt development's proportionate share of the system
improvements is to be paid.

(b) Expenditures of development impact fees shall be made only for the category of system improvements
and in the service area for which the development impact fee was imposed as shown by the capital
improvements element and as authorized by this chapter. Development impact fees shall not be used to
pay for any purpose that does not involve system improvements that create additional service available to
serve new growth and development.

(c) (1) Development impact fees, collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic
signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways, shall be expended to fund, in
whole or in part, system improvement projects:

(A) That have been identified in the capital improvements element of the municipality's
comprehensive development plan; and

(B) That are chosen by a municipality after consideration of the following factors:

(i) The proximity of the proposed system improvements to developments within the service area
which have generated development impact fees collected for roads, streets, bridges, including rights of
way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of state or federal highways; and

(ii) The proposed system improvements which will have the greatest effect on level of service for
roads, streets, bridges, including rights of way, traffic signals, landscaping, or any local components of
state or federal highways impacted by the developments which have paid such impact fees.

Which is why we need a mayor who will dive into the General Fund and get away from that model. I did hear Mary Norwood talk about this exact issue at a Sunday Meet and Greet.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Which is why we need a mayor who will dive into the General Fund and get away from that model. I did hear Mary Norwood talk about this exact issue at a Sunday Meet and Greet.

It's been a thorn in the side of Atlanta politics for many years. The whole concept of development impact fees is to, well, alleviate the impact of developments.

Instead the city treats them as more dollars to toss into the general fund and spend as it it sees fit.

Large areas of the city were exempt from impact fees, although they often received them. Areas that paid in often got little or no return.

[InternationalWaves]

http://www.threadatl.org/2017/08/04/...about-streets/

Perhaps the state is to blame more than the city. Great article!

[Georgiafrog]

I just got home from a 9500 mile road-trip across the US. I'm loving this sweet southern blacktop.

[InternationalWaves]

Originally Posted by georgiafrog

i just got home from a 9500 mile road-trip across the us. I'm loving this sweet southern blacktop.

Lol Welcome back home!