Jacksonville builders seek extension of mobility fee moratorium

[spuwho]

Every developer who has a marginal plan to develop on the outer rim will make an attempt to get the mobility fee waived. Some may not want to deal with it, others will think its a waste of their time to design/build to it.

The key thing is that Council just has to stick to their guns on a few votes (there will be more than one) and the developers will finally fall in line. Some developers regionally may need some education on the value of mobility fees.

But be warned, if the council shows anymore wavering, then it will open the gates for more developers to twist arms and pretty soon the fee will become worthless.

Public will has to be asserted to make sure the Council responds appropriately.

[Kiva]

The "surprise" result from the JAX 2025 survey is that most people in Jacksonville want a vibrant downtown. The mobility fee encourages this. What is the problem with the city council? (Oh, apart from the donations from developers in the outer fringe).

[Ocklawaha]

What is the problem with the city council?

+ 1,000 CHA-CHING!

[Jumpinjack]

Every developer who has a marginal plan to develop on the outer rim will make an attempt to get the mobility fee waived. Some may not want to deal with it, others will think its a waste of their time to design/build to it....

Lakelander referred to this problem in another thread. Lake Ray, the builders association boot licker,  has a bill in the legislature right now - HB 319
Oh, yes, that same guy hoping to be the new head of JaxPort.

Alachua County which also has a mobility plan is on alert to oppose this bill. (BTW, Mr. Cunningham, Jacksonville also has one) Counties which have tried to counter the effects of bad policies and state cuts in funding could lose all their gains at the state legislature.

Cities and counties propose and the Legislature disposes

By Ron Cunningham
Special to The Sun
Published: Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11:03 p.m.

If Gainesville is where innovation is born, Tallahassee is where it goes to die.

Case in point: Last year the 1,000 Friends of Florida — an organization dedicated to promoting smart growth planning and sustainable public policies — gave Alachua County its "Better Community Award" for the county's new mobility plan.

Long story short, the plan implements regulations and fees intended to encourage development patterns that will facilitate alternative modes of transportation — transit, biking, walking — with the goal of lessening the community's auto-dependency.

"Alachua County is using a comprehensive approach to promote compact, sustainable development that supports a wide range of transportation alternatives," Charles Pattison, president and CEO of 1000 Friends, said at the time. "With its mobility plan, urban services area and multimodal transportation mitigation ordinance, Alachua County has taken a significant step to promote smarter growth."

Translation: You did good, Alachua County.

Last week came another communication from 1,000 Friends of Florida. With the Legislature soon to convene its annual session, the advocacy group has been keeping track of legislation that might impact, for good or ill, the ability of communities to adopt innovative approaches to growth management, like Alachua County's award winning mobility plan.

Sure enough it came across House Bill 319, by state Rep. Lake Ray, R-Duval. It seems that builders are worried that other cities and counties might follow Alachua's lead and adopt mobility plans of their own; which might in turn lead to new fees on builders. So Ray's bill would nip that sort of thing in the bud.

Only two counties, Alachua and Pasco, have adopted mobility programs so far. And 1,000 Friends warns "if this bill were to pass, their innovative programs would be prohibited in the future."

This is par for the course. If local governments can be fairly described as laboratories for innovative ideas, state legislatures tend to be innovation killers.

Lobbyists know that the quickest way to stop cities and counties from adopting ordinances and policies that special interest groups find objectionable is to get the Legislature to prohibit them.

That's why city and county commissions are forbidden by state law from adopting local gun control ordinances.

Ray's bill isn't the only innovation-killing legislation awaiting the 2013 session. This week the Florida Conservation Coalition — a statewide environmental watchdog group founded by former Gov. Bob Graham — put out an alert about Senate Bill 584, by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla.

Hays' bill would forbid any state agency, city or county from purchasing land for conservation purposes unless "an equal amount of public property not being held in conservation is returned or sold at fair market value to the private sector."

Voters in Alachua County, of course, have on two occasions agreed to tax themselves in order to buy conservation lands. If enacted, Hays' bill would impose some sort of weird buy-an-acre, sell-an-acre balancing act on any such future initiatives.

"The bill would end Florida Forever and curtail conservation land acquisition in Florida," warns the coalition.

Want more? The Alachua County Commission has been considering following the lead of Miami-Dade and Broward County in adopting a "wage theft" ordinance intended to protect workers from being short-changed by their employers.

Last year a bill prohibiting local governments from passing wage theft ordinances failed to pass. But lawmakers will certainly take another run at that prohibition again this year.

Because that's what they do in Tallahassee.

Cities and counties propose.

And the Legislature disposes.

Ron Cunningham is the former editorial page editor of The Sun.

[tufsu1]

And we keep forgetting:  There is already a waiver to the mobility fee.  Build within the guidelines.

umm...what guidelines are those?

[thelakelander]

^I think he's referring to the mobility fee credit adjustment system and building on sites that reduce the amount of new auto trips your project creates.  In the case of Krispy Kreme on Cassat, LA Fitness on University Boulevard and Mellow Mushroom in Avondale, they would not have had mobility fees because they were/are built on previously developed sites.

[tufsu1]

the reality is the only waiver of the fee is for some redevelopments...which was also in the prvious concurrency system, as it is required by state law.

what you were referring to are credits, which are based on things such as site design, mix of uses, proximity to transit, and composition of the surrounding area....a good development, even in the urban core, is still likely going to pay a mobility fee

[thelakelander]

DT is the only mobility zone where no mobility fee is charged. DT has its own TCEA.

[ChriswUfGator]

TUFSU, have you seen all of the available land downtown?

Are you under the impression that only a handful of developers, working within the design guidelines of commercial and residential development could create mobility fee free projects that would keep them busy for the next ten years?

You seem to be arguing that downtown is somehow exempt from development.

Are you?

Except for parking meters. lol

[tufsu1]

DT is the only mobility zone where no mobility fee is charged. DT has its own TCEA.

correct me if I'm wrong Lake, but in many cases, isn't the TCEA mitigation cost actually more than the mobility fee?

[spuwho]

Tony was complaining that if he had to pay the entire mobility fee for the entire development with just two tenants (Academy and LA Fitness) he would have to charge them huge rents to recover the expense because it wasn't fully leased.

His posture was "hey, help me work with these guys so I can make it work" otherwise they would have walked for cheaper space.

In other words he wasn't going to subsidize the fee for whole development but couldn't pass it on either. So he asked for relief.

But he also changed the name of the place from the Fountains to Atlantic North. Filled in the ponds where the "fountains" were going to be and now has them listed as outparcels.

There is a new store going up right now next to Academy.

[Traveller]

There is a new store going up right now next to Academy.

That's probably the new Earth Fare grocery store.

[Dog Walker]

He wants to develop a huge parcel then he needs to pay a huge mobility fee.  If it doesn't rent and fill up quickly then he has made a bad business plan.

Why should we buffer him from bad business plans?

[JeffreyS]

He is certainly free to develop only the sites he can rent. I don't need to subsidize any failed portions of his projects. I have my own bills.

[Gunnar]

Tony was complaining that if he had to pay the entire mobility fee for the entire development with just two tenants (Academy and LA Fitness) he would have to charge them huge rents to recover the expense because it wasn't fully leased.

That's called free market economy.