Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
19.3.5 Who Pays for Development?
New development projects are charged impact fees to cover pact fees to cover the
municipal cost of urban infrastructure and city services such as water, sewer, roads, etc.
Although the cost to the builder may be significant, the actual cost to the municipality
may exceed the money received in impact fees for the development when you consider
all of the indirect costs of development. As more and more areas get developed, the
city takes on a larger burden to provide police and fire protection, libraries, hospitals,
schools, parks, and recreational facilities for its residents. These costs are added to the
general operating budget of the city, and all residents end up contributing indirectly
to the cost of providing services to new developments. Developers oppose impact
fees for new development projects, arguing it hinders growth and puts constraints on
development projects. These fees are customarily passed on to the buyer of the new
home or property. Can development support itself without a subsidy from other parts
of the city budget or should the residents assume that it will take money to grow and
develop? (Figure 19.3).
19.3.6 Knitting Nature into Development
The old way of developing in the desert was to scrape the land of all of its natural
components and replace it with a completely foreign landscape, often reminiscent of other
regions of the country. The new way of developing responsibly involves leaving parts
of nature that serves the ecology of the place intact, while developing the site to fit the
future project. The use of carefully chosen desert-adapted plants in the landscape design
can provide beauty, color, and functionality to the property. Concerned residents should
consult with a qualified landscape designer during the development of a landscape plan
on the selection of plants that are adapted to desert environments. Plants from desert
regions require less water, care, and maintenance and can add striking features to the
landscape (Figure 19.4).
FIGURE 19.3
Will this desert development pay for its impacts to the community?
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