Tuesday, 29 June 2010 06:24

Supes Approve New Traffic Fee Category for Certain Fast-Food Locations

slide2-supes_approve_new_traffic_fee_category_for_certain_fast-food_locations.pngAmador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors heard an annual report last week on the Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee (RTMF) program and approved an amendment which will create a new fee category for fast food restaurants located within a shopping center or community. Charles Field, Executive Director of the Amador County Transportation Commission, said the report contains the results of “the RTMF oversight committee’s recommendations for program funding and other program implementation work for fiscal year 2009/10.” The issue of creating a new fast food fee category was originally raised last November, when the interests behind a Carl’s Jr. restaurant proposed for construction in the Martell Shopping Center submitted a letter to the Public Works department asking them to reconsider the existing method of determining traffic mitigation fees for such an establishment. Frank Oley of Oley & Associates, speaking on behalf of the restaurant, said current fee structures are “not consistent with actual traffic mitigation” and “this will place a heavy burden on all but the largest fast food traffic generators.” Roger Stuart of the Public Works Agency said Oley & Associates originally approached his agency with the restaurant proposal in the summer of 2008 when the traffic combined regional and local mitigation fees totaled around $144,000 total. Oley said there are a “number of reasons” traffic mitigation fees should be applied differently to Carl’s Jr. He said the business “won’t serve as many because the cost of the product is a little bit higher” and the business’ location within the shopping center means it would not have “immediate and direct access to a public roadway.” Oley said that under current standards, “it would take several years of non-profit just to pay the traffic impact fees.” Field said the resolution signed last Tuesday means the present one-time fee of $48,944 per 1000 square feet will go down to $18,240 per 1000 square feet for local fast food restaurants not adjacent to state highways. Supervisor Richard Forster said the decision eases the burden on some new businesses and has the support of local cities like Ione and Jackson. As stated in the resolution approved by the Board, the RTMF was established in October 2006 “for the purpose of collecting fees from new development to off-set the impacts of said new development upon the regional traffic circulation system.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.