Fee increases for zoning applications and related services administered by the Rockbridge County Department of Community Development were approved July 27 by the Board of Supervisors and will take effect Sept. 1.
The schedule of fee changes for administration actions is as follows: Special exception permit, $300 to $425; rezoning/zoning map amendment, $300 plus $10 per acre to $400 plus $10 per acre; appeal of zoning administrative action, $150 to $350; variance, $200 to $300; zoning determination, new fee of $200; zoning ordinance amendment, $200 fee eliminated; boundary line adjustment, $50 to $75; subdivision up to 10 lots, $150 plus $25 per lot to $200 plus $25 per lot; subdivision, 11 to 20 lots, $150 plus $50 per lot to $200 per $50 per lot; subdivision, 21 or more lots, $150 plus $100 per lot to $200 plus $100 per lot; commercial site plan review, $150 plus $10 per acre to $200 plus $10 per acre.
Fees for commercial site plan reviews conducted by the Tourism Corridor Overlay Review Board are to increase from $150 plus $10 per acre to $200 plus $10 per acre. The fee schedule associated with telecommunications facilities was eliminated.
Supervisor Steve Hart raised objections to the fee increases. He said he viewed them as presenting a “barrier” to more houses and business development. He said he didn’t understand why the cost per lot for a subdivision goes up with the larger number of lots. He said he’d read where Henry County was waiving fees for building permits in order to encourage the building of more homes.
“I understand why we’re collecting the money but it’s also a barrier effect,” said Hart. “It puts an obstacle in the way of things we want. … If we raised the fees but reduced the number of times we had to collect them, that would make sense to me. But as someone who’s paid the fees recently I would not want to pay more of the fees.”
Leslie Ayers said that while she respects Hart’s opinion, she countered that the current fees don’t cover the county’s costs. She said she would rather the project developer pay the costs than “everybody in our community paying the costs.”
She made a motion to adopt the ordinance setting the new schedule of fees, as recommended by Chris Slaydon, the county’s director of community development. Bob Day seconded the motion, which passed 4-1, over Hart’s dissent. ...
