Sierra Club Bucks County Group
Meetings at Churchville Nature CenterEvery 2nd Thursday - 7 PM to 9 PM
Directions: ChurchvilleNatureCenter.org
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CommentaryPlease Note: In keeping with Sierra Club policy, this website does not endorse candidates for Sierra Club office on the Group, Chapter, or National level. This website is a forum for policy discussion and debate among those truly concerned with protection of the environment. Opinions expressed herein are those of their authors and may or may not reflect Sierra Club policy.Rep. Scott Petri 178th District Pennsylvania House of Representatives (215) 364-3414 (717) 787-9033 www.reppetri.com Contact: Jennifer J. Algoe House Republican Communications (717) 787-3993 www.pahousegop.com GUEST OPINION December 18, 2003 Impact Fees Should be a Part of PA's Future By Rep. Scott Petri (R-Bucks) A recent report from the Brookings Institute concluded that Pennsylvania has many weaknesses, in terms of the challenges created by suburban sprawl. According to the report, half a million people moved to suburban townships in the past 15 years, thereby increasing the demand for public services. The Brookings report summarizes that the rapid consumption of land continues despite slow growth in population. According to the report, from 1982 to 1997, the state consumed land at a rate equivalent to 209 acres a day, or nine acres an hour. The report also noted that "during the 1990s, Pennsylvanians built 546,000 new housing units, even though the state generated just 281,000 new households. In effect, Pennsylvanians constructed nearly two housing unit for every one new household." On December 12th, the Bucks County Courier Times wrote an editorial suggesting that lawmakers read the study. I both read the report cover-to-cover and analyzed its content. I see our duty in the state Legislature as providing our municipalities with the tools they need to manage growth effectively and responsibly. Pennsylvania is a Commonwealth, with our roots based in primary control being granted to our local communities. The state provides the tools, and often the funding, to address our local needs. The state's oversight for land use issues for suburban and rural counties are issues contained in the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC). As a first-term lawmaker from Bucks County, I have offered a bill which benefits suburban communities and our cities by amending the MPC, dissuading the unfettered development of farm ground, and thereby encouraging the re-use of property. Through a series of risks and rewards, the state can provide the necessary vision for our future. Here there is a benefit common to our cities and to rapidly growing suburban communities. Legislation I have sponsored regarding impact fees (HB 1061)- charges used to help offset the financial impacts caused by new housing or commercial development helps address this. For instance, the fees which would only be imposed by municipalities choosing to do so are used to help schools meet the increased cost of educating more students, providing more police, fire protection, emergency management services, parks, recreation, training and road improvements. House Bill 1061 removes the cost of infrastructure from existing taxpayers, and in doing so encourages redevelopment and enhances education in our local schools. Both of these are important goals. I also support pending legislation which provides tax credits to those who re-develop blighted areas. The report asserts that Pennsylvania lacks vision. I believe that the timely implementation of impact fees is part of my vision, and the vision of many of my colleagues, to responsibly manage growth. We do not need to "invent the wheel" to implement impact fees. Other states, such as Florida, California, Arizona, Colorado and Rhode Island, to name a few, use impact fees to manage their growth, reduce property taxes, and encourage the redevelopment of brownfields and other abandoned sites. We can adapt concepts from these other states, to address many of the problems identified in the study. All of our service personnel, such as police officers, school administrators, teachers, municipal employees and emergency management personnel, and our cities and taxpayers would benefit from impact fees. In the end, the only group that does not benefit from impact fees are the large home developers who under my legislation incur more of the expense of building new infrastructure. Such a fee would not apply to those areas that are redeveloped. House Bill 1061 does not solve all the problems identified in the report, but it does provide a solution to a number of significant and long-standing problems. In particular, it does address the cost of urban decay, fragmentation of our established neighborhoods, and suburban sprawl. This is only part of a vision that will make Pennsylvania an even better place to live, work and raise our families in the coming years. # # # JJA/jab Up to Top |