Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/344348
Bicyclists, pedestrians, babies in strollers and people in wheelchairs have reason to cele- brate. The Sarasota County Commission this week unanimously approved a city plan that authorizes the expenditure of road impact fees on something besides automobiles. The July 9 action caps a months-long effort by City Engineer Alex DavisShaw to create a "multi-modal impact fee" to replace the road impact fee paid by developers to buffer the cost of transportation improvements. DavisShaw gave a short presentation to the County Commission, outlining the advantages of the city's being able to use the funding for more than extra streets and wider ones. Of course, street improvements will still be pos- sible with the new funding scheme, but now the money can be used for "complete streets," with provisions for urban avenues featuring wide medians, as well as neighborhood thor- oughfares with plenty of space for bicyclists and wider sidewalks for baby strollers and wheelchair users. A slide provided to the County Commissions offers background on the road impact fee interlocal agreements. Image courtesy Sarasota County AN IMPACT FEE SWITCH THE COUNTY COMMISSION AGREES TO LET THE CITY COMMISSION SUBSTITUTE A 'MULTI-MODAL' MODEL FOR ONE FOCUSED ON ROADS By Stan Zimmerman City Editor