Economic Development Committee
Regular MeetingPortland, ME · October 16, 2018
Agenda
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
DATE: October 16, 2018 (Tuesday)
TIME: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Room 209
Portland City Hall
1. Review and accept Minutes of previous meeting held on October 2, 2018.
2. Public Hearing and Possible Vote to Recommend to the City Council a proposed
Impact Fee Schedule and Draft Ordinance.
a. See enclosed memo and backup material from Jeff Levine.
3. Public Hearing and vote to Recommend to the City Council proposed Purchase and
Sale Agreement to sell a vacant land-locked City-owned property adjacent to the
Maine Turnpike.
a. See enclosed memo and backup material from Greg Mitchell.
NOTE: Pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. 405(6)(C), the Committee may go into executive session to
discuss negotiations for the sale of this real estate.
4. Discuss City staff recommendation to proceed with issuing a Request for Proposal to
conduct a feasibility and marketing analysis to support a Portland convention center.
a. See enclosed memo and backup material from Greg Mitchell.
5. Discuss future November EDC meeting dates.
6. Executive Session: Pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. 405(6)(C), the Committee will go into executive
session to provide staff guidance related to the following:
a. Negotiations on the proposed Casco Bay Island Transit District Amended and Restated
Lease – verbal update on negotiations to date.
Councilor Justin Costa/Chair
NOTE: No public comment will be taken on non-action items.
CITY OF PORTLAND/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPT./389 CONGRESS ST./PORTLAND, ME 04101/(207) 874-8683
Minutes
Economic Development Committee
October 2, 2018
NOTE: These meetings are now live-streamed, which can be viewed at this link:
http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1695/Economic-Development-Committee These
Minutes provide a record of those in attendance, general discussion taking place, and
motions made.
A meeting of the Economic Development Committee (EDC) of the Portland City
Council was held on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 209 of Portland
City Hall. Present from the Committee was its Chair Councilor Justin Costa and members
Councilors Nicholas Mavodones and Spencer Thibodeau. Present from the City staff were
Senior Planner Nell Donaldson, Parks, Recreation and Facilities Deputy Director Ethan
Hipple, City Manager Jon Jennings, Planning and Urban Development Director Jeff Levine,
Economic Development Director Greg Mitchell, Finance Director Brendan O’Connell, and
Senior Executive Assistant Lori Paulette.
Item #1: Review and accept Minutes of previous meeting held on September 18,
2018.
On motion made by Councilor Mavodones, seconded by Councilor Thibodeau, the
Committee voted unanimously to accept the Minutes as presented.
Item #2: Public hearing and Vote to recommend to the Planning Board and City
Council a proposed Impact Fee Schedule and Draft Ordinance.
Ms. Donaldson said that this Committee was updated at its last meeting, which was
followed by a City Council workshop. The proposed final draft of the Impact Fee Schedule
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and Draft Ordinance are in the packet. This is as directed by Portland’s Comprehensive Plan,
planning for sustainable growth. Historically, impact fees have not been covering all
mitigating factors in developments. Impact Fees (IF) are for new development, with fees to be
applied to transit, wastewater, and parks and recreation. The proposed IFs would provide for
equity, predictability, and efficiency for both City staff and the development community. She
provided a brief background of getting to this point, working with the City’s consultant
Tischler Bise and the stakeholder group. Collier’s has since looked at this product before the
Committee today and provided feedback to the City that these IFs will have very little impact
on development, and there are reductions for affordable housing development. The proposed
Ordinance is based on State statute and best practices both here in Maine and across the states
and establishes who pays them, how calculated, credits for existing use on site, and accounting
of fees. The ordinance also provides for modification of IFs by either the Planning Board or
Planning Authority, depending on the development size.
Ms. Donaldson also noted that past public comments are in the Committee packet, with
none having been received after the September 24, 2018, City Council workshop.
Mr. Levine added that the Planning Board, at its October 9 meeting, will have a public
hearing and possible vote to recommend this to the City Council.
Mr. Jennings thanked the Planning staff, consultant, and the stakeholders. This has
been a priority of his and critically important to move forward for this to be applied equally to
the development community.
Councilor Thibodeau asked for clarification on why parking garages do not pay impact
fees, and Ms. Donaldson indicated that those garages do not generate their own trips. Those
trips are caused by other development factors. She also noted that during the development
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review process, there will still be parking requirements and traffic demand management
studies, the latter for larger development projects.
Chair Costa noted that the City provides their share for infrastructure, which can be
matched with State and Federal funds. Mr. Levine said that that has been factored in. If grants
exceed estimates factored in, adjustments will be made.
Chair Costa asked about timing, and Mr. Levine said the Planning Board will review
and hold a public hearing October 9th. If there is a vote to send it to the City Council, he
anticipates a first reading on November 5 and second reading and vote on November 19.
Councilor Mavodones suggested that this be tabled to the October 16 EDC meeting for
an update from the Planning Board public hearing; Councilor Thibodeau agreed.
Mr. Jennings said that if this comes back here on 10/16, it could still be on the
Council’s November agenda for first and second reading and vote noted previously.
Chair Costa opened the meeting for public comment and there was none.
Committee consensus was to table this item to the October 16 EDC meeting.
Item #3: Public Hearing and Vote to Recommend to City Council proposed
Portland Policy for Non-Profit Organizations Payment-in-Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) or
Services-in-Lieu of Taxes (SILOT).
Councilor Thibodeau noted that draft PILOT policies have been to this Committee
before. His employer, however, will be involved with this. Therefore, after talking with
Corporation Counsel, there is agreement that there is an appearance of a conflict of interest so
will be recusing himself on this topic. He thanked staff for their work on this and then left the
meeting.
Mr. O’Connell said that in 2016 this was a Council Goal for a PILOT policy and still
remains a goal. In 2017 a proposed Policy was presented, and then brought back early this
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Summer and staff received more feedback at that time. Mr. O’Connell said that of Portland’s
total valuation, 21% is tax exempt which is on the high side. He noted he has heard concerns
from non-profits, particularly that the PILOT would defer funds away from their core mission
of services. However, this PILOT would be completely voluntary, and the first $2 Million of
value would be exempt from a non-profit valuation. He then discussed the Services in Lieu of
Taxes (SILOT) credit to recognize the services non-profits provide and gave an example.
Councilor Mavodones asked about process and outreach so far. Mr. O’Connell said
that he has talked with various non-profits but it has been a limited outreach.
Chair Costa noted that the Committee may or not vote on this today. The proposed
PILOT policy is entirely voluntary and meant to be a framework for staff’s use. He then
opened the meeting for public comment.
Jennifer Burns Gray, Director of Advocacy and Public Relations for the Maine
Association of Nonprofits (MANP), said that MANP is opposed the proposed policy, noting
that it represents over 900 nonprofits. Non-profits provide essential services, and this would
have impacts on their ability to provide those services. Please see attached for MANP’s
statement.
Gloria Summer of the Park Danforth echoed Ms. Gray’s comments. Park Danforth has
always paid a PILOT - up to $100,000 annually. Park Danforth provides services to the
elderly, including housing and meals. Although the proposed policy is voluntary, she feels it is
strongly encouraged and it would have impacts on total services provided.
James Dowd, CFO of the YMCA, also said that the YMCA is opposed to this policy.
Such a policy would impact the Y’s ability to provide services to the most vulnerable in the
community. Please see attached statement to the Committee.
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Dana Totman, President of Avesta Housing, said that he does not support the proposed
policy and would like more choices for non-profits.
Matthew, representing Maine Medical Center, noted that MMC had submitted
comments in a letter from President and CEO Richard Petersen and if there are questions or
any need for assistance, MMC would be standing by.
Jim Cohen, representing UNE, said that UNE is not supportive of the proposed policy.
Please see attached comments made to the Committee.
Seeing no further comments, Chair Costa closed the public comment session.
Councilor Mavodones suggested that now is not the time to take action. The intent, as
stated, would be voluntary and would help offset some of the City services. It was also an
attempt for staff and the non-profit community to have something formal and predictable.
He suggested deferring this until further outreach is done.
Chair Costa agreed, noting that this does not question what non-profits provide to the
community. There is a value to formalize a voluntary policy, both for staff and the non-profit
community, for consistency.
Mr. Jennings said that this would lessen the impact on Portland taxpayers for capital
infrastructure. He also noted that he has had conversations with MMC and others but will do
more outreach and come back to the committee in the new year.
Chair Costa thanked everyone for coming, and the meeting then adjourned at 6:53 p.m.
Respectfully, Lori Paulette
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MEMORANDUM
PLANNING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
PLANNING DIVISION
To: Economic Development Committee
From: Jeff Levine, Director, Department of Planning & Urban Development
Date: October 12, 2018
Re: Proposed Impact Fee Ordinance and Amendments to Division 30 of the Land Use Code
Meeting Date: October 16, 2018
I. INTRODUCTION
Portland’s Plan, the City’s comprehensive plan, lays a strong foundation for future growth in the city over the next ten
years. The plan speaks to where and how growth should occur and suggests mechanisms for funding growth-related
improvements. Among these recommendations, Portland’s Plan proposes impact fees – one-time fees charged to
development to pay for the infrastructure necessary to accommodate that development. Perceived through this lens,
impact fees are fundamentally about planning for smart and sustainable growth in the city – a way to help ensure that
there is adequate park, recreation facility, and trail capacity; multi-modal transportation capacity; and wastewater
capacity to allow the city to grow as envisioned in Portland’s Plan.
The City’s Planning Division, with the assistance of the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks,
Recreation, and Facilities, began the process of exploring a city-wide system of impact fees in the late winter of this
year. In the time since, the Impact Fee Study has produced both draft fees and a draft ordinance, which have been
shared and revised over multiple iterations. Altogether, the Impact Fee Study has been reviewed at two meetings of
an informal stakeholder group convened for the study (see list of members in Attachment 1), three workshops of the
Economic Development Committee, two workshops of the Planning Board, and one workshop of the City Council.
Most recently on October 9, 2018, the Planning Board held a public hearing to review the final draft impact fee
ordinance. At that hearing, the Board voted unanimously to find the ordinance consistent with the City’s
comprehensive plan and recommend adoption to the City Council.
2. FEE SCHEDULE
On September 18, the Planning Division, with its consultant, TischlerBise, presented a draft set of parks and recreation,
transportation, and wastewater impact fee calculations to the Economic Development Committee. These fee
calculations were based on an analysis of projected growth and the cost of infrastructure improvements necessary to
accommodate that growth. As of October 3, TischlerBise has documented the methodology and assumptions for all
fee calculations in a final draft report for the Impact Fee Study (Attachment 2).
It should be noted that these fees represent the second formal draft of the impact fee calculations, as the initial fee
calculations, prepared in July, were revised based on feedback from the study’s stakeholder group. It should also be
noted that, in addition to gathering feedback on the second draft fee calculations from the Economic Development
Committee, Planning Board, and City Council in late September, staff has shared the calculations with the stakeholder
group and offered to meet with members of the group to review and discuss. No formal written comments on the
revised fees were received from the stakeholder group.
Economic Development Committee,10/16/18 Proposed Impact Fee Ordinance
WHAT ARE IMPACT FEES?
What are impact fees?
Impact fees are charges paid by new development to fund the cost of providing municipal facilities to serve that
development. This idea is premised on the concept that when development occurs, it can bring many benefits, but it also
affects the existing infrastructure around it by adding more cars, bikes, and pedestrians to the streets, increasing sewer and
stormwater flows into City systems, and infusing additional visitors into the City’s parks and open spaces. In turn, these
facilities require additional capital investment to provide sufficient capacity to accommodate new growth. As a result of this
thinking, impact fees are widely used throughout the United States. Impact fees have been used in some communities in
the United States for the past 50+ years.
Where are impact fees?
Although impact fees are particularly common in U.S. states that have experienced rapid population growth in the west and
south, they are found in the majority of states nationwide. Concord and Manchester, NH have impact fees, as does
Burlington, VT. In Maine, the legislature laid the foundation for impact fees with the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use
Regulation Act of 1987. In the time since, communities across the state, mostly in southern Maine, have developed and
implemented impact fee ordinances.
How may impact fees be used?
The uses of impact fees vary widely, depending on state enabling legislation, but in all cases impact fees may only be used
on capital projects to construct, expand, or replace infrastructure required to serve new development. In Maine,
impact fees may be used for transportation projects, public safety facilities, sewer and water systems, parks and open space,
and school improvements. Impact fees may not be used to pay for operations or maintenance, and may not be used
to address existing deficiencies in these systems.
How are impact fees generally derived?
Regardless of where impact fees are used, courts have established that there must be a rational nexus and rough
proportionality between the type and scale of development and the fee imposed. Per guidance from the former Maine
State Planning Office, “the expansion of the facility and/or service must be necessary and must be caused by the
development; the fees charged must be based on the costs of the new facility/service apportioned to the new development;
and the fees must benefit those who pay.” Given these standards, in order for impact fees to be charged, a community
must conduct an analysis that identifies growth-related infrastructure costs and apportions those costs to projected
development, often by development type, on a square foot, unit, or per trip basis.
At the workshops in late September, staff received a number of questions and comments on the proposed second
draft fees. These included the following:
A. How do the fees proposed in the ordinance relate to the ‘true’ cost of growth?
As discussed above, an original set of maximum defensible fee calculations was developed in the early
summer of this year, based on estimated replacement costs and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) requests,
with the assistance of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities and DPW staff. The first draft fees were subsequently
shared with the Impact Fee Study stakeholder group in late July. As a product of feedback from this group,
staff, working with the consultant, made several modifications to the calculations’ underlying assumptions.
Some of these were necessary given shifting expectations about future facility expansion (e.g. eliminating the
Expo from the parks and recreation fee calculations, modifying the wastewater fee credit to include future
payments on debt service for existing stormwater projects). Other modifications were a product of a desire
to bring the fee to a more tenable level (e.g. elimination of parks vehicles from the fee calculations, changes
in assumptions about growth’s share of infrastructure costs, changes in assumptions regarding outside
funding for projects). Because these modifications were made, the second draft fees are lower and will not
go as far as the original fees in terms of planning for future growth. However, it is expected that the fees will
generate more revenue than is currently being collected in mitigation from development review projects.
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Economic Development Committee,10/16/18 Proposed Impact Fee Ordinance
(2.1%) (.8%)
(1.3%) (2.3%)
Parks & Recreation Transportation Wastewater Fees
Figure 1: Proposed impact fees as a proportion of total estimated development costs (Note that wastewater fees are based
on an estimated meter size.)
B. How will the fees as presented affect development costs? Will the fees have a disproportionate impact on
small developments?
Following the development of the second draft fees, staff engaged Colliers International to examine six
common development types in the City of Portland and analyze how these fees would affect projected
returns on investment (Attachment 3). This analysis showed that the effect on returns would generally be
fairly minimal across the six development types modeled and that, in all cases studied, the cost of fees
represents a nominal percentage of total development costs (less than 2.5%, see Figure 1). As the fee is
designed to be proportional, this is generally true of both large and small projects.
C. How do fees compare to what projects pay in mitigation now?
The City currently requires mitigation of project impacts through the development review process. As a
product of this process, developers often make in-kind physical improvements. In other cases, developers are
required to make financial infrastructure contributions proportionate to their impacts. These contributions
are held in separate infrastructure accounts until they can be drawn down to pay for improvements identified
through the review process. For reference, an internal staff audit shows that, as mitigation of impacts for
site plans approved between May of 2013 and May of 2018, the Planning Board and/or the Planning Authority
required infrastructure contributions totaling just over $1 million. (It should be noted that this figure does
not include in-kind work completed by developers, easements or parkland dedications, and some substantial
contributions yet to come, including that from the Portland Company redevelopment.) In comparison,
TischlerBise’s impact fee revenue projections, assuming growth as projected in Portland’s Plan and based on
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existing trends, show a ten-year total of $3.6 million for parks, $13.3 million for transportation, and $6.4 million
for wastewater.
None of these questions related to fee calculations or fee levels were deemed to necessitate modifications to the
second draft fees as proposed. As a result, the parks and recreation, transportation, and wastewater fees presented
to the EDC in late September have remained unchanged in the final draft impact fee ordinance presented here.
3. DRAFT IMPACT FEE ORDINANCE
The proposed impact fee ordinance (Attachment 4) was developed based on the state impact fee statute; guidance
from the former Maine State Planning Office; review with Corporation Counsel, the Department of Permitting and
Inspections, and Finance; as well as examples from comparable communities both in Maine and nationwide. The
ordinance addresses not only the technical requirements of the statute but issues critical to the administration of
impact fees, including:
A. Applicability. The draft ordinance is written such that any development on a site that generates an increase
in impact would be subject to impact fees. This would include new buildings; additions to existing buildings
which result in net new residential units, non-residential square footage, or wastewater meters; and all
changes of use which result in a net increase in impact per the impact fee schedule.
B. Impact fee schedule and basic guidelines for the calculation of the fee. The draft ordinance includes impact
fee schedules, as well as language designed to clarify methods for calculating fees for mixed-use
development, redevelopment, additions, and changes of use. It should be noted that, for typical infill
development and changes of use, the ordinance grants credits for existing uses at time of application.
C. Provisions for the modification of the fee amount. The draft ordinance has been written to allow
modifications to fee amounts in two instances:
a. The ordinance permits the Planning Board or Planning Authority to grant a credit against required
impact fees for any infrastructure improvements made by a developer which are either related or
equivalent to the projects for which impact fees are being collected. In these cases, the developer or
applicant is required to provide cost estimates, prepared by a license professional engineer, and pay
for any third party review required. Typical site plan improvements, such as sidewalks along a site
frontage, are not considered eligible for credits.
b. Likewise, the draft ordinance includes language allowing the Planning Board to grant credits against
required impact fees for developers that can provide evidence that a proposed use will have no or
significantly-diminished demands on the capital facilities for which impact fees are being collected.
As above, the developer is required to provide documentation and pay for any required third party
reviews.
D. Fee reductions for affordable housing. The draft ordinance includes a reference to Division 30, which
establishes a schedule for fee reductions for affordable housing developments. It should be noted that this
reference necessitates a minor amendment to Division 30, designed to extend affordable housing fee
reductions to impact fees, which is also proposed here (Attachment 5). The concept of this fee reduction is a
response to concerns regarding the effects of impact fees on the production of affordable housing, an
explicit goal of Portland’s Plan. It should be noted that state statute speaks directly to the concept of an
affordable housing waiver for wastewater impact fees; however, it is silent on the issue more
broadly. Guidance from the former State Planning Office contemplates fee waivers in a more general sense,
suggesting that, in cases where a municipality has concerns regarding affordable housing development, that
municipality use funds from an alternate source to subsidize impact fees for affordable housing. Corporation
Counsel has provided a memo speaking to the question of use-specific waivers or carve outs, including those
for affordable housing (Attachment 6).
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Economic Development Committee,10/16/18 Proposed Impact Fee Ordinance
E. Administration of funds. The draft ordinance includes language authorizing the Planning Board to develop
rules and regulations regarding the administration of the impact fee system. The language also speaks
explicitly to the timing of impact fee collection, accounting procedures, and procedure for refunds as
necessary. Fees would be assessed at the time of building permit to provide predictability for developers
and paid at the time of certificate of occupancy to more closely link the fee payment with the incidence of
impacts.
In addition to addressing statutory requirements and administrative matters, where necessary, the final draft
ordinance also attempts to respond to questions raised by Planning Board members and Councilors in the late
September workshops. These included:
A. How do the impact fee land use categories align with the categories in the land use code?
The land use categories represented in the impact fee schedules are purposefully designed to be broad. As
part of their contract, TischlerBise will formalize a table categorizing existing uses from the land use code into
impact fee categories. Should a future proposed land use not fit the impact fee structure, the impact fee
ordinance provides discretion to the Department of Permitting and Inspections, who will collect the impact
fees, to assign the impact fees “applicable to the most nearly comparable type of land use listed in the impact
fee schedule.”
B. How would refunds work?
Under the draft ordinance, if a project were not to go forward, refunds would be made to all current holders
of properties for which impact fees have been collected, proportionate to that property's share of the impact
fee revenue received for that project. Staff is currently discussing accounting for impact fees, including
mechanisms for handling future refunds should they become necessary, with Permitting and Inspections and
Finance.
C. Is there a way to exempt small projects?
Communities sometimes have 'carve outs' or exemptions built into their impact fee ordinances. However,
fundamentally, fees must meet an equal protection test, and every carve out essentially undermines the
fundamental premise that projects have impacts on system capacity, and to be equitable, the fee must be
charged in a manner proportionate to those impacts, regardless of the project type. A memo from
Corporation Counsel has been provided to address this issue (Attachment 6). No small project exemptions
have been proposed.
D. How often should impact fees be revisited?
TischlerBise has recommended a reassessment approximately every five years. The final draft ordinance
does not specify a timeline, but explicitly allows for changes in the fee schedule “from time to time as
warranted by new information or changed circumstances.”
E. What would the effective date be and how would impact fees be ‘phased in?’
As written, the final draft ordinance would apply to all building permit applications submitted following the
effective date of the ordinance, with the exception of building permits associated with a site plan approved as
of the effective date. The rationale behind this approach is that any project that has received site plan
approval as of the ordinance’s adoption would have included an assessment of mitigation under the existing
site plan review system.
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Economic Development Committee,10/16/18 Proposed Impact Fee Ordinance
4. DISCUSSION OF THE IMPACT FEE APPROACH
In addition to the technical questions on the fees and ordinance as noted above, the September workshops elicited a
number of broader questions about impact fees. These included the following:
A. How do impact fees work in other places?
Generally, impact fees are promoted as an equitable way to address infrastructure demand associated with
new growth, as well as a way to add predictability to the development review process. In addition, impact
fees are often supported as a means of achieving some measure of economic efficiency; with impact fees, fee
payers see direct economic benefit in terms of infrastructure investments that support their development, as
well as indirect benefits in terms of predictability in the permitting process and clarity in municipal capital
infrastructure planning. As a result, impact fees have been used in the United States for the past fifty years,
and are found in a majority of states nationwide. In Maine, impact fees are used in a number of communities,
including York, Berwick, North Berwick, Scarborough, Saco, Windham, Gorham, Freeport, Brunswick,
Lewiston, and Pownal. A comparison of fees across Maine is included in Attachment 7.
B. What happens if the market slows?
With parks impact fees, which are based on an incremental expansion model, the City is obligated to spend
only what it collects to maintain levels of service as the community grows. With the transportation and
wastewater fees, however, the City is obligated to construct the improvements for which the fee is collected
regardless of how much money the City collects in sum total. This means that, should the City underperform
when it comes to growth projections, the General Fund/Sewer Fund would need to cover a larger share of
those capital projects than anticipated in the fee calculations. If the City overperforms, more capital projects
would need to be added to the transportation and wastewater capital project lists (since even more capacity
would be needed in these systems than assumed during the Impact Fee Study.) With both the
transportation and wastewater projects, the capital project lists are based on existing CIP requests, ranked in
terms of readiness, so as to avoid overextending the Department of Public Works. (For reference, altogether,
the transportation capital projects included in the Impact Fee Study represent a total City cost of $27 million
over the next ten years, of which $15 million is attributable to growth. The remainder would fall to the City’s
General Fund. In comparison, the City’s FY2018 CIP includes $8.3 million in transportation projects.) It is also
important to note that DPW has stated that is has prioritized the implementation of all of the projects on the
transportation and wastewater capital lists over the next ten years regardless of the implementation of an
impact fee system.
C. How would impact fees affect land values?
Throughout the Impact Fee Study, there have been numerous discussions about the interaction between
impact fees, property values, and taxes. Brendan O’Connell, the City’s Finance Director, and Christopher
Huff, the City’s Assessor, have prepared a memo to address broad questions about the increased tax revenue
generated by recent development and how this relates to the City’s financial picture more broadly
(Attachment 8). With respect to the incidence of fees, studies have generally shown that, depending on
market conditions, the cost of fees can be absorbed by the primary land owner, the developer, or the end
consumer, and is often distributed across all three.
D. How would fees apply to structured parking?
Because conventional transportation planning does not consider parking facilities to generate their own trips
(instead, the land uses associated with parking are considered to generate trips), structured parking would
not be assessed a transportation impact fee under the proposed impact fee ordinance. In response to
concerns about this approach, both staff and TischlerBise attempted to find research that quantifies induced
demand associated with parking garages (i.e. the demand that could be attributed to a garage alone, and not
the associated land uses). Finding no quantitative analysis on which to base calculations, it is difficult to
develop an impact fee for garages without running the risk of double counting – charging a garage and
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associated land uses for the same trips. As a result, staff has maintained the original approach with respect to
structured parking.
E. How does the fee structure align with broader multi-modal and Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
objectives?
Because the capital projects which are the foundation of the transportation fee are all multi-modal - they are
designed to create capacity by adding sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, bike lanes and paths, crosswalks and ADA
accessibility, transit accommodations, and signal improvements that enhance efficiency - the transportation
fee has been designed around the concept of person trips, trips taken by people associated with a land use
regardless of mode. This means that some of the incentives built into the site plan process around shifting
modes are not an option with the impact fee. It should be noted that this does not mean that those
incentives will not continue to exist during the site plan process, when applicants are required to justify their
proposed parking arrangement and, in many cases, develop a Transportation Demand Management plan. In
addition, and as noted above, the proposed impact fee ordinance would allow the City to make physical
multi-modal infrastructure improvements, which are of course critical in terms of supporting TDM and a
broader range of transportation options.
F. Will impact fees have unintended consequences with respect to the City’s broader policy objectives?
Impact fees are intended as a fair and equitable system for addressing public infrastructure improvements
necessary to accommodate growth. For this reason, guidance from both the former State Planning Office
and Corporation Counsel is clear that the idea of structuring or restructuring fees around particular land use
policy goals should be approached carefully. Jen Thompson, Associate Corporation Counsel, writes,
The focus in an impact fee ordinance should be on accurately assessing the true
impacts of development on capital facilities and assessing fees that are directly tied to
that impact. When fees are preferentially imposed or particular kinds of development
are excepted from fees based on other policy goals rather than on the impact of those
uses on infrastructure, a municipality runs the risk of undermining the "nexus" that is
established to justify the fee. Further, and as with all fees imposed by government,
where similar uses have similar impacts it's important to take care that fees and
regulations are being applied equally. If distinctions in applicability are going to be
made, it is important that the reasons for treating one group differently than another
are well-articulated and sound.
G. How would an impact fee system relate to the City’s existing site plan ordinance, Traffic Movement Permit
(TMP) process, and system for addressing mitigation?
A clear advantage of impact fee systems is that they provide predictability, equity, and efficiency to the
development review process. By and large, the proposed impact fee system would replace the existing
negotiation that occurs around mitigation through the City’s site plan ordinance. It is assumed that some
analysis required under site plan review would continue to occur (e.g. in projects that trigger a TMP, traffic
analysis is still expected, for instance), and that projects might continue to make off-site improvements in
cases when those improvements are necessary for a project to proceed. In these cases, credits could be
applied against the impact fee category for which such improvements are made. However, in general, the
impact fee would generally replace the final step in the development review process whereby mitigation is
assessed.
5. CONSISTENCY WITH PORTLAND’S PLAN
As noted above, the proposed impact fee ordinance is a direct product of Portland’s Plan. The plan calls for an
investigation into the “potential of a more robust framework for assessing development-related impacts” in the city to
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Economic Development Committee,10/16/18 Proposed Impact Fee Ordinance
“generate additional funding [for facilities and services], while also adding clarity and predictability to existing [review]
procedures” (Portland’s Plan, 67).
Maybe more importantly, however, the proposed impact fee ordinance is also a means to achieving the vision of
Portland’s Plan. The transportation projects associated with the Impact Fee Study are about building multi-modal
capacity in our nodes and on our corridors so that those targeted areas can continue to support sustainable growth.
The expansion of our parks and facility capacity under an impact fee system is about providing access to these
facilities as we grow and “connect the chain.” And the building of capacity in our wastewater system to accommodate
growth will help ensure that we can meet the environmental goals contained in Portland’s Plan.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
It should be noted that, in addition to feedback received through the stakeholder group, staff has received four public
comments on the proposed impact fee ordinance (Attachment 9). These comments raise questions about the
treatment of parking garages, how the ordinance would align with the City’s smart growth goals, comparable
communities with impact fees, the composition of the stakeholder group, and how a fee system would be
implemented. Answers to these questions are generally addressed above.
7. ATTACHMENTS
1. List of Stakeholder Group members
2. 2018 Impact Fee Study, TischlerBise, 10/3/18
3. Portland Impact Fee Analysis, Colliers International, 9/20/18
4. Proposed Draft Impact Fee Ordinance
5. Proposed Amendments to Division 30, 9/28/18
6. Memo from Jennifer Thompson, Associate Corporation Counsel, 10/4/18
7. Comparable Fee Study, TischlerBise
8. Impact Fee – Questions and Answers from Finance Director & Assessor, 8/12/18
9. Public Comment
8
Attachment 1
IMPACT FEE STUDY STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEMBERS
Quincy Hentzel Chamber of Commerce
Paul Peck Chamber of Commerce
Tim Soley East Brown Cow
Vin Veroneau J.B. Brown
Brad Fries Northland Enterprises
Erin Cooperrider New Height Group
Jonathan Culley Redfern Properties
Tyler Norod AVESTA
Mike Barton Congress Group
Sarah Michniewicz Bayside Neighborhood Association
James Loeber India Street Neighborhood Association
Tom Hambrick Stroudwater Village Association
Sean Dundon City of Portland Planning Board
Greg Mitchell City of Portland Economic Development
Chris Hall Greater Portland Council of Governments
Attachment 2
2018 Impact Fee Study
Prepared for:
City of Portland, Maine
October 3, 2018
PRE-FINAL
Prepared by:
4701 Sangamore Road
Suite S240
Bethesda, Maryland 20816
800.424.4318
www.tischlerbise.com
i
2018 Impact Fee Study PRE-FINAL
City of Portland, Maine
TischlerBise
4701 Sangamore Road
Suite S240
Bethesda, Maryland 20816
800.424.4318
www.tischlerbise.com
October, 2018
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2018 Impact Fee Study PRE-FINAL
City of Portland, Maine
IMPACT FEE STUDY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................6
STATE OF MAINE IMPACT FEE ENABLING LEGISLATION ......................................................................................... 6
ADDITIONAL LEGAL GUIDELINES ....................................................................................................................... 6
PROPOSED MAXIMUM DEFENSIBLE IMPACT FEE METHODOLOGIES ........................................................................ 7
Figure 1. Summary of Impact Fee Methodologies.............................................................................................................. 8
MAXIMUM DEFENSIBLE IMPACT FEES ............................................................................................................... 8
Figure 2. Maximum Defensible Impact Fee ........................................................................................................................ 8
GENERAL METHODS FOR IMPACT FEES ...............................................................................................9
Cost Recovery Method (past improvements) ........................................................................................ 9
Incremental Expansion Method (concurrent improvements) ............................................................... 9
Plan-Based Method (future improvements) ......................................................................................... 9
EVALUATION OF POSSIBLE CREDITS ................................................................................................................... 9
PARKS & RECREATION FACILITIES IMPACT FEE ..................................................................................11
Figure 3. Parks & Recreation Impact Fee Methodology ................................................................................................... 12
PARKS & RECREATION LEVEL OF SERVICE AND COST FACTORS ............................................................................. 13
Figure 4. Impact Days Proportionate Share...................................................................................................................... 13
Current Inventory of Parkland and Improvements ............................................................................. 14
Figure 5. Current Inventory of Parkland and Improvements ............................................................................................ 15
Park Level of Service & Cost Analysis .................................................................................................. 16
Figure 6. Parks Level of Service & Cost Analysis ............................................................................................................... 16
Park Growth-Related Needs ................................................................................................................ 17
Figure 7. 10-Year Parkland Needs to Accommodate Growth ........................................................................................... 17
Trail Inventory and Level of Service..................................................................................................... 17
Figure 8. Trails Level of Service & Cost Analysis ............................................................................................................... 18
Trail Growth-Related Needs ................................................................................................................ 18
Figure 9. 10-Year Single-track Trail Needs to Accommodate Growth .............................................................................. 19
Recreational Facilities Inventory and Level of Service......................................................................... 19
Figure 10. Recreational Facilities Level of Service & Cost Analysis ................................................................................... 20
Recreational Facility Growth-Related Needs ...................................................................................... 20
Figure 11. 10-Year Recreational Facilities Needs to Accommodate Growth .................................................................... 21
Parks & Recreation Credit ................................................................................................................... 21
Figure 12. Park and Recreation Debt per Person & per Job ............................................................................................. 22
PARKS & RECREATION IMPACT FEE ................................................................................................................. 22
Figure 13. Maximum Defensible Park & Recreation Impact Fee ...................................................................................... 23
REVENUE FROM PARKS & RECREATION IMPACT FEE .......................................................................................... 23
Figure 14. Estimated Revenue from Parks & Recreation Impact Fee ............................................................................... 24
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TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES IMPACT FEE........................................................................................25
Figure 15. Transportation Capital Impact Methodology Chart ......................................................................................... 25
PERSON TRIPS ............................................................................................................................................. 26
TRANSPORTATION LEVEL OF SERVICE AND COST FACTORS .................................................................................. 26
Need for Multimodal Improvements and Facilities............................................................................. 26
Figure 16. Growth-Related Multimodal Projects.............................................................................................................. 27
Need for Signal Improvements and Facilities ...................................................................................... 27
Figure 17. Growth-Related Signal Projects ....................................................................................................................... 27
Transportation Credit .......................................................................................................................... 27
Figure 18. Transportation Debt per Person Trip ............................................................................................................... 28
TRANSPORTATION IMPACT FEE ...................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 19. Maximum Defensible Transportation Impact Fee ........................................................................................... 29
REVENUE FROM TRANSPORTATION IMPACT FEE................................................................................................ 29
Figure 20. Estimated Revenue from Transportation Impact Fee...................................................................................... 30
WASTEWATER FACILITIES IMPACT FEE ..............................................................................................31
Figure 21. Wastewater Capital Impact Methodology Chart ............................................................................................. 31
WASTEWATER LEVEL OF SERVICE AND COST FACTORS ....................................................................................... 32
Current Wastewater Usage................................................................................................................. 32
Figure 22. City of Portland’s Daily Wastewater Usage ..................................................................................................... 32
Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) ....................................................................................................... 32
Figure 23. Equivalent Residential Unit ............................................................................................................................. 32
Need for Wastewater Improvements and Facilities............................................................................ 33
Figure 24. Growth-Related Wastewater Projects ............................................................................................................. 33
Wastewater Credit .............................................................................................................................. 34
Figure 25. Wastewater Debt Payment per Gallon ............................................................................................................ 34
WASTEWATER IMPACT FEE ........................................................................................................................... 34
Figure 26. Maximum Defensible Wastewater Impact Fee ............................................................................................... 35
REVENUE FROM WASTEWATER IMPACT FEE ..................................................................................................... 35
Figure 27. Estimated Revenue from Wastewater Impact Fee .......................................................................................... 36
IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION .......................................................................................37
CREDITS AND REIMBURSEMENTS .................................................................................................................... 37
SERVICE AREA ............................................................................................................................................. 37
APPENDIX A: LAND USE ASSUMPTIONS ............................................................................................38
POPULATION AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................................. 38
Figure 28. Persons per Household .................................................................................................................................... 38
BASE YEAR POPULATION AND HOUSING UNITS ................................................................................................. 39
Permanent Residents .......................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 29. Permanent Population, 2016........................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 30. Base Year Permanent Population .................................................................................................................... 39
Seasonal Residents .............................................................................................................................. 39
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Figure 31. Seasonal Population, 2016 .............................................................................................................................. 40
Seasonal Visitors ................................................................................................................................. 40
Figure 32. State of Maine Visitor Totals, 2016 ................................................................................................................. 40
Figure 33. City of Portland Peak Season Visitor Population, 2016 ................................................................................... 41
Figure 34. Base Year Peak Population .............................................................................................................................. 41
Base Year Housing Stock ..................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 35. Permitted Housing Units ................................................................................................................................. 42
Figure 36. Base Year Housing Stock (Housing Units) ........................................................................................................ 42
POPULATION AND HOUSING UNIT PROJECTIONS ............................................................................................... 42
Figure 37. City of Portland Annual Residential Development Projections ....................................................................... 43
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT AND NONRESIDENTIAL FLOOR AREA ............................................................................. 43
Figure 38. Employment by Industry Sector, 2015 ............................................................................................................ 43
Figure 39. Employment by Industry, 2015 ....................................................................................................................... 44
Figure 40. Base Year Employment .................................................................................................................................... 44
Figure 41. Base Year Nonresidential Floor Area ............................................................................................................... 44
EMPLOYMENT AND NONRESIDENTIAL FLOOR AREA PROJECTIONS ........................................................................ 45
Figure 42. Institute of Transportation Engineers Nonresidential Land Use Factors ......................................................... 45
Figure 43. Employment and Nonresidential Floor Area Projections ................................................................................ 46
PERSON TRIP GENERATION ........................................................................................................................... 47
Person Trip Methodology .................................................................................................................... 47
Residential Vehicle Trips ..................................................................................................................... 48
Figure 44. Customized Residential Vehicle Trip End Rates ............................................................................................... 48
Nonresidential Vehicle Trips................................................................................................................ 48
Figure 45. Institute of Transportation Engineers Nonresidential Land Use Factors ......................................................... 49
Mode Share and Vehicle Occupancy ................................................................................................... 49
Figure 46. Residential Purpose Person Trips by Mode ..................................................................................................... 50
Figure 47. Nonresidential Purpose Person Trips by Mode ............................................................................................... 50
Vehicle Trip Ends to Find Total Person Trip Ends ................................................................................ 51
Figure 48. Daily Person Trip End Rate by Land Use .......................................................................................................... 51
Residential Trips Adjustment Factors.................................................................................................. 51
Figure 49. Trip Adjustment Factor for Commuters out of the City ................................................................................... 52
Person Trips by Mode .......................................................................................................................... 52
Figure 50. Person Trips by Mode ...................................................................................................................................... 53
PERSON TRIP PROJECTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 54
Figure 51. Total Daily Person Trip Projections .................................................................................................................. 54
BASE YEAR WASTEWATER USAGE .................................................................................................................. 55
Base Year Estimates ............................................................................................................................ 55
Figure 52. City of Portland Daily Wastewater Usage, 2018 .............................................................................................. 55
Equivalent Residential Unit ................................................................................................................. 55
Figure 53. Equivalent Residential Unit ............................................................................................................................. 56
WASTEWATER PROJECTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 56
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Figure 54. Wastewater Projections, Million Gallons Per Day (MGD)................................................................................ 56
APPENDIX B: AFFORDABLE HOUSING ANALYSIS ................................................................................57
Proposed Impact Fee ........................................................................................................................... 57
Figure 55. Maximum Defensible Impact Fees .................................................................................................................. 57
Housing Stock ...................................................................................................................................... 57
Figure 56. Housing Stock Characteristics .......................................................................................................................... 58
Household Income ............................................................................................................................... 58
Figure 57. Median Household Income ............................................................................................................................. 58
Cost of Homeownership ...................................................................................................................... 58
Cost of Renting .................................................................................................................................... 60
COST BURDEN ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................... 60
Scenario 1: Baseline Conditions .......................................................................................................... 60
Figure 58. Scenario 1: Cost Burden Analysis without Proposed Impact Fee .................................................................... 60
Scenario 2: Baseline Condition + Proposed Impact Fee ...................................................................... 61
Figure 59. Scenario 2: Cost Burden Analysis with Proposed Impact Fee .......................................................................... 61
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 61
Figure 60. Cost of Homeownership .................................................................................................................................. 62
APPENDIX C: LAND USE ASSUMPTIONS.............................................................................................63
Figure 61. Water Meter Capacity Ratios .......................................................................................................................... 63
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Impact fees are one-time payments for new development’s proportionate share of the capital cost of
infrastructure. The following study addresses the City of Portland’s Parks & Recreation, Transportation,
and Wastewater facilities. Impact fees do have limitations and should not be regarded as the total solution
for infrastructure funding. Rather, they are one component of a comprehensive funding strategy to ensure
provision of adequate public facilities. Impact fees may only be used for capital improvements or debt
service for growth-related infrastructure. They may not be used for operations, maintenance, replacement
of infrastructure, or correcting existing deficiencies.
State of Maine Impact Fee Enabling Legislation
In 1987, impact fee enabling legislation was approved into Maine law when the Legislature enacted the
Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Regulations Act of 1987. The statutory requirements for impact
fees can be found in Title 30-A MRSA, Section 4354.
Additional Legal Guidelines
Both state and federal courts have recognized the imposition of impact fees on development as a
legitimate form of land use regulation, provided the fees meet standards intended to protect against
regulatory takings. Land use regulations, development exactions, and impact fees are subject to the Fifth
Amendment prohibition on taking of private property for public use without just compensation. To comply
with the Fifth Amendment, development regulations must be shown to substantially advance a legitimate
governmental interest. In the case of impact fees, that interest is the protection of public health, safety,
and welfare by ensuring development is not detrimental to the quality of essential public services. The
means to this end are also important, requiring both procedural and substantive due process. The process
followed to receive community input (i.e. stakeholder meetings, work sessions, and public hearings)
provides opportunities for comments and refinements to the impact fees.
There is little federal case law specifically dealing with impact fees, although other rulings on other types
of exactions (e.g., land dedication requirements) are relevant. In one of the most important exaction cases,
the U. S. Supreme Court found that a government agency imposing exactions on development must
demonstrate an “essential nexus” between the exaction and the interest being protected (see Nollan v.
California Coastal Commission, 1987). In a more recent case (Dolan v. City of Tigard, OR, 1994), the Court
ruled that an exaction also must be “roughly proportional” to the burden created by development.
There are three reasonable relationship requirements for impact fees that are closely related to “rational
nexus” or “reasonable relationship” requirements enunciated by a number of state courts. Although the
term “dual rational nexus” is often used to characterize the standard by which courts evaluate the validity
of impact fees under the U.S. Constitution, TischlerBise prefers a more rigorous formulation that recognizes
three elements: “need,” “benefit,” and “proportionality.” The dual rational nexus test explicitly addresses
only the first two, although proportionality is reasonably implied, and was specifically mentioned by the
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U.S. Supreme Court in the Dolan case. Individual elements of the nexus standard are discussed further in
the following paragraphs.
All new development in a community creates additional demands on some, or all, public facilities provided
by local government. If the capacity of facilities is not increased to satisfy that additional demand, the
quality or availability of public services for the entire community will deteriorate. Impact fees may be used
to cover the cost of development-related facilities, but only to the extent that the need for facilities is a
consequence of development that is subject to the fees. The Nollan decision reinforced the principle that
development exactions may be used only to mitigate conditions created by the developments upon which
they are imposed. That principle likely applies to impact fees. In this study, the impact of development on
infrastructure needs is analyzed in terms of quantifiable relationships between various types of
development and the demand for specific facilities, based on applicable level-of-service standards.
The requirement that exactions be proportional to the impacts of development was clearly stated by the
U.S. Supreme Court in the Dolan case and is logically necessary to establish a proper nexus. Proportionality
is established through the procedures used to identify development-related facility costs, and in the
methods used to calculate impact fees for various types of facilities and categories of development. The
demand for facilities is measured in terms of relevant and measurable attributes of development (e.g.
persons per household).
A sufficient benefit relationship requires that impact fee revenues be segregated from other funds and
expended only on the facilities for which the fees were charged. The calculation of impact fees should also
assume that they will be expended in a timely manner and the facilities funded by the fees must serve the
development paying the fees. However, nothing in the U.S. Constitution or the state enabling legislation
requires that facilities funded with fee revenues be available exclusively to development paying the fees.
In other words, benefit may extend to a general area including multiple real estate developments.
Procedures for the earmarking and expenditure of fee revenues are discussed near the end of this study.
All of these procedural as well as substantive issues are intended to ensure that new development benefits
from the impact fees they are required to pay. The authority and procedures to implement impact fees is
separate from and complementary to the authority to require improvements.
Proposed Maximum Defensible Impact Fee Methodologies
The impact fees are based on the actual level of service for Parks & Recreation, Transportation, and
Wastewater facilities. The Parks & Recreation components includes parks, trails, and recreational facilities.
The Parks Impact Fee is calculated for residential, nonresidential, and hotel development. It has been
determined that along with residents, workers and visitors to Portland increase the demand on park &
recreational facilities, thus the impact from nonresidential land uses and hotels needs to be offset. The
Transportation and Wastewater fees are allocated to all residential and nonresidential development. A
summary of methodologies used in the analysis is provided in Figure 1.
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Figure 1. Summary of Impact Fee Methodologies
Fee Category Service Area Incremental Expasion Plan-Based Cost Recovery Cost Allocation
Parks, Trails,
Parks and Recreation Citywide N/A N/A Population
Recreation Facilities
Multimodal Facilities
Transportation Citywide N/A N/A Person Trips
and Signals
Wastewater
Wastewater Citywide N/A Distribution and N/A Meter Size
Treatment Facilities
Maximum Defensible Impact Fees
Figure 2 provides a schedule of the maximum defensible impact fee for Parks & Recreation, Transportation,
and Wastewater. The fees represent the highest defensible amount for each type of residential and
nonresidential unit, which represents new growth’s fair share of the cost for capital facilities. To
differentiate between housing units, two housing types are included: Single Family/Two-family and
Multifamily. Housing types have varying household sizes and, consequently, a varying demand on City
infrastructure and services. Thus, it is important to differentiate between housing types and size. A
streamlined approach is used for nonresidential developments. This approach has no size thresholds and
lessens the burden on smaller shop owners.
The City may adopt fees that are less than the amounts shown. However, a reduction in impact fee revenue
will necessitate an increase in other revenues, a decrease in planned capital expenditures, and/or a
decrease in levels of service.
Figure 2. Maximum Defensible Impact Fee
Development Type Parks & Rec Transportation Wastewaster
Residential (per housing unit/per water meter)
Single Family/Duplex $1,126 $2,159 $1,886
Multifamily $752 $1,023 $1,886
Nonresidential (per 1,000 square feet/per water meter)
Retail $534 $8,248 $4,715
Office $677 $2,800 $4,715
Industrial $363 $1,130 $4,715
Institutional $645 $3,082 $4,715
Accommodation (per hotel room/per water meter)
Hotel $875 $2,404 $4,715
Note: a 5/8 inch meter is shown for residential development and a 1 inch meter
is shown for nonresidential development, however, the wastewater fee will be
assessed based on the development's meter size.
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GENERAL METHODS FOR IMPACT FEES
There are three general methods for calculating impact fees. The choice of a particular method depends
primarily on the timing of infrastructure construction (past, concurrent, or future) and service
characteristics of the facility type being addressed. Each method has advantages and disadvantages in a
particular situation and can be used simultaneously for different cost components.
Reduced to its simplest terms, the process of calculating impact fees involves two main steps: (1)
determining the cost of development-related capital improvements and (2) allocating those costs equitably
to various types of development. In practice, though, the calculation of impact fees can become quite
complicated because of the many variables involved in defining the relationship between development
and the need for facilities within the designated service area. The following paragraphs discuss three basic
methods for calculating impact fees and how those methods can be applied to City of Portland.
Cost Recovery Method (past improvements)
Although not used in City of Portland, the rationale for recoupment, or cost recovery, is that new
development is paying for its share of the useful life and remaining capacity of facilities already built, or
land already purchased, from which new growth will benefit. This methodology is often used for utility
systems that must provide adequate capacity before new development can take place.
Incremental Expansion Method (concurrent improvements)
The City of Portland Park and Recreation Impact Fee uses the incremental expansion method to document
current level-of-service (LOS) standards for the infrastructure types included in the study, using both
quantitative and qualitative measures. This approach assumes there are no existing deficiencies or surplus
in infrastructure capacity. New development is only paying its proportionate share for growth-related
infrastructure. Revenue will be used to expand or provide additional facilities, as needed, to accommodate
new development. An incremental expansion cost method is best suited for public facilities that will be
expanded in regular increments to keep pace with development.
Plan-Based Method (future improvements)
The Transportation and Wastewater Impact Fees use the plan-based method to allocate costs for a
specified set of improvements to a specified amount of development. Improvements are typically
identified in a long-range facility plan and development potential is identified by a land use plan. There are
two basic options for determining the cost per demand unit: 1) total cost of a public facility can be divided
by total service units (average cost), or 2) the growth-share of the public facility cost can be divided by the
net increase in service units over the planning timeframe (marginal cost).
Evaluation of Possible Credits
Regardless of the methodology, a consideration of “credits” is integral to the development of a legally
defensible impact fee methodology. There are two types of “credits” with specific characteristics, both of
which should be addressed in impact fee studies and ordinances. The first is a credit due to possible double
payment situations, which could occur when other revenues may contribute to the capital costs of
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infrastructure covered by the impact fee. This type of credit is integrated into the impact fee calculation,
thus reducing the fee amount. The second is a site-specific credit or developer reimbursement for
construction of system improvements. This type of credit is addressed in the administration and
implementation of the impact fee program.
Please note, calculations throughout this report are based on an analysis conducted using MS Excel
software. Results are discussed in the memo using one- and two-digit places (in most cases). Figures are
typically either truncated or rounded. In some instances, the analysis itself uses figures carried to their
ultimate decimal places; therefore, the sums and products generated in the analysis may not equal the sum
or product if the reader replicates the calculation with the factors shown in the report (due to the rounding
of figures shown, not in the analysis).
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PARKS & RECREATION FACILITIES IMPACT FEE
The Parks & Recreation Impact Fee is based on the incremental expansion methodology. The impact fee
methodology assumes the City will construct additional recreation improvements to serve future growth
to maintain current levels of service incrementally over time. Parks and recreation capital improvements
are allocated to residential, nonresidential, and hotel development. Furthermore, a credit is necessary to
avoid double payments towards current debt obligations for park improvements. There are four
components to the Parks & Recreation Impact Fee:
• Parks
• Single-Track Trails
• Recreational Facilities
• Credit for Future Debt Payments
Figure 3 diagrams the general methodology used to calculate the Parks & Recreation Impact Fee. It is
intended to read like an outline, with lower levels providing a more detailed breakdown of the impact fee
components. The Parks & Recreation Impact Fee for residential development is derived from the product
of persons per housing unit (by type of unit) multiplied by the net capital cost per person. The fee for
nonresidential development is derived from the product of jobs per 1,000 square feet multiplied by the
net capital cost per job. The fee for hotel development is derived from the product of persons per hotel
room multiplied by the net capital cost per person. The boxes in the next level down indicate detail on the
components included in the fee.
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Figure 3. Parks & Recreation Impact Fee Methodology
PARKS & RECREATION
IMPACT FEE
Residential & Nonresidential
Development
Persons per Household/Hotel Room Multiplied By Net Capital Cost per
or Jobs per 1,000 Square Feet Person/Job
Parks Cost per Person/Job
Single-Track Trails Cost per
Person/Job
Recreational Facilities Cost per
Person/Job
Credit for Future Debt Payment per
Person/Job
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Parks & Recreation Level of Service and Cost Factors
The Parks & Recreation Impact Fee is based on an inventory of existing citywide parks and current values
of recreation improvements and land in the City’s park system. The use of existing standards means there
are no existing infrastructure deficiencies. New development is only paying its proportionate share for
growth-related infrastructure. Facilities and costs have been provided by the City of Portland staff.
An important aspect when determining the demand on City facilities is the additional demand from
seasonal and visitor populations. From the Maine Office of Tourism, the Greater Portland and Casco Bay
region saw 5.4 million visitors in 2016. As a result, it is not just permanent residents that are having an
impact on facilities. In response, City infrastructure and operating service levels are sized to accommodate
not just permanent residents, but seasonal residents and visitors as well. In this is analysis, peak
population includes permanent residents, seasonal residents, and visitors (day and overnight visitors).
Further explain and calculations can be found in Appendix A.
To determine the demand on facilities from residential and nonresidential development, a days-of-impact
proportionate share calculation is conducted. The proportionate share is based on cumulative impact days
per year, with the peak population (residents and visitors) potentially impacting parks and recreation
facilities 365 days per year and inflow commuters potentially impacting parks and recreation facilities 250
days per year (5 days per week multiplied by 50 weeks a year). Workers that live within the City are included
in the peak population total.
Shown in Figure 4, residential and hotel development in the City accounts for 72 percent of the impact on
park and recreational facilities. As a result of workers using park facilities, such as during break and lunch,
nonresidential development accounts for 28 percent of the impact on facilities.
Figure 4. Impact Days Proportionate Share
Cumulative Impact Days per Year Cost Allocation for Parks
Peak Inflow Residential/ Residential/
Nonresidential³ Total Nonresidential
Population¹ Commuters Hotel² Hotel
82,049 47,245 29,948,016 11,811,250 41,759,266 72% 28%
1. Includes permanent residents, seasonal residents, and visitors 365
2. Da ys per Yea r = 365 250
3. Da ys per Yea r = 250 (5 Da ys per Week x 50 Weeks per Yea r)
Source: U.S. Cens us Burea u, OnTheMa p 6.1.1 Appl i ca ti on a nd LEHD Ori gi n-Des ti na ti on Empl oyment Sta ti s ti cs .
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Current Inventory of Parkland and Improvements
Figure 5 lists the current inventory of parkland and park improvements in the City of Portland. There are
44.8 acres of neighborhood parks and 271.5 acres of destination parks. Every park is open to all the
residents, workers, and seasonal and visitor populations. Included in the figure are average replacement
costs for parkland and park improvements. This allows for a total replacement cost to be calculated.
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Figure 5. Current Inventory of Parkland and Improvements
Multi-
Athletic Baseball Basketball Community Dog Park Purpose Pickleball Picnic Skate Softball Tennis
Park Acres Field Field Courts Gardens Area Field Courts Tables Playgrounds Pools Park Fields Splashpads Courts Volleyball
Neighborhood Parks
Marada Adams Park 0.5 1.0
Barrows Park/Sundial Park 0.5
Bedford Park 0.5
Belmeade Park 0.3 1.0
Boyd Street Community Garden 1.8 1.0
Clark Street Park 0.3 1.0
Clark Street Community Garden 0.1 1.0
City Acres Ballfield, Peaks Island 3.0 1.0
Fessenden Park 0.5
Fort Allen Park 5.0
Fort Gorges 2.0
Fort Sumner Park 1.3 3.0
Fox Field 4.6 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0
Great Diamond Island Park 0.6 1.0
Harbor View Memorial Park 4.8 1.0
Heseltine Park 1.0 1.0 1.0
Lincoln Park 2.0
Longfellow Park 0.4
Munjoy South 0.7 1.0 1.0
Nason's Corner Park 2.6 1.0 1.0 1.0
Oakleigh Park 1.3 1.0
Peppermint Park 0.4 1.0 1.0
Pleasant Street Park 0.7 1.0 1.0
Post Office Park 0.2
Quaker Park 0.8
Stone Street Playground 0.2 1.0 1.0
Stroudwater Park 1 0.8
Stroudwater Park 2 1.0
Stroudwater Playground 0.1 1.0
Taylor Street Park 0.6 1.0 1.0
Tommy’s Park 0.2
Trinity Park 0.1
Trott Little John Park 4.5 1.0 1.0
Tyng Tate Park 0.3 1.0 1.0
Winslow Park 1.6
Destination Parks
Back Cove Park 34.0 1.0 1.0
Deering Oaks Park 55.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 4.0 6.0 1.0 1.0 8.0 2.0
Dougherty Field 18.5 2.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Eastern Promenade Park 78.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 3.0
Payson Park 48.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 4.0
Riverton Trolley Park 19.0 1.0
Western Promenade 19.0 1.0 1.0 2.0
TOTAL 316.3 5.0 11.0 10.0 8.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 22.0 18.0 1.0 1.0 4.0 5.0 15.0 2.0
Average Replacement Cost $59,172 $350,000 $175,000 $45,000 $30,000 $50,000 $175,000 $45,000 $750 $175,000 $2,000,000 $350,000 $175,000 $30,000 $45,000 $45,000
Total Replacement Cost $18,716,104 $1,750,000 $1,925,000 $450,000 $240,000 $100,000 $350,000 $180,000 $16,500 $3,150,000 $2,000,000 $350,000 $700,000 $150,000 $675,000 $90,000
Source: City of Portland Parks and Recreation
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Park Level of Service & Cost Analysis
To calculate the current level of service, the existing parkland acreage (316.3) is allocated to residential
and nonresidential demand based on the percentage split of impact days. The residential park acres are
divided by the current peak population of Portland (83,250) to calculate the level of service per person.
The nonresidential park acres are divided by the current jobs in the City (67,270) to calculate the level of
service per job. As a result, there are 2.74 parkland acres per 1,000 persons and 1.32 acres per 1,000 jobs.
Shown in Figure 6, the total value of park land is $18,716,104 and park improvements are valued at
$12,126,500. The replacement costs are summed and divided by the acreage to find the cost per acre
($97,511). The cost per person and cost per job factors are calculated by applying the level of service factors
to the total replacement cost per acre (i.e. 2.74 acres per 1,000 persons x $97,511 per acre = $267 per
person, rounded).
Figure 6. Parks Level of Service & Cost Analysis
Land Replacement Cost $18,716,104 Total Park Acres 316.3
Improvement Replacement Cost $12,126,500 Total Replacement Cost $30,842,604
Total Replacement Cost $30,842,604 Replacement Cost per Park Acre $97,511
Source: City of Portland Parks and Recreation; Assessor's Office
Residential Level-of-Service (LOS) Standard Nonresidential Level-of-Service (LOS) Standard
Share of Impact Days 72% Share of Impact Days 28%
Share of Park Acres 227.7 Share of Park Acres 88.6
2018 Peak Population 83,250 2018 Jobs 67,270
LOS: Acre per 1,000 Persons 2.74 LOS: Acre per 1,000 Jobs 1.32
Cost Analysis Cost Analysis
Replacement Cost per Acre $97,511 Replacement Cost per Acre $97,511
LOS: Acre per 1,000 Persons 2.74 LOS: Acre per 1,000 Jobs 1.32
Replacement Cost Per Capita $267 Replacement Cost Per Job $129
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Park Growth-Related Needs
To estimate the 10-year growth needs for parks, the current level of service (2.74 acres per 1,000 persons
and 1.32 acres per 1,000 jobs) is applied to the population and job growth projected for the City of Portland.
The City’s peak population is projected to increase by 4,279 and the City’s employment is projected to
increase by 6,890 jobs over the next ten years (see Appendix A). Listed in Figure 7, there will need to be a
total of 337.7 acres of parkland in the City to accommodate the growth, which results in a need of 20.8
new acres. By applying the average cost of improvements to parkland ($97,511 per acre), the total
expenditure for the growth is calculated (20.8 acres x $97,511 = $2,028,299).
Figure 7. 10-Year Parkland Needs to Accommodate Growth
Type of Infrastructure Level of Service Demand Unit Unit Cost / Acre
Residential 2.74 per 1,000 persons
Parks Acres $97,511
Nonresidential 1.32 per 1,000 jobs
Growth-Related Need for Park Improvements
Residential Nonresidential Total
Year Population Jobs
Acres Acres Acres
Base 2018 83,250 67,270 228.1 88.8 316.9
Year 1 2019 83,678 67,959 229.2 89.7 318.9
Year 2 2020 84,106 68,648 230.4 90.6 321.0
Year 3 2021 84,534 69,337 231.6 91.5 323.1
Year 4 2022 84,962 70,026 232.7 92.4 325.1
Year 5 2023 85,390 70,715 233.9 93.3 327.2
Year 6 2024 85,818 71,404 235.1 94.3 329.4
Year 7 2025 86,246 72,093 236.3 95.2 331.5
Year 8 2026 86,673 72,782 237.4 96.1 333.5
Year 9 2027 87,101 73,471 238.6 97.0 335.6
Year 10 2028 87,529 74,160 239.8 97.9 337.7
Ten-Year Increase 4,279 6,890 11.7 9.1 20.8
Projected Expenditure $1,140,879 $887,350 $2,028,229
Growth-Related Expenditure on Park Improvements $2,028,229
Trail Inventory and Level of Service
There are two distinct trails in Portland: Multiuse and Single-track. Multiuse trails are wide, paved trails
that allow for a variety of activities to occur simultaneously (i.e. walking, biking, skateboarding). Single-
track trails are unpaved trails that are only used for walking. After consultation with City staff, multiuse
trails are considered a multimodal transportation facility, so they are included in the Transportation Impact
Fee and not the Parks and Recreation Fee.
To calculate the current level of service for single-track trails, the existing trail length (36.2 miles) is
allocated to residential and nonresidential demand based on the percentage split of impact days. The
residential trail miles are divided by the current peak population of Portland (83,250) to calculate the level
of service per person. The nonresidential trail miles are divided by the current jobs in the City (67,270) to
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calculate the level of service per job. As a result, there are 0.31 trail miles per 1,000 persons and 0.15 miles
per 1,000 jobs.
The average cost per mile ($15,000) has been provided by the City of Portland Parks and Recreation staff.
The replacement cost per person and replacement cost per job factors are calculated by applying the level
of service factors to the average replacement cost per mile. For example, the cost per person is $5 (0.31
miles per 1,000 persons x $15,000 per mile = $5 per person, rounded).
Figure 8. Trails Level of Service & Cost Analysis
Single-Track
Trail Trail (miles)
Citywide Passive Trails 36.2
Total 36.2
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Pa rks a nd Recrea ti on
Residential Level-of-Service (LOS) Standard Nonresidential Level-of-Service (LOS) Standard
Share of Impact Days 72% Share of Impact Days 28%
Share of Trail Miles 26.1 Share of Trail Miles 10.1
2018 Peak Population 83,250 2018 Jobs 67,270
LOS: Miles per 1,000 Persons 0.31 LOS: Miles per 1,000 Jobs 0.15
Cost Analysis Cost Analysis
Costs per mile $15,000 Costs per mile $15,000
LOS: Miles per 1,000 Persons 0.31 LOS: Miles per 1,000 Jobs 0.15
Replacement Cost per Person $5 Replacement Cost per Job $2
Trail Growth-Related Needs
To estimate the 10-year growth needs for single-track trails, the current level of service (0.31 miles per
1,000 persons and 0.15 miles per 1,000 jobs) is applied to the population and employment growth
projected for the City of Portland. The City’s peak population is projected to increase by 4,279 and the
City’s employment is projected to increase by 6,890 jobs over the next ten years (see Appendix A). As
shown Figure 9, an additional need of 2.3 miles of new single-track trails will be demanded by new
development. By applying the average cost of trail improvements ($15,000 per mile) the total expenditure
for the growth is calculated (2.3 miles x $15,000 per mile = $34,500).
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Figure 9. 10-Year Single-track Trail Needs to Accommodate Growth
Type of Infrastructure Level of Service Demand Unit Unit Cost / Mile
Residential 0.31 per 1,000 persons
Trails Miles $15,000
Nonresidential 0.15 per 1,000 jobs
Growth-Related Need for Trail Improvements
Residential Nonresidential Total
Year Population Jobs
Miles Miles Miles
Base 2018 83,250 67,270 25.8 10.1 35.9
Year 1 2019 83,678 67,959 25.9 10.2 36.1
Year 2 2020 84,106 68,648 26.0 10.3 36.3
Year 3 2021 84,534 69,337 26.2 10.4 36.6
Year 4 2022 84,962 70,026 26.3 10.5 36.8
Year 5 2023 85,390 70,715 26.4 10.6 37.0
Year 6 2024 85,818 71,404 26.6 10.7 37.3
Year 7 2025 86,246 72,093 26.7 10.8 37.5
Year 8 2026 86,673 72,782 26.8 10.9 37.7
Year 9 2027 87,101 73,471 27.0 11.0 38.0
Year 10 2028 87,529 74,160 27.1 11.1 38.2
Ten-Year Increase 4,279 6,890 1.3 1.0 2.3
Projected Expenditure $19,500 $15,000 $34,500
Growth-Related Expenditure on Trail Improvements $34,500
Recreational Facilities Inventory and Level of Service
There are five recreational facilities in the City of Portland’s Park and Recreation system included in the
impact fee analysis. The facilities total 111,273 square feet.
To calculate the current level of service for recreational facilities, the existing floor area is allocated to
residential and nonresidential demand based on the percentage split of impact days. The residential floor
area is divided by the current peak population of Portland (83,250) to calculate the level of service per
person. The nonresidential floor area is divided by the current jobs in the City (67,270) to calculate the
level of service per job. As a result, there are 0.96 square feet per person and 0.46 square feet per jobs.
The average cost per square foot ($272) is calculated by dividing the total replacement cost of
improvements by the total square feet of recreational facilities. The replacement cost per person and
replacement cost per job factors are calculated by applying the level of service factor to the average
replacement cost of per square foot (i.e. 0.96 square feet per person x $291 per square foot = $261 per
person, rounded).
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Figure 10. Recreational Facilities Level of Service & Cost Analysis
Square Replacement
Recreational Facilities Feet Cost
East End Community Center 23,500 $5,875,000
Peaks Island Community Center 2,000 $550,000
Portland Ice Arena 29,273 $3,125,896
Reiche Community Center 25,000 $8,750,000
Riverton Community Center 31,500 $11,970,000
Total 111,273 $30,270,896
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Pa rks a nd Recrea ti on
Residential Level-of-Service (LOS) Standard Nonresidential Level-of-Service (LOS) Standard
Share of Impact Days 72% Share of Impact Days 28%
Share of Rec. Square Feet 80,117 Share of Rec. Square Feet 31,156
2018 Peak Population 83,250 2018 Jobs 67,270
LOS: Square Feet per Person 0.96 LOS: Miles per 1,000 Jobs 0.46
Cost Analysis Cost Analysis
Costs per Square Foot $272 Costs per Square Foot $272
LOS: Square Feet per Person 0.96 LOS: Miles per 1,000 Jobs 0.46
Replacement Cost per Person $261 Replacement Cost per Job $125
Recreational Facility Growth-Related Needs
To estimate the 10-year growth needs for recreational facilities, the current level of service (0.96 square
feet per person and 0.46 square feet per job) is applied to the population and employment growth
projected for the City of Portland. The City’s peak population is projected to increase by 4,279 and the
City’s employment is projected to increase by 6,890 jobs over the next ten years (see Appendix A). Listed
in Figure 11, there will need to be a total of 118,141 square feet of recreational facilities in the City to
accommodate the growth, which results in a need of 7,277 new square feet. By applying the average
replacement cost for recreation facilities ($272 per square foot), the total expenditure for the growth is
calculated (7,277 square feet x $272 = $1,979,344).
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Figure 11. 10-Year Recreational Facilities Needs to Accommodate Growth
Type of Infrastructure Level of Service Demand Unit Unit Cost / Sq. Ft.
Recreational Residential 0.96 per person
Square Feet $272
Facilities Nonresidential 0.46 per jobs
Growth-Related Need for Park Improvements
Residential Nonresidential Total
Year Population Jobs
Square Feet Square Feet Square Feet
Base 2018 83,250 67,270 79,920 30,944 110,864
Year 1 2019 83,678 67,959 80,331 31,261 111,592
Year 2 2020 84,106 68,648 80,741 31,578 112,319
Year 3 2021 84,534 69,337 81,152 31,895 113,047
Year 4 2022 84,962 70,026 81,563 32,212 113,775
Year 5 2023 85,390 70,715 81,974 32,529 114,503
Year 6 2024 85,818 71,404 82,384 32,846 115,230
Year 7 2025 86,246 72,093 82,795 33,163 115,958
Year 8 2026 86,673 72,782 83,206 33,480 116,686
Year 9 2027 87,101 73,471 83,617 33,797 117,414
Year 10 2028 87,529 74,160 84,027 34,114 118,141
Ten-Year Increase 4,279 6,890 4,107 3,170 7,277
Projected Expenditure $1,117,104 $862,240 $1,979,344
Growth-Related Expenditure on Park Improvements $1,979,344
Parks & Recreation Credit
Currently, the City of Portland has existing debt obligations from past Parks and Recreation projects. The
City of Portland’s Finance Department delineated the purposes for each of the City’s General Obligation
Bonds and summed the future principal and interest payments for Parks and Recreation projects. In Figure
12, the Parks and Recreation annual share of payments to all the existing bonds is listed through 2028.
The total annual payment schedule allocated to residential and nonresidential growth based on the impact
days proportional share split. The payments are divided by the City’s peak population and total
employment to find the debt cost per person and job. To account for the time value of money, annual
payments per capita are discounted using a net present value formula based on the applicable discount
(interest) rate. This results in a credit of $60 per person and $28 per job, rounded.
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Figure 12. Park and Recreation Debt per Person & per Job
Residential Credit Nonresidential Credit
Projected Payment/ ProjectedPayment/
Fiscal Year Payment Fiscal Year Payment
Population Person Jobs Job
Base Year $617,060 83,250 $7.41 Base Year $239,968 67,270 $3.57
2019 $715,720 83,678 $8.55 2019 $278,336 67,959 $4.10
2020 $676,719 84,106 $8.05 2020 $263,169 68,648 $3.83
2021 $628,339 84,534 $7.43 2021 $244,354 69,337 $3.52
2022 $606,452 84,962 $7.14 2022 $235,842 70,026 $3.37
2023 $554,947 85,390 $6.50 2023 $215,813 70,715 $3.05
2024 $478,117 85,818 $5.57 2024 $185,935 71,404 $2.60
2025 $461,771 86,246 $5.35 2025 $179,578 72,093 $2.49
2026 $434,672 86,673 $5.02 2026 $169,039 72,782 $2.32
2027 $386,672 87,101 $4.44 2027 $150,372 73,471 $2.05
2028 $364,280 87,529 $4.16 2028 $141,665 74,160 $1.91
Total $5,924,749 $69.62 Total $2,304,071 $32.81
Discount Rate 3.00% Discount Rate 3.00%
Credit per Person $60 Credit per Job $28
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Fi na nce Depa rtment Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Fi na nce Depa rtment
Parks & Recreation Impact Fee
Figure 13 shows the cost factors for each component of the City of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Impact
Fee. Impact fees for parks and recreation are based on household size for residential development (i.e.,
persons per housing unit), jobs per 1,000 square feet for nonresidential development, and persons per
room for hotel development. The fee components are calculated per person and per job, so by multiplying
the total cost per person by the household size, for example, calculates the maximum defensible fee for
residential development.
The fees represent the highest amount defensible for residential and nonresidential development, which
represents new growth’s fair share of the cost for capital facilities. The City may adopt fees that are less
than the amounts shown. However, a reduction in impact fee revenue will necessitate an increase in other
revenues, a decrease in planned capital expenditures, and/or a decrease in levels of service.
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Figure 13. Maximum Defensible Park & Recreation Impact Fee
Fee Cost Cost
Component per Person per Job
Parks $267 $129
Single-Track Trails $5 $2
Rec. Facilities $261 $125
Debt Service Credit ($60) ($28)
TOTAL $473 $228
Residential (per housing unit)
Persons per Maximum
Type of Unit
Household Defensible Fee
Single Family/Duplex 2.38 $1,126
Multifamily 1.59 $752
Nonresidential (per 1,000 square feet)
Jobs per 1,000 Maximum
Type of Unit
Square Feet Defensible Fee
Retail & Service 2.34 $534
Office 2.97 $677
Industrial 1.59 $363
Institutional 2.83 $645
Nonresidential (per room)
Persons per Maximum
Type of Unit
Room Defensible Fee
Hotel 1.85 $875
Revenue from Parks & Recreation Impact Fee
Revenue from the City’s Parks & Recreation Impact Fee is estimated in Figure 14. There is projected to be
an increase of 4,279 in peak population and 6,890 jobs in Portland by 2028. By multiplying the growth by
the capital cost per person and per job, the projected revenue is calculated. In total, the impact fee will
generate $3.6 million in revenue. The revenue covers 89 percent of the capital costs generated by
projected growth in the City of Portland. Revenue from the fee is expected to not cover all growth-related
costs since the credit lessens the fee by about 11 percent.
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Figure 14. Estimated Revenue from Parks & Recreation Impact Fee
Total Cost to Cost Attributable
Maintain LOS to Growth
Parks $2,028,229 $2,028,229
Single-Track Trails $34,500 $34,500
Rec Facilities $1,979,344 $1,979,344
Total Expenditures $4,042,073 $4,042,073
Projected Development Impact Fee Revenue
Capital Cost Capital Cost
per Person per Job
$473 $228
Year Population Jobs
Base 2018 83,250 67,270
Year 1 2019 83,678 67,959
Year 2 2020 84,106 68,648
Year 3 2021 84,534 69,337
Year 4 2022 84,962 70,026
Year 5 2023 85,390 70,715
Year 6 2024 85,818 71,404
Year 7 2025 86,246 72,093
Year 8 2026 86,673 72,782
Year 9 2027 87,101 73,471
Year 10 2028 87,529 74,160
Ten-Year Increase 4,279 6,890
Projected Revenue => $2,023,810 $1,570,948
Projected Revenue => $3,594,757
Total Expenditures => $4,042,073
General Fund's Share => $447,316
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TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES IMPACT FEE
To calculate the City of Portland’s Transportation Impact Fee, a plan-based methodology is used. The
methodology for is shown in Figure 15. To calculate the impact amounts for residential and nonresidential
development, trip generation rates by type of development are multiplied by the capital cost per person
trip. The methodology includes trip adjustment factors for pass-by trips. The diagram reads like an outline,
with lower levels providing a more detailed breakdown of the capital impact components. The capital cost
of road improvements is based on three components: capacity improvements to multimodal facilities,
improvements to signals, and a credit for future debt payments. Growth’s share of future transportation
projects needed within the next 10 years are allocated to the increase in person trips at the end of the 10-
year planning horizon.
Figure 15. Transportation Capital Impact Methodology Chart
TRANSPORTATION IMPACT FEE
Residential & Nonresidential
Development
Average Weekday Person Trip
Ends by Land Use
Multiplied by Adjustment
Factors
Multiplied by Capital Cost Per
Person Trip
Plan-Based Capital Cost
Capacity Improvements to
Multimodal Facilities
Capacity Improvements to
Signals
Credit for Future Debt
Payments
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Person Trips
Portland is a unique community with residents and workers using varying modes to travel. In general, an
impact fee study calculates future developments’ impact on the City’s transportation infrastructure. In
suburban, greenfield communities that concentrate on roadway expansion to accommodate new vehicles,
a development’s impact is best estimated by calculating the new vehicle trips or vehicle miles traveled
(VMT) generated by the development. However, based on the urban environment and residents’ travel
behaviors, a multimodal approach is necessary for the City of Portland. This is also consistent with the
capital improvements identified in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan. As such, the multimodal approach
will calculate the daily person trips generated by the varying development types in the study. To encompass
the varying modes of travel used in Portland, the methodology includes persons per vehicle trip, transit
trip, and non-motorized trips.
In the base year, residential land uses generate 223,734 person trips (30 percent) and nonresidential land
uses generate 511,437 person trips (70 percent) in the City of Portland. Through 2028, there will be an
increase of 47,721 daily person trips in Portland. The increase in daily person trips will be applied to
growth’s share of the capital cost for transportation facilities to calculate the capital cost per person trip
factor. Further explanation and calculations can be found in Appendix A.
Transportation Level of Service and Cost Factors
Below, the City of Portland’s capital cost per person trip for multimodal facilities and signals are calculated.
Additionally, a credit for debt payments on past transportation projects is necessary.
Need for Multimodal Improvements and Facilities
The City of Portland has determined that additional growth-related improvements are necessary to
accommodate future transportation demand. Listed in Figure 16, there are ten multimodal projects in the
City’s Capital Improvement Plan that have some element of growth-related costs. In the last two columns
of the figure, future growth’s percentage share and dollar amount of each project is shown. In total, new
growth’s share of multimodal capital improvements equals $7,265,000.
Found at the bottom of Figure 16, growth’s cost is divided by the 10-year increase in person trips. This
results in a capital cost per person trip of $152, rounded.
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Figure 16. Growth-Related Multimodal Projects
Length of Project Growth's
Project Readiness (linear feet) Total City Cost Share Growth's Cost
W. Commercial Street Path High 5,000 $750,000 50% $375,000
Thames Street High 1,200 $1,450,000 25% $362,500
Franklin Street: I-295 to Somerset High 700 $4,050,000 75% $3,037,500
Congress Square Intersection Construction High 650 $1,300,000 25% $325,000
Marginal Way: Hanover to Plowman High 5,600 $1,000,000 25% $250,000
Kennebec Street Realignment at Forest Avenue High 450 $500,000 50% $250,000
Somerset Street High 1,800 $1,500,000 50% $750,000
Forest Avenue (Morrill's Corner Intersections) High 1,600 $2,280,000 50% $1,140,000
Brighton Avenue High 13,000 $1,100,000 25% $275,000
Washington Avenue Rehabilitation High 1,500 $2,000,000 25% $500,000
TOTAL 31,500 $15,930,000 $7,265,000
Growth's Cost of Transportation Projects $7,265,000
10-Year Increase in Average Daily Person Trips 47,721
Capital Cost per Trip $152
Need for Signal Improvements and Facilities
Listed in Figure 17, there are two signal projects in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan that have some
element of growth-related costs. In the last two columns of the figure, future growth’s percentage share
and dollar amount of each project is shown. In total, new growth’s share of signal capital improvements
equals $8,031,250.
Found at the bottom of Figure 17, growth’s cost is divided by the 10-year increase in person trips. This
results in a capital cost per person trip of $168, rounded.
Figure 17. Growth-Related Signal Projects
Project Readiness Total Cost Growth's Share Growth's Cost
Modernize Signal Systems High $9,375,000 75% $7,031,250
Arterial Street Crossings High $2,000,000 50% $1,000,000
TOTAL $11,375,000 $8,031,250
Growth's Cost of Transportation Projects $8,031,250
10-Year Increase in Average Daily Person Trips 47,721
Capital Cost per Trip $168
Transportation Credit
Currently, the City of Portland has existing debt obligations from past transportation projects. In Figure 18,
the City of Portland’s Finance Department delineated the purposes for each of the City’s General Obligation
Bonds and summed the future principal and interest payments for transportation projects.
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The total annual payment schedule is divided by the City’s projected person trips to find the debt per
person trip factor. To account for the time value of money, annual payments per trip are discounted using
a net present value formula based on the applicable discount (interest) rate. This results in a credit of
$41.00 per person trip, rounded.
Figure 18. Transportation Debt per Person Trip
Projected
Payment/
Fiscal Year Payment Ave. Daily
Person Trip
Person Trips
Base Year $3,751,763 735,171 $5.10
2019 $4,314,139 739,943 $5.83
2020 $4,060,134 744,715 $5.45
2021 $3,772,123 749,487 $5.03
2022 $3,633,359 754,260 $4.82
2023 $3,323,658 759,032 $4.38
2024 $2,916,044 763,804 $3.82
2025 $2,815,726 768,576 $3.66
2026 $2,591,944 773,348 $3.35
2027 $2,374,976 778,120 $3.05
2028 $2,147,023 782,892 $2.74
Total $35,700,889 $47.24
Discount Rate 3.00%
Total Credit per Person Trip $41.00
Transportation Impact Fee
Figure 19 shows the cost factors for each component of the City of Portland’s Transportation Impact Fee.
Impact fees for transportation projects are based on person trips per unit for residential development,
person trips per 1,000 square feet for nonresidential development, and person trips per room for hotel
development. The fee components are calculated per person trip, so by multiplying the total cost per
person by the trip generation factor calculates the maximum defensible fee.
The fees represent the highest amount defensible for residential and nonresidential development, which
represents new growth’s fair share of the cost for capital facilities. The City may adopt fees that are less
than the amounts shown. However, a reduction in impact fee revenue will necessitate an increase in other
revenues, a decrease in planned capital expenditures, and/or a decrease in levels of service.
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Figure 19. Maximum Defensible Transportation Impact Fee
Input Variables Cost per Trip for Multimodal Projects => $152
Cost per Trip for Signals => $168
Debt Service Credit per Trip => ($41)
Capital Cost per Person Trip $279
Avg Wkdy Person Trip Rate Maximum
Development Type
Trip Ends Adjustment Defensible Fee
Residential (per housing unit)
Single Family/Duplex 13.34 58% $2,159
Multifamily 6.32 58% $1,023
Nonresidential (per 1,000 square feet of floor area)
Retail & Service 77.80 38% $8,248
Office 20.07 50% $2,800
Industrial 8.10 50% $1,130
Institutional 22.09 50% $3,082
Nonresidential (per room)
Hotel/Motel 17.23 50% $2,404
Revenue from Transportation Impact Fee
Revenue from the City’s Transportation Impact Fee is estimated in Figure 20. There is projected to be 2,870
new housing units and 2,773,000 square feet of nonresidential development in Portland by 2028. To find
the revenue generated by residential and nonresidential development, the growth is multiplied by the
corresponding impact fee. For example, future single family/Two-family residential development is
projected to generate $716,788 in revenue from the transportation impact fees (332 new housing units x
$2,159 = $716,788). The revenue covers 87 percent of the capital costs generated by projected growth in
the City of Portland. The revenue is expected to not cover all of growth’s costs since the credit for future
debt payments lessens the net capital cost per person trip by about 13 percent.
Note: revenue from hotel development is not estimated because of the difficulty of projecting new hotel
rooms.
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City of Portland, Maine
Figure 20. Estimated Revenue from Transportation Impact Fee
Cost Attributable
Total Cost to Growth
Multimodal Projects $15,930,000 $7,265,000
Signals $11,375,000 $8,031,250
Total Expenditures $27,305,000 $15,296,250
Projected Transportation Impact Fee Revenue
Single Retail &
Family/Duplex Multifamily Service Office Industrial Institutional
Year Housing Units Housing Units 1,000 Sq. Ft. 1,000 Sq. Ft. 1,000 Sq. Ft. 1,000 Sq. Ft.
Base 2018 21,047 16,575 9,817 9,318 7,225 8,909
Year 1 2019 21,080 16,829 9,874 9,403 7,289 8,980
Year 2 2020 21,113 17,083 9,931 9,489 7,353 9,050
Year 3 2021 21,147 17,336 9,988 9,574 7,418 9,121
Year 4 2022 21,180 17,590 10,045 9,660 7,482 9,191
Year 5 2023 21,213 17,844 10,102 9,745 7,546 9,262
Year 6 2024 21,246 18,098 10,159 9,830 7,611 9,332
Year 7 2025 21,279 18,352 10,216 9,916 7,675 9,402
Year 8 2026 21,313 18,605 10,273 10,001 7,739 9,473
Year 9 2027 21,346 18,859 10,330 10,087 7,804 9,543
Year 10 2028 21,379 19,113 10,387 10,172 7,868 9,614
Ten-Year Increase 332 2,538 571 854 643 704
Transportation Impact Fee $2,159 $1,023 $8,248 $2,800 $1,130 $3,082
Revenue Subtotal $716,788 $2,596,374 $4,709,608 $2,391,200 $726,590 $2,169,728
Source: TischlerBise analysis
Projected Revenue => $13,310,288
Total Expenditures => $15,296,250
General Fund's Share => $1,985,962
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WASTEWATER FACILITIES IMPACT FEE
To calculate the City of Portland’s Wastewater Impact Fee, a plan-based methodology is used. The
methodology for the fee is shown in Figure 21. To calculate the impact amounts for residential and
nonresidential development, the wastewater flow for an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) is calculated.
The ERU is set to the average flow of a wastewater account with a water meter of 5/8 inches. The diagram
reads like an outline, with lower levels providing a more detailed breakdown of the fee impact components.
The capital cost of wastewater improvements is based future growth’s share of capital projects in the City
of Portland’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Growth’s share of future wastewater projects needed within
the next 10 years are allocated to the increase in wastewater flow at the end of the 10-year planning
horizon.
Figure 21. Wastewater Capital Impact Methodology Chart
WASTEWATER IMPACT FEE
Residential & Nonresidential
Development
Wastewater Flow from Equivalent
Residential Unit (ERU)
Multiplied by Capital Cost Per
Gallon
Plan-Based Capital Cost
Growth Related Costs for
Capacity Improvements
Credit for Future Debt
Payment
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Wastewater Level of Service and Cost Factors
Water and sewer account data has been provided by the Portland Water District and the City’s Public
Works Department. With the database, residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional wastewater
usage is calculated. Additionally, with account data, the wastewater usage of an Equivalent Residential
Unit (ERU) is calculated as well. The ERU is the estimate of the daily average wastewater usage from a
household with a water meter that is 5/8 inches. In the impact fee calculation, a capacity ratio factor is
applied when calculating the wastewater usage and resulting impact fee for developments with larger
meters.
Current Wastewater Usage
Shown in Figure 22, on average there is a total of 5.7 million gallons per day of wastewater flowing through
the City’s sewer system from these four development types. The majority of the wastewater flows from
residential development, but commercial development creates a significant demand as well.
Figure 22. City of Portland’s Daily Wastewater Usage
Base Year
Development Type (gals/day) %
Residential 2,933,364 52%
Commercial 1,998,656 35%
Industrial 542,244 10%
Institutional 187,205 3%
Total 5,661,470 100%
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Publ i c Works
Depa rtment
Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU)
The wastewater component of the impact fee study will use the average daily wastewater flow for
residential units that have a 5/8-inch water meter to represent the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). To
calculate the ERU, the wastewater account database is filtered by active residential accounts that use the
City’s sewer system. Additionally, the database is further limited by only year-round accounts. These
accounts are occupied households that reside in Portland permanently. Year-round accounts are
approximated by accounts that have activity every month. Illustrated in Figure 23, there is an average of
61 hundred cubic feet (HCF) of wastewater per year from a year-round, active residential account flowing
into the City’s sewer system. That equates to an average of 126 gallons per day, rounded.
Figure 23. Equivalent Residential Unit
Meter Size Total Water Active Annual Average per Annual Average Daily Average
(inches) (HCF) Accounts Account (HCF) (gallons) (gallons)
5/8 866,230 14,134 61 45,846 126
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Publ i c Works Depa rtment; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Note: Provi ded da ta mea s ured wa s tewa ter tota l s i n hundred cubi c feet (HCF), equa l to 748.05 ga l l ons
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Need for Wastewater Improvements and Facilities
The City of Portland has determined that additional growth-related improvements are necessary to accommodate future wastewater flow. Listed
in Figure 24, there are eight wastewater projects in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan that have some element of growth-related costs. In the
last two columns of the figure future growth’s percentage share and dollar amount of each project is shown. In total, new growth’s share of
wastewater capital improvements and facilities equals $8,944,750.
Found at the bottom of Figure 24, growth’s cost is divided by the 10-year increase in wastewater flow. This results in a capital cost per gallon of
$22.19, rounded. Further explanation and calculations of the projected increase in wastewater flow can be found in Appendix A.
Figure 24. Growth-Related Wastewater Projects
Growth's Growth's
Project Title Total Share Cost
CSO - Close CSO #42 $2,000,000 10% $200,000
CSO - Mackworth Street and Ocean Avenue Sewer Separation Project $6,850,000 10% $685,000
CSO - Dartmouth Street Sewer Separation Project $2,520,000 10% $252,000
CMOM - Inflow and Infiltration Program $4,050,000 50% $2,025,000
CMOM - Pump Station Rehabilitation $3,350,000 25% $837,500
Eastern Waterfront Sewer / Stormwater Extension & Outfall (Thames St) $1,025,000 85% $871,250
Franklin Street Storm Drain $5,300,000 75% $3,975,000
Warren Ave Storm Drain - 517 Warren Ave to 659 Warren Ave $990,000 10% $99,000
TOTAL $26,085,000 $8,944,750
Growth's Cost of Wastewater Projects $8,944,750
10-Year Increase in Wastewater Flow (gallons) 403,049
Capital Cost per Gallon $22.19
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Wastewater Credit
Currently, the City of Portland has existing debt obligations from past wastewater projects. In Figure 25,
the City of Portland’s Finance Department delineated the purposes for each of the City’s General Obligation
Bonds and summed the future principal and interest payments for wastewater projects.
The total annual payment schedule is divided by the City’s projected wastewater flow to find the debt
payment per gallon. To account for the time value of money, annual payments per gallon are discounted
using a net present value formula based on the applicable discount (interest) rate. This results in a credit
of $7.22 per gallon, rounded.
Figure 25. Wastewater Debt Payment per Gallon
Projected
Payment/
Fiscal Year Payment Wastewater
Gallon
Flow (gals)
Base Year $4,984,702 5,661,470 $0.88
2019 $5,301,355 5,701,775 $0.93
2020 $5,185,898 5,742,080 $0.90
2021 $5,039,052 5,782,385 $0.87
2022 $4,943,283 5,822,690 $0.85
2023 $4,435,393 5,862,995 $0.76
2024 $4,084,329 5,903,299 $0.69
2025 $4,023,542 5,943,604 $0.68
2026 $3,924,669 5,983,909 $0.66
2027 $3,833,159 6,024,214 $0.64
2028 $3,671,719 6,064,519 $0.61
Total $49,427,101 $8.47
Discount Rate 3.00%
Total Credit per Gallon $7.22
Wastewater Impact Fee
Figure 26 shows the cost factors for each component of the Wastewater Impact Fee. The impact fee for
wastewater is based on the total capital cost per gallon and the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). For
meters that are larger than 5/8 inches, a capacity ratio is applied. The water capacity for each meter size is
provided by the American Water Works Association, see Appendix C. The maximum defensible fee for a
5/8-inch meter is $1,886 ($14.97 per gallon x 126 gallons per day = $1,886, rounded).
The fees represent the highest amount defensible for each meter size, which represents new growth’s fair
share of the cost for capital facilities. The City may adopt fees that are less than the amounts shown.
However, a reduction in impact fee revenue will necessitate an increase in other revenues, a decrease in
planned capital expenditures, and/or a decrease in levels of service.
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Figure 26. Maximum Defensible Wastewater Impact Fee
Growth Capital Cost per Gallon => $22.19
Debt Service Credit per Gallon => ($7.22)
Capital Cost per Gallon of Capacity => $14.97
Max Daily Gallons per ERU => 126
Meter Size Maximum
Capacity Ratio
(inches) Defensible Fee
All Development (per meter)
5/8 1.00 $1,886
3/4 1.50 $2,829
1 2.50 $4,715
1.5 5.00 $9,430
2 8.00 $15,088
3 16.00 $30,176
6 50.00 $94,300
8 80.00 $150,880
Source: American Water Works Association, Principles
of Water Rates, Fees, and Charges, M1, 7th ed., 2017;
TischlerBise analysis
Revenue from Wastewater Impact Fee
Revenue from the City’s Wastewater Impact Fee is estimated in Figure 27. There is projected to be 4,279
new residents and 6,890 new jobs in Portland by 2028. To find the revenue generated by residential and
nonresidential development, the growth is multiplied by the average daily wastewater flow per person or
job and the capital cost per gallon. For example, future residential development is projected to generate
$2,254,793 in wastewater impact fees (4,279 new residents x 35.2 wastewater gallons x $14.97 =
$2,254,793). The revenue covers 72 percent of the capital costs generated by projected growth in the City
of Portland. The revenue is not expected to cover all growth-related costs since the credit for future debt
payments lessens the net capital cost per gallon by about 30 percent.
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Figure 27. Estimated Revenue from Wastewater Impact Fee
Cost Attributable
Total Cost to Growth
Wastewater Facilities $26,085,000 $8,944,750
Total Expenditures $26,085,000 $8,944,750
Projected Wastewater Impact Fee Revenue
Residential Nonresidential
Year Population Jobs
Base 2018 83,250 67,270
Year 1 2019 83,678 67,959
Year 2 2020 84,106 68,648
Year 3 2021 84,534 69,337
Year 4 2022 84,962 70,026
Year 5 2023 85,390 70,715
Year 6 2024 85,818 71,404
Year 7 2025 86,246 72,093
Year 8 2026 86,673 72,782
Year 9 2027 87,101 73,471
Year 10 2028 87,529 74,160
Ten-Year Increase 4,279 6,890
Water Demand, per Pop./Job 35.2 40.6
Cost per Gallon $14.97 $14.97
Revenue Subtotal $2,254,793 $4,187,618
Source: Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Projected Revenue => $6,442,411
Total Expenditures => $8,944,750
General Fund's Share => $2,502,339
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IMPLEMENTATION AND ADMINISTRATION
Impact fees should be periodically evaluated and updated to reflect recent data. City of Portland will
continue to adjust for inflation. If cost estimates or demand indicators change significantly, the City should
redo the fee calculations.
Credits and Reimbursements
A general requirement that is common to impact fee methodologies is the evaluation of credits. A credit
has been included in this fee study to avoid potential double payment situations arising from one-time
impact fees plus on-going payment of other revenues that may also fund growth-related capital
improvements.
Policies and procedures related to site-specific credits should be addressed in the resolution or ordinance
that establishes the impact fees. Project-level improvements, required as part of the development
approval process, are not eligible for credits against impact fees. If a developer constructs a system
improvement included in the fee calculations, it will be necessary to either reimburse the developer or
provide a credit against the fees due from that particular development. The latter option is more difficult
to administer because it creates unique fees for specific geographic areas.
Service Area
An impact fee service area is a region in which a defined set of improvements provide benefit to an
identifiable amount of new development. Within a service area, all new development of a type (single
family, commercial, etc.) is assessed at the same impact fee rate. Land use assumptions and impact fees
are each defined in terms of this geography, so that capital facility demand, projects needed to meet that
demand, and capital facility cost are all quantified in the same terms. Impact fee revenue collected within
a service area is required to be spent within that service area.
Implementation of a large number of small service areas is problematic. Administration is complicated
and, because funds collected within the service area must be spent within that area multiple service areas,
may make it impossible to accumulate sufficient revenue to fund any projects within the time allowed.
As part of our analysis of the City of Portland and the type of facilities and improvements included in the
impact fee calculation, TischlerBise has determined that a citywide service area is appropriate.
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APPENDIX A: LAND USE ASSUMPTIONS
Population and Housing Characteristics
Impact fees often use per capita standards and persons per housing unit or persons per household to
derive proportionate share fee amounts. Housing types have varying household sizes and, consequently,
a varying demand on City infrastructure and services. Thus, it is important to differentiate between
housing types and size.
When persons per housing unit (PPHU) is used in the fee calculations, infrastructure standards are derived
using year-round population. In contrast, when persons per household (PPHH) is used in the fee
calculations, the fee methodology assumes all housing units will be occupied, thus requiring seasonal or
peak population to be used when deriving infrastructure standards. From the Maine Office of Tourism,
the Greater Portland and Casco Bay region saw 5.4 million visitors in 2016. As a result, it is not just
permanent residents occupying housing units in Portland. In response, City infrastructure and operating
service levels are sized to accommodate not just permanent residents, but seasonal residents, seasonal
workers, and visitors as well. Thus, TischlerBise recommends that fees for residential development in the
City of Portland be imposed according to the persons per household (PPHH).
Persons per household (PPHH) will be held constant over the projection period since the study represents
a “snapshot approach” of current levels of service and costs. Based on household characteristics,
TischlerBise recommends using two housing unit categories for the impact fee study: (1) Single Family and
(2) Multifamily. “Single family/Two-family” units include single family detached, single family attached,
two-families, and mobile homes, as defined in the City’s land use code. Multifamily units include
structures with more than 2 units. Figure 28 shows the US Census, American Community Survey 2016 5-
Year Estimates data for the City of Portland. Single family/two-family units have a household size of 2.38
persons per unit and multifamily units have a household size of 1.59 persons per unit.
Additionally, single family/Two-family units have a vacancy rate of 9.8 percent and are 70 percent of the
housing stock in Portland. Multifamily units have a vacancy rate of 9.4 percent and are 30 percent of the
housing stock in Portland.
Figure 28. Persons per Household
House- Persons per Housing Persons per Housing Vacancy
Type of Structure Persons
holds Household Units Housing Unit Mix Rate
Single Family/Duplex Unit1 50,010 21,052 2.38 23,338 2.14 69.8% 9.8%
2
Multifamily Unit 14,542 9,149 1.59 10,098 1.44 30.2% 9.4%
Total 64,552 30,201 2.14 33,436 1.93 9.7%
Source: Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s ; U.S. Cens us Burea u, 2012-2016 Ameri ca n Communi ty Survey, 5-Yea r Es ti ma tes
[1] Incl udes deta ched, a tta ched, dupl exes , a nd mobi l e home uni ts .
[2] Incl udes s tructures wi th more tha n 2 uni ts .
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Base Year Population and Housing Units
Permanent Residents
Along with the population estimate for residents in single family and multifamily units, the American
Community Survey provides population estimates for those residing in group quarters (i.e. student
housing and military residents). Found in Figure 29, the household population and group quarters are
considered the City’s permanent population. In 2016 it is estimated that the permanent population was
66,627.
Figure 29. Permanent Population, 2016
Type of Structure Persons %
Single Family/Duplex Unit 50,010 75.1%
Multifamily Unit 14,542 21.8%
Group Quarters 2,075 3.1%
Total 66,627 100.0%
Source: U.S. Cens us Burea u, 2012-2016 Ameri ca n
Communi ty Survey, 5-Yea r Es ti ma tes
In the recently published Portland’s Plan 2030, several population growth scenarios, modeled by the
Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), are played out. The comprehensive plan shows that
a medium-level growth scenario would result in a 2030 population of 71,374. Using this projection for the
impact fee study, by 2030 the City of Portland is forecasted to have a permanent population of 71,374. To
estimate the City’s population in the interim years, a straight-line approach is used. Figure 30 illustrates
the growth in permanent population. In the base year, 2018, there is estimated to be 67,305 permanent
residents in Portland.
Figure 30. Base Year Permanent Population
5-Year Increments
Base Year Total
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2025 2030 Increase
Permanent Population 66,627 66,966 67,305 67,644 67,983 69,679 71,374 4,747
Percent Increase 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 7.1%
Source: U.S. Cens us Burea u, 2012-2016 Ameri ca n Communi ty Survey, 5-Yea r Es ti ma tes ; Ci ty of
Portl a nd Pl a nni ng Depa rtment; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Seasonal Residents
As mentioned, the impact fee study will be using a peak population of Portland because of the large
tourism industry. It is assumed that City infrastructure and services are sized to serve a peak population
not just the permanent population. In this case, two additional populations need to be calculated:
seasonal and visitor. The seasonal population includes residents who have second homes in Portland and
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the seasonal labor influx during peak tourism months. The visitor population includes overnight and day
visitors.
To calculate the seasonal population, the study assumes full occupancy of the housing units in the city.
From the US Census data, in 2016, there were 2,286 vacant single family/Two-family homes and 949
vacant multifamily homes. The seasonal population is calculated by multiplying the units by the
corresponding the persons per household factor (PPHH). In 2016, there was a seasonal population of
6,950.
Figure 31. Seasonal Population, 2016
Vacant Persons per Seasonal
Type of Structure
Units Household Population
Single Family/Duplex Unit1 2,286 2.38 5,441
2
Multifamily Unit 949 1.59 1,509
Total 3,235 2.15 6,950
Source: Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s ; U.S. Cens us Burea u, 2012-2016
Ameri ca n Communi ty Survey, 5-Yea r Es ti ma tes
[1] Incl udes deta ched, a tta ched, dupl exes , a nd mobi l e home uni ts .
[2] Incl udes s tructures wi th more tha n 2 uni ts .
Seasonal Visitors
The visitor population for Portland is found by first analyzing the state and regional totals. In 2016, there
were 41.2 million visitors to Maine. The majority of the visitors came in the summer, resulting in the
average daily number of visitors in the summer being 185 percent of the annual average.
Figure 32. State of Maine Visitor Totals, 2016
Average Daily Percent of
Season Total Visitors Visitors Annual Ave.
Winter 5,615,670 46,156 41%
Summer 25,328,066 208,176 185%
Fall 10,230,660 84,088 75%
Total 41,174,396 112,807 100%
Source: Ma i ne Offi ce of Touri s m, 2016 Calendar Year Annual Report
According to the Maine Office of Tourism (MOT), there were 5,360,000 visitors (overnight and day visitors)
to the Greater Portland and Casco Bay Region in 2016. Results of the MOT’s visitor survey indicate that
the Portland’s Waterfront was the top attraction for 33 percent of overnight visitors and for 30 percent
of day visitors. The study will use a conservative method and use these percentages to allocate the
regional visitor total to the City of Portland.
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In Figure 33 the City of Portland’s daily peak visitor population is calculated. The estimated total of
overnight visitors to Portland is 745,800. The estimated total of day visitors to Portland is 930,000. As a
result, the total annual visitors to the City of Portland is 1,675,800, or an average of 4,591 per day. Found
above, during the summer statewide, the visitor population spikes to 185 percent of the annual average.
This factor is applied to the City’s average to calculate the daily peak season visitor total. As a result, in
2016, it is estimated that the City of Portland’s daily peak season visitor population was 8,473.
Figure 33. City of Portland Peak Season Visitor Population, 2016
Overnight Visitors to Region 2,260,000
City's Proportion of Region 33%
Overnight Visitors to Portland 745,800
Day Visitors to Region 3,100,000
City's Proportion of Region 30%
Day Visitors to Portland 930,000
Total Annual Visitors to Portland 1,675,800
Average Daily Visitors 4,591
Peak Season Multipler 185%
Daily Peak Season Visitor Total 8,473
Source: Ma i ne Offi ce of Touri s m, 2016;
Ti s chl erBi s e Ana l ys i s
The study assumes that the visitor population will have a positive relationship and follow the permanent
population’s growth. From 2016 to 2018 there is a 1.02 percent increase in permanent population in
Portland; this is applied to the visitor population to calculate the base year total. It is assumed that during
the peak seasonal period the City’s seasonal population (seasonal residents and workers) occupies the
vacant housing units. As a result, the seasonal population is calculated based on housing growth,
described in the next section of the report. In 2018, it is estimated that the peak population for the City
of Portland is 83,250.
Figure 34. Base Year Peak Population
Base Year
2016 2017 2018
Peak Population
Permanent 66,627 66,966 67,305
Seasonal 6,950 7,168 7,386
Visitor 8,473 8,516 8,559
Total 82,049 82,650 83,250
Source: Ti s chl eBi s e a na l ys i s
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Base Year Housing Stock
To understand the housing growth in the City of Portland, the building permit data from the last five years
is collected in Figure 35. Over the past 5 years there has been an increase of 1,435 housing units in
Portland and, on average, there have been 33 single family/Two-family and 254 multifamily housing units
constructed annually. It is assumed this trend will continue and the averages are used to project housing
development in the City of Portland.
Figure 35. Permitted Housing Units
Housing Type 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total Average
Single Family/Duplex 26 53 23 38 26 166 33
Multifamily 168 97 187 611 206 1,269 254
Total 194 150 210 649 232 1,435 287
Source: City of Portland Planning Department
By examining parcel data provided by the City with a GIS (Geographic Information System) software, the
base year housing stock is estimated in Figure 36. In total, 56 percent of the housing in the City of Portland
is single family/Two-family and 44 percent multifamily. Consistent with the City’s land use code, single
family units include single family detached, single family attached, Two-familyes, and mobile homes.
Multifamily units include structures with 3 or more units.
Figure 36. Base Year Housing Stock (Housing Units)
Base Year
Housing Type 2018 %
Single Family/Duplex 21,047 56%
Multifamily 16,575 44%
Total 37,622 100%
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd GIS Da ta
Population and Housing Unit Projections
Illustrated in Figure 37, by using the projections from Portland’s Plan 2030 for permanent population, a
growth of 3,391 residents is projected by 2028. The seasonal population is assumed to grow with housing
development. The vacancy rates found in Figure 28 are assumed to hold through the projection period
and the seasonal population is found by combining the estimated vacant units with the corresponding
PPHH factor. Lastly, to project the daily peak visitor population growth, the annual percent increase in
permanent population is applied. Overall, there is a peak population increase of 4,279. Of the total
population in 2028, 81 percent is permanent, 9 percent is seasonal, and 10 percent is visitor population.
To project the housing unit growth in Portland, the five-year annual average of building permits is used
(see Figure 35). Over the ten-year projection period, the housing stock in the city is estimated to increase
by 2,870 units (88 percent multifamily units).
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Figure 37. City of Portland Annual Residential Development Projections
Base Year Total
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Increase
Peak Population
Permanent 67,305 67,644 67,983 68,322 68,661 69,001 69,340 69,679 70,018 70,357 70,696 3,391
Seasonal 7,386 7,432 7,478 7,523 7,569 7,615 7,660 7,706 7,752 7,797 7,843 457
Visitor 8,559 8,602 8,645 8,688 8,731 8,775 8,818 8,861 8,904 8,947 8,990 431
Total 83,250 83,678 84,106 84,534 84,962 85,390 85,818 86,246 86,673 87,101 87,529 4,279
Housing Unit
Single Family/Duplex 21,047 21,080 21,113 21,147 21,180 21,213 21,246 21,279 21,313 21,346 21,379 332
Multifamily 16,575 16,829 17,083 17,336 17,590 17,844 18,098 18,352 18,605 18,859 19,113 2,538
Total 37,622 37,909 38,196 38,483 38,770 39,057 39,344 39,631 39,918 40,205 40,492 2,870
Source: Portl a nd's Pl a n 2030; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Current Employment and Nonresidential Floor Area
The impact fee study will include nonresidential development as well. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau’s web application, OnTheMap, there were 65,203 jobs in Portland in 2015. The education, health
care, and social assistance services accounted for the largest percentage of the total (26.2 percent).
Figure 38. Employment by Industry Sector, 2015
Industry Sector Employment %
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 18 0.0%
Utilities 395 0.6%
Construction 2,015 3.1%
Manufacturing 2,714 4.2%
Wholesale trade 2478 3.8%
Retail trade 5,302 8.1%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 2,065 3.2%
Information 1,529 2.3%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8,114 12.4%
Professional, scientific, mgmt. , admin., and waste mgmt. services 11,893 18.2%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 17,057 26.2%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 7,354 11.3%
Other services, except public administration 2,475 3.8%
Public administration 1,794 2.8%
Total 65,203 100.0%
Source: U.S. Cens us Burea u, OnTheMa p 2015
The fourteen industry sectors in Figure 38 have been compiled into four industries: retail, office, industrial,
and institutional. The City of Portland’s employment is pretty well dispersed between the industries, with
the institutional and office industries accounting for the highest percentages of employment, Figure 39.
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Figure 39. Employment by Industry, 2015
Industry Jobs %
Retail 12,656 19%
Office 24,011 37%
Industrial 9,685 15%
Institutional 18,851 29%
Total 65,203 100%
Source: U.S. Cens us Burea u, OnTheMa p 2015
Since the breakdown is for 2015, a projection is necessary to estimate the job totals for the base year. To
estimate the current employment in the City of Portland, employment projections from Portland Area
Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) are used. Based on employment projections at the Traffic
Analysis Zone (TAZ) level, PACTS forecast an employment increase of 27.5 percent from 2014 to 2040. The
annual percent increase of the PACTS projection is used to calculate the employment growth in Figure 40.
The breakdown by industry in Figure 39 is then applied to total increase to calculate the growth in each
industry. In the base year, it is estimated that there are 67,270 jobs in Portland.
Figure 40. Base Year Employment
Base Year
2015 2016 2017 2018
Employment
Retail 12,656 12,790 12,923 13,057
Office 24,011 24,265 24,518 24,772
Industrial 9,685 9,787 9,890 9,992
Institution 18,851 19,050 19,249 19,449
Total 65,203 65,892 66,581 67,270
Source: Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation
System (PACTS); TischlerBise analysis
Base year nonresidential floor area for the retail, office, industrial, and institutional industry sectors are
calculated with GIS parcel data provided by City staff. In Figure 41, there is a total of 35.3 million square
feet of nonresidential floor area in Portland in 2018, with all sectors accounting for at least 20 percent.
Additionally, the figure lists the City’s land use categories used to determine the floor area of each
industry.
Figure 41. Base Year Nonresidential Floor Area
Nonresidential
Industry Sq. Ft. % Land Use Categories
Retail 9,816,540 28% Multiuse Commercial, Retail & Personal Services
Office 9,317,766 26% Office & Business Services, Communications, Commercial Condos
Industrial 7,224,665 20% Manufacturing & Constr., Multiuse Ind., Transport., Warehouse, Wholesale
Institutional 8,909,498 25% Charitable, Government, Scientific Inst., Religious, Other Exempt by Law
Total 35,268,468 100%
Source: City of Portland GIS data
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Employment and Nonresidential Floor Area Projections
To project nonresidential floor area, square feet per employee factors from the Institute for
Transportation Engineer’s Trip Generation (2017) are used. To estimate the factor for retail, the shopping
center factor is used, for office the general office factor is used, for industrial the manufacturing factor is
used, and for institutional the hospital factor is used (Figure 42).
Figure 42. Institute of Transportation Engineers Nonresidential Land Use Factors
ITE Demand Emp Per Sq Ft
Code Land Use Unit Dmd Unit Per Emp
110 Light Industrial 1,000 Sq Ft 1.63 615
130 Industrial Park 1,000 Sq Ft 1.16 864
140 Manufacturing 1,000 Sq Ft 1.59 628
150 Warehousing 1,000 Sq Ft 0.34 2,902
254 Assisted Living bed 0.61 na
320 Motel room 0.13 na
520 Elementary School 1,000 Sq Ft 0.93 1,076
530 High School 1,000 Sq Ft 0.63 1,581
540 Community College student 0.08 na
550 University/College student 0.18 na
565 Day Care student 0.19 na
610 Hospital 1,000 Sq Ft 2.83 354
620 Nursing Home 1,000 Sq Ft 2.28 438
710 General Office (avg size) 1,000 Sq Ft 2.97 337
760 Research & Dev Center 1,000 Sq Ft 3.42 292
770 Business Park 1,000 Sq Ft 3.08 325
820 Shopping Center (avg size) 1,000 Sq Ft 2.34 427
Source: Tri p Genera ti on, Ins ti tute of Tra ns porta ti on Engi neers , 10th Edi ti on (2017)
Found in Figure 43, job growth over the next ten years is projected to follow PACTS’ annual percentage
increase forecast. In total, 6,890 new jobs are projected by 2028. Each industry sector is projected to have
an increase over 1,000 jobs, with office topping the four with an increase of 2,537 jobs.
To project floor area, the square foot per job factors are applied to the corresponding job totals. Over the
next ten years, it is projected that there will be a growth of 2.8 million nonresidential square feet in the
City of Portland. The office and institutional industries are projected to have the largest increases in floor
area, both over 700,000 square feet.
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Figure 43. Employment and Nonresidential Floor Area Projections
Base Year Total
Industry 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Increase
Employment
Retail 13,057 13,191 13,325 13,458 13,592 13,726 13,860 13,993 14,127 14,261 14,395 1,337
Office 24,772 25,026 25,280 25,533 25,787 26,041 26,295 26,548 26,802 27,056 27,309 2,537
Industrial 9,992 10,094 10,197 10,299 10,401 10,504 10,606 10,708 10,811 10,913 11,015 1,023
Institution 19,449 19,648 19,847 20,046 20,245 20,445 20,644 20,843 21,042 21,241 21,441 1,992
Total 67,270 67,959 68,648 69,337 70,026 70,715 71,404 72,093 72,782 73,471 74,160 6,890
Nonresidential Floor Area (1,000 sq. ft.)
Retail 9,817 9,874 9,931 9,988 10,045 10,102 10,159 10,216 10,273 10,330 10,387 571
Office 9,318 9,403 9,489 9,574 9,660 9,745 9,830 9,916 10,001 10,087 10,172 854
Industrial 7,225 7,289 7,353 7,418 7,482 7,546 7,611 7,675 7,739 7,804 7,868 643
Institution 8,909 8,980 9,050 9,121 9,191 9,262 9,332 9,402 9,473 9,543 9,614 704
Total 35,268 35,546 35,823 36,100 36,378 36,655 36,932 37,209 37,487 37,764 38,041 2,773
Source: Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS); City of Portland; TischlerBise analysis
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Person Trip Generation
Portland is a unique community with residents and workers using varying modes to travel. In general, an
impact fee study calculates future developments’ impact on the City’s transportation infrastructure. In
suburban, greenfield communities that concentrate on roadway expansion to accommodate new
vehicles, a development’s impact is best estimated by calculating the new vehicle trips or vehicle miles
traveled (VMT) generated by the development. However, based on the urban environment and residents’
travel behaviors, a multimodal approach is necessary for the City of Portland. This is also consistent with
the capital improvements identified in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan. As such, the multimodal
approach will calculate the daily person trips generated by the varying development types in the study.
To encompass the varying modes of travel used in Portland, the methodology includes persons per vehicle
trip, transit trip, and non-motorized trips.
Person Trip Methodology
According to the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), there are several elements necessary to
calculate person trips. The following equation is provided in the ITE’s Trip Generation Handbook (2017):
Person trips = [(vehicle occupancy) x (vehicle trips)] + transit trips + walk trips + bike trips
To create a more streamlined approach, this study uses “non-motorized trips” as the sum of walk trip and
bike trips. The Trip Generation Handbook outlines the general approach to calculating person trips
(further detail of methodology used is described in following sections):
1. Estimate vehicle trips generated by development type.
a. This study uses the vehicle trip rates found in ITE’s Trip Generation Manual (2017).
2. Determine mode share and vehicle occupancy.
a. Trip survey data from the National Household Transportation Survey (2017) is used to
calculate needed factors.
3. Convert vehicle trips to person trips.
a. This conversion calculates the total person trips by combining the vehicle trip mode share
and vehicle occupancy.
4. Calculate the estimated person trips by mode.
a. The mode share split is applied to the total person trip rate to calculate the specific person
trip rate for vehicle, transit, and non-motorized trips per land use.
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Residential Vehicle Trips
A customized vehicle trip rate is calculated for the single family and multifamily units in the City of
Portland. In Figure 44, the most recent data from the American Community Survey is inputted into
equations provided by the ITE to calculate the vehicle trip ends per housing unit factor. A single
family/Two-family unit is estimated to generate 7.6 trip ends on an average weekday and a multifamily
unit is estimated to generate 3.6 trip ends on an average weekday.
Figure 44. Customized Residential Vehicle Trip End Rates
Hous ehol ds (2) Vehi cl es per
Vehi cl es Si ngl e Mul ti fa mi l y Tota l Hous ehol d
Ava i l a bl e (1) Fa mi l y/Dupl ex Uni ts HHs by Tenure
Owner-occupi ed 23,000 12,312 680 12,992 1.77
Renter-occupi ed 17,976 8,740 8,469 17,209 1.04
TOTAL 40,976 21,052 9,149 30,201 1.36
Hous i ng Uni ts (6) => 23,338 10,098 33,436
Pers ons per Hous i ng Uni t => 2.14 1.44 1.93
Pers ons Tri p Vehi cl es by Tri p Avera ge Trip Ends per
(3) Ends (4) Type of Hous i ng Ends (5) Tri p Ends Housing Unit
Si ngl e Fa mi l y/Dupl ex 50,010 154,055 30,926 202,330 178,192 7.60
Mul ti fa mi l y 14,542 33,220 10,050 39,892 36,556 3.60
TOTAL 64,552 187,275 40,976 242,222 214,748 6.40
(1) Vehi cles a vailable by tenure from Ta ble B25046, 2012-2016 Ameri can Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
(2) Hous eholds by tenure and units in structure from Ta ble B25032, American Community Survey, 2012-2016.
(3) Pers ons by units i n s tructure from Table B25033, American Community Survey, 2012-2016.
(4) Vehi cle tri ps ends based on persons using formulas from Tri p Generation (ITE 2017). For single family housing (ITE
210), the fi tted curve equation i s EXP(0.89*LN(persons)+1.72). To a pproximate the a verage population of the ITE studies,
pers ons were divided by 286 a nd the equation result multiplied by 286. For mul tifamily housing (ITE 221), the fitted curve
equation is (2.29*persons)-81.02.
(5) Vehi cle trip ends based on vehicles a vailable using formulas from Tri p Generation (ITE 2017). For single family housing
(ITE 210), the fi tted curve equation is EXP(0.99*LN(vehicles)+1.93). To a pproximate the average number of vehicles in the
ITE s tudies, vehicles available were divided by 485 a nd the equation result multiplied by 485. For multifamily housing (ITE
220), the fi tted curve equation i s (3.94*vehicles)+293.58 (ITE 2012).
(6) Housing units from Table B25024, American Community Survey, 2012-2016.
Nonresidential Vehicle Trips
Vehicle trip generation for nonresidential land uses are calculated by using ITE’s average daily trip end
rates found in their recently published 10th edition of Trip Generation. To estimate the trip generation in
Portland, the weekday trip end per 1,000 square feet factors highlighted in Figure 45 are used. To estimate
the trip generation for retail the shopping center factor is used, for office the general office factor is used,
for industrial the manufacturing factor is used, and for institutional the hospital factor is used.
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Figure 45. Institute of Transportation Engineers Nonresidential Land Use Factors
ITE Demand Wkdy Trip Ends Wkdy Trip Ends
Code Land Use Unit Per Dmd Unit Per Employee
110 Light Industrial 1,000 Sq Ft 4.96 3.05
130 Industrial Park 1,000 Sq Ft 3.37 2.91
140 Manufacturing 1,000 Sq Ft 3.93 2.47
150 Warehousing 1,000 Sq Ft 1.74 5.05
254 Assisted Living bed 2.60 4.24
320 Motel room 3.35 25.17
520 Elementary School 1,000 Sq Ft 19.52 21.00
530 High School 1,000 Sq Ft 14.07 22.25
540 Community College student 1.15 14.61
550 University/College student 1.56 8.89
565 Day Care student 4.09 21.38
610 Hospital 1,000 Sq Ft 10.72 3.79
620 Nursing Home 1,000 Sq Ft 6.64 2.91
710 General Office (avg size) 1,000 Sq Ft 9.74 3.28
760 Research & Dev Center 1,000 Sq Ft 11.26 3.29
770 Business Park 1,000 Sq Ft 12.44 4.04
820 Shopping Center (avg size) 1,000 Sq Ft 37.75 16.11
Source: Tri p Genera ti on, Ins ti tute of Tra ns porta ti on Engi neers , 10th Edi ti on (2017)
Mode Share and Vehicle Occupancy
Data from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is used to approximate the percentage split of
total person trips by transportation modes in the City of Portland. NHTS has been conducting stratified,
random surveys for nearly 50 years with the aim to understand the modes and purposes of travel in the
US. For this study, the most recent survey, 2017, is refined to create a database of survey responses that
is both from similar cities to Portland and statistically significant. Initially, the national database of
responses is refined by location and population, the results are limited to New England metropolitan
statistical areas (ME, NH, VT, CT, MA, RI) with less than 1 million residents. The City of Portland is within
the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area that had a population of
523,874 in 2016 (US Census American Community Survey, 2016). The database is further filtered to only
include responses from urban areas and urban clusters. Lastly, only responses for trips on weekdays are
included. As a result, there are 2,656 NHTS responses in the database that are used to approximate the
mode splits and vehicle occupancy.
Data from NHTS indicates the purpose of a trip which allows for the mode share and vehicle occupancy
to be calculated for residential and nonresidential land uses separately. It is assumed that trips for
residential and nonresidential purposes have different characteristics, so by calculating separately the
analysis results in more accurate trip factors. There are 1,447 survey responses that are attributed to
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residential and 1,209 responses attributed to nonresidential land uses. Both databases are well within a
95 percent confidence level with a confidence interval (margin of error) of less than 3. 1
The transportation mode split for residential purpose trips is listed in Figure 46. Of the 1,447 total trips,
86 percent are by vehicle, 1 percent transit, and 13 percent non-motorized. Additionally, during the
vehicle trips there were 1,877 passengers, resulting in an average vehicle occupancy of 1.51 passengers
per vehicle trip.
Figure 46. Residential Purpose Person Trips by Mode
Mode Trips %
Vehicle 1,246 86%
Transit 18 1%
Non-Motorized 183 13%
Total 1,447 100%
Source: National Household Travel
Survey, 2017; TischlerBise analysis
The transportation mode split for nonresidential purpose trips is listed in Figure 47. Of the 1,209 total
trips, 82 percent are by vehicle, 2 percent transit, and 16 percent non-motorized. Additionally, during the
vehicle trips there were 1,669 passengers, resulting in an average vehicle occupancy of 1.69 passengers
per vehicle trip.
Figure 47. Nonresidential Purpose Person Trips by Mode
Mode Trips %
Vehicle 989 82%
Transit 22 2%
Non-Motorized 198 16%
Total 1,209 100%
Source: National Household Travel
Survey, 2017; TischlerBise analysis
1
A confidence level expresses the certainty that the true mean of the population falls within the confidence interval,
the margin of error of the results.
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Vehicle Trip Ends to Find Total Person Trip Ends
The total person trip end rate for each land use can be calculated using the vehicle trip end rate, vehicle
occupancy rate, and vehicle mode share. The following formula to calculate vehicle trip ends is provided
in the ITE’s Trip Generation Handbook (2017):
Vehicle trip ends = [(person trip ends x (vehicle mode share)]/(vehicle occupancy)
This is rearranged to calculate total person trips:
Person trip ends = [(vehicle trip ends) x (vehicle occupancy)]/(vehicle mode share)
By inputting the vehicle trip rate, vehicle occupancy, and vehicle mode share factors found in earlier
sections, the daily person trip rate for each land use is found. For example, the daily vehicle trip rate for a
single family/Two-family housing unit is 7.60 (Figure 44), the vehicle occupancy is 1.51, and the vehicle
mode share is 86 percent (Figure 46). By inputting these factors into the formula, a daily person trip end
rate of 13.34 is calculated ([7.60 vehicle trips x 1.51 occupancy rate] / [86% vehicle mode share] = 13.34).
Figure 48 lists the calculated daily person trip end rate for each land use.
Figure 48. Daily Person Trip End Rate by Land Use
Daily Vehicle Vehicle Daily
Vehicle Occupancy Mode Person
Development Type Trip Ends Rate Share Trip Ends
Single Family/Duplex 7.60 1.51 86% 13.34
Multifamily 3.60 1.51 86% 6.32
Retail 37.75 1.69 82% 77.80
Office 9.74 1.69 82% 20.07
Industrial 3.93 1.69 82% 8.10
Institutional 10.72 1.69 82% 22.09
Source: Tri p Genera ti on, Ins ti tute of Tra ns porta ti on Engi neers , 10th Edi ti on
(2017); Na ti ona l Hous ehol d Tra vel Survey da ta , 2017; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Residential Trips Adjustment Factors
A person trip end is the out-bound or in-bound leg of a trip. As a result, so to not double count trips, a
standard 50 percent adjustment is applied to trip ends to calculate a person trip. For example, the out-
bound trip from a person’s home to work is attributed to the housing unit and the trip from work back
home is attributed to the employer.
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However, an additional adjustment is necessary to capture residents’ work bound trips that are outside
of the City. The trip adjustment factor includes two components. According to the NHTS (2009), home-
based work trips are typically 31 percent of out-bound trips (which are 50 percent of all trip ends). Also,
utilizing the most recent data from the Census Bureau's web application "OnTheMap”, 49 percent of the
City of Portland's workers travel outside the city for work. In combination, these factors account for 8
percent of additional production trips (0.50 x .31 x 0.49 = 0.08). Shown in Figure 49, the total adjustment
factor for residential housing units includes attraction trips (50 percent of trip ends) plus the journey-to-
work commuting adjustment (8 percent of production trips) for a total of 58 percent.
Figure 49. Trip Adjustment Factor for Commuters out of the City
Employed Portland Residents (2015) 35,405
Portland Residents Working in the City (2015) 17,958
Portland Residents Commuting Outside of the City for Work 17,447
Percent Commuting out of the City 49%
Additional Production Trips 8%
Standard Trip Adjustment Factor 50%
Residential Trip Adjustment Factor 58%
Source: U.S. Cens us , OnTheMa p Appl i ca ti on, 2015
To calculate nonresidential trips, the standard 50 percent adjustment is applied to office, industrial, and
institutional. A lower trip adjustment factor is used for retail uses because this type of development
attracts person trips while they pass-by. Pass-by trips do not generate further traffic as it is only a stop on
a trip for ultimately a different purpose. For example, when someone stops at a convenience store on
their way home from work, the convenience store is not their primary destination.
Person Trips by Mode
In Figure 50, the trip adjustment factor and mode share are applied to the person trip end rate of each
land use to calculate the person trips. For example, for single family/Two-family housing units the trip
adjustment factor is 58 percent and the vehicle mode share is 86 percent, resulting in a daily person trip
rate of 6.66 for the vehicle mode (13.34 person trip ends x 0.58 trip adjustment factor x 0.86 vehicle mode
share = 6.66 person trips).
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Figure 50. Person Trips by Mode
Trip Person Trips/Unit
Person Trip Adjustment Non-
Development Type Ends Factor Total Vehicle Transit motorized
Single Family/Duplex 13.34 58% 7.74 6.66 0.08 1.01
Multifamily 6.32 58% 3.67 3.16 0.04 0.48
Retail 77.80 38% 29.56 24.24 0.59 4.73
Office 20.07 50% 10.04 8.23 0.20 1.61
Industrial 8.10 50% 4.05 3.32 0.08 0.65
Institutional 22.09 50% 11.05 9.06 0.22 1.77
Source: Tri p Genera ti on, Ins ti tute of Tra ns porta ti on Engi neers , 10th Edi ti on (2017); Na ti ona l
Hous ehol d Tra vel Survey da ta , 2017; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Note: Tri p ra tes a re s hown per hous i ng uni t for res i denti a l l a nd us es a nd per 1,000 s qua re feet
of fl oor a rea for nonres i denti a l l a nd us es .
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Portland, Maine
Person Trip Projections
The base year person trip totals and trip projections are calculated by combining the person trip factors and the residential and nonresidential
assumptions for housing stock and floor area. Found in Figure 51, in the base year, residential land uses generate 223,734 person trips (30 percent)
and nonresidential land uses generate 511,437 person trips (70 percent) in the City of Portland. Through 2028, there will be an increase of 47,721
daily person trips in Portland with retail, multifamily, and office development being the three largest contributors to the increase.
In the base year, 83 percent of the person trips are by vehicle, 2 percent is by transit, and 15 percent is by non-motorized modes. The majority of
the person trip increase over the 10-year projection period is from vehicles as well.
Figure 51. Total Daily Person Trip Projections
Base Year Total
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Increase
Residential Person Trips
Single Family/Duplex 162,904 163,161 163,418 163,675 163,932 164,189 164,446 164,703 164,960 165,216 165,473 2,570
Multifamily 60,830 61,762 62,693 63,625 64,556 65,487 66,419 67,350 68,282 69,213 70,145 9,314
Subtotal 223,734 224,922 226,111 227,299 228,488 229,676 230,865 232,053 233,241 234,430 235,618 11,884
Nonresidential Person Trips
Retail 290,177 291,864 293,551 295,238 296,925 298,612 300,299 301,987 303,674 305,361 307,048 16,871
Office 93,550 94,408 95,266 96,124 96,982 97,840 98,698 99,555 100,413 101,271 102,129 8,579
Industrial 29,260 29,520 29,781 30,041 30,302 30,562 30,823 31,083 31,344 31,604 31,865 2,605
Institutional 98,450 99,228 100,006 100,785 101,563 102,341 103,119 103,897 104,676 105,454 106,232 7,782
Subtotal 511,437 515,021 518,604 522,188 525,772 529,356 532,939 536,523 540,107 543,690 547,274 35,837
Grand Total Person Trips 735,171 739,943 744,715 749,487 754,260 759,032 763,804 768,576 773,348 778,120 782,892 47,721
Person Trips by Transportation Mode
Total Vehicle Person Trips 611,790 615,750 619,711 623,672 627,632 631,593 635,554 639,514 643,475 647,436 651,396 39,607
Total Transit Person Trips 12,466 12,550 12,633 12,717 12,800 12,884 12,967 13,051 13,135 13,218 13,302 836
Total Non-Motorized Trips 110,915 111,643 112,371 113,099 113,827 114,555 115,283 116,011 116,738 117,466 118,194 7,279
Grand Total Person Trips 735,171 739,943 744,715 749,487 754,260 759,032 763,804 768,576 773,348 778,120 782,892 47,721
Source: Tri p Genera ti on, Ins ti tute of Tra ns porta ti on Engi neers , 10th Edi ti on (2017); Na ti ona l Hous ehol d Tra vel Survey da ta , 2017; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
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Base Year Wastewater Usage
Water and sewer account data has been provided by the Portland Water District (PWD) and the City’s
Department of Public Works. Within the database, residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional
wastewater usage is calculated. Additionally, with account data, the wastewater usage of an Equivalent
Residential Unit (ERU) is calculated as well. The ERU is the estimate of the daily average wastewater usage
from a household with a water meter that is 5/8 inches. In the impact fee calculation, a capacity ratio
factor is applied when calculating the wastewater usage and resulting impact fee for developments with
larger meters.
Base Year Estimates
Shown in Figure 52, on average there is a total of 5.7 million gallons per day of wastewater flowing through
the City’s sewer system from these four development types. The majority of the wastewater flows from
residential development, but commercial development creates a significant demand as well.
Figure 52. City of Portland Daily Wastewater Usage, 2018
Base Year
Development Type (gals/day) %
Residential 2,933,364 52%
Commercial 1,998,656 35%
Industrial 542,244 10%
Institutional 187,205 3%
Total 5,661,470 100%
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Publ i c Works
Depa rtment
Equivalent Residential Unit
The wastewater component of the impact fee study will use the wastewater flow calculated for residential
units that have a water meter of 5/8 inches to represent the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). To calculate
the ERU, the wastewater account database is filtered by active residential accounts that use the City’s
sewer system. Additionally, the database is further limited by only year-round accounts. These accounts
are occupied households that reside in Portland permanently. Year-round accounts are approximated by
accounts that have activity every month. Illustrated in Figure 53, there is an average of 61 hundred cubic
feet (HCF) of wastewater per year from a year-round active residential account flowing into the City’s
sewer system. That equates to an average of 126 gallons per day, rounded.
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Figure 53. Equivalent Residential Unit
Meter Size Total Water Active Annual Average per Annual Average Daily Average
(inches) (HCF) Accounts Account (HCF) (gallons) (gallons)
5/8 866,230 14,134 61 45,846 126
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Publ i c Works Depa rtment; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
Note: Provi ded da ta mea s ured wa s tewa ter tota l s i n hundred cubi c feet (HCF), equa l to 748.05 ga l l ons
Wastewater Projections
To project wastewater flows, is it assumed that the average consumptions will stay constant. As a result,
the wastewater from residential accounts will increase at the same rate as the projected housing units
and wastewater from nonresidential accounts will increase at the same rate as the projected growth in
floor area for the respective industry. Over the next ten years, a total increase of 500,000 gallons per day
is projected. Residential and commercial land uses account for the majority of the projected increase.
Figure 54. Wastewater Projections, Million Gallons Per Day (MGD)
Base Year Total
Development Type 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Increase
Residential 2.93 2.96 2.98 3.00 3.02 3.05 3.07 3.09 3.11 3.13 3.16 0.22
Commercial 2.00 2.02 2.04 2.06 2.08 2.10 2.12 2.14 2.16 2.18 2.20 0.20
Industrial 0.54 0.55 0.55 0.56 0.56 0.57 0.58 0.58 0.59 0.59 0.60 0.06
Institutional 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.21 0.02
Total 5.66 5.71 5.76 5.81 5.86 5.91 5.96 6.01 6.06 6.11 6.16 0.50
Source: Ci ty of Portl a nd Publ i c Works Depa rtment; Ti s chl erBi s e a na l ys i s
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APPENDIX B: AFFORDABLE HOUSING ANALYSIS
This chapter estimates the effects of imposing the proposed impact fees on the affordability of housing in
the City of Portland. The analysis will examine the current household income and housing expenses that
burden an average household in the City. Next, the maximum defensible impact fees will be included in
the cost burden analysis to identify the effect the fees will have on affordable housing in the City.
For this analysis, affordable housing is defined in as housing to families whose incomes do not exceed 80
percent of the median income of the City. The analysis uses the US Housing and Urban Development’s
(HUD) criteria that housing should be 30 percent or less of a household’s income. The cost of housing is
“moderately burdensome” if its cost burden is over 30 percent and “severely burdensome” if the ratio is
over 50 percent.
Proposed Impact Fee
The impact fees found in Figure 55 are new development’s fair share of the cost to provide additional
parks & recreation, transportation, and wastewater facilities. The City may adopt fees that are less than
the amounts shown. However, a reduction in impact fee revenue will necessitate an increase in other
revenues, a decrease in planned capital expenditures, and/or a decrease in levels of service. The housing
affordability analysis will assume a conservative condition for assessing the effect of the impact fee on
affordable housing in the City of Portland (i.e. the maximum defensible impact fee amount). If the City
were to choose a lower impact fee amount, the results presented in this report would improve.
Figure 55. Maximum Defensible Impact Fees
Development Type Parks & Rec Transportation Wastewaster Total
Residential (per housing unit/per water meter)
Single Family/Duplex $1,126 $2,159 $1,886 $5,171
Multifamily $752 $1,023 $1,886 $3,661
Note: a 5/8 inch meter is shown for residential development, however, the wastewater fee
will be assessed based on the development's meter size.
Housing Stock
Listed in Figure 56, there are a total of 33,436 housing units in the City of Portland. Of the total, 90 percent
are occupied. Additionally, the majority (70 percent) of the housing in the City is single family/Two-family
units.
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Figure 56. Housing Stock Characteristics
Household Income
The purchasing power of Portland residents to secure housing is represented by personal income.
Personal income includes all wages, tips, and bonuses from employment, as well as retirement income
earned from a pension plan or retirement account. In the analysis, household income represents all
residents living in the housing unit, no matter relationship. From the US Census Bureau American
Community Survey, in 2016 the median annual household income for the City was $65,571. By using the
US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Calculator, the current household income is estimated at $68,560. The
annual income for a household making 80 percent of the City’s median is $54,848, or $4,571 per month.
Figure 57. Median Household Income
Median Annual Median Annual Household 80% of Median
Household Income (2016) Household Income (2018) Income Factor Annual Income Monthly Income
$65,571 $68,560 80% $54,848 $4,571
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
Calculator
Cost of Homeownership
The analysis uses ten categories to calculate the baseline cost of homeownership in the City: purchase
price; mortgage payment; property tax; stormwater management fee; water; sewer; gas; electricity;
telephone, cable and internet; and homeowners insurance. The following section details the costs
included.
Purchase Price
The median home value is used to estimate the purchase price of a home. The American Community
Survey estimates that the median value of a home in the City in 2016 was $248,000 (US Census Bureau,
2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates). With the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI
Calculator, the current home value is estimated to be $259,306.
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Mortgage Payment
A conventional, fixed-rate 30-year mortgage is assumed to estimate monthly costs of principle and
interest on a home loan. The down payment for a loan is assumed to be 20 percent of the purchase price
($259,306 x 20% = $51,861). The loan amount for the mortgage is determined by subtracting the down
payment from the purchase price ($251,617 - $51,861 = $207,445). An interest rate of 4.35 percent is
assumed for the home purchase based on a survey of competitive interest rates in Portland
(www.bankrate.com). The monthly mortgage payment is $1,033.
Property Tax
To calculate annual property tax, homes in the City that are assessed a property tax millage rate of 0.0225.
The assessed value of a home in Portland is found by reducing the market rate (purchase price) by the
Local Declared Ratio (89%) and the Maine Homestead Exemption Program ($17,800). Thus, in this analysis
the assessed value of an average home in Portland is $212,982 ($259,306 x 89% - $17,800 = $212,982). As
a result, the annual property tax for the average valued home is $4,788 ($212,982 x 0.0225 = $4,788).
Stormwater Management Fee
In the City of Portland, the fee to operate and maintain the stormwater management system is $12.60
per month for a housing unit.
Water Utility
By using data provided by the City of Portland and the Portland Water District, the average household
uses 126 gallons of water per day or 512 cubic feet per month. Based on the water rates for a residential
unit, the average water usage results in a monthly charge of $19.09.
Wastewater Utility
By using data provided by the City of Portland and the Portland Water District, the average household
generates 126 gallons of wastewater per day or 512 cubic feet per month. Based on the wastewater rates
for a residential unit, the average wastewater generation results in a monthly charge of $21.98.
Electricity Utility
By using data from the Central Maine Power company, the average household generates 552 kilowatts of
electricity per month. Based on the electricity rates for a residential unit, the average electricity usage
results in a monthly charge of $45.30.
Gas Utility
By using data from the Governor’s Energy Office and Unitil company, the average household uses 62.5
therms of gas per month (annualized average). Based on the gas rates for a residential unit, the average
usage results in a monthly charge of $54.43.
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Telephone, Cable, and Internet Utilities
Comcast Xfinity is a provider of telephone, cable, and internet in the City of Portland. From their website,
the three services costs $80.00 per month (www.xfinity.com).
Homeowner’s Insurance
Homeowner’s insurance provides protection for the home and is generally required when a home has a
mortgage. The average cost for homeowner’s insurance in the City is estimated to be $820 per year
(www.insurance.com).
Monthly Payment
By compiling the month obligations, it is estimated that the monthly cost for homeownership is $1,733.
At the end of this chapter the monthly costs are listed in Figure A6.
Cost of Renting
The cost of renting a home in the City of Portland is estimated with data provided by the US Census
Bureau. In 2016, the median gross rent (including all utilities and rental insurance) in the City was
estimated to be $969. With the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Calculator, the current cost of renting is
estimated to be $1,013.
Cost Burden Analysis
The cost burden for affordable housing is measured as the ratio between monthly payments for housing
(including property tax, fee, utilities, and insurance) and monthly gross household income. An analysis
was conducted for residents that purchase a home and residents that rent a home. A cost burden ratio of
30 percent is used as the threshold to determine housing affordability in the City of Portland.
Scenario 1: Baseline Conditions
Figure 58 summarizes the cost burden analysis for residents purchasing or renting a median valued home
without the maximum defensible impact fees included. Based on the results, the cost burden for owner-
occupied housing is above the threshold to be considered affordable for households whose income is 80
percent of the City’s median income. The renter-occupied housing cost burden is below the limit of
affordability for households whose income is 80 percent of the median income.
Figure 58. Scenario 1: Cost Burden Analysis without Proposed Impact Fee
Condition Monthly Income Monthly Cost Cost Burden
Owner-Occupied $4,571 $1,733 37.9%
Renter-Occupied $4,571 $1,013 22.2%
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Scenario 2: Baseline Condition + Proposed Impact Fee
In the second scenario, the maximum defensible impact fees are included into the cost burden analysis to
identify the effects the fee has on housing affordability. Since the impact fees are based on housing type,
the owner-occupied housing unit will be assessed the fee for single family units ($5,171) and the renter-
occupied housing unit will be assessed the fee for multifamily units ($3,661).
The analysis takes a conservative approach and assumes the purchase price of the median home is raised
by the increase in the impact fee. This ultimately increases the household’s mortgage payment and
property tax, see Figure 60. For renter-occupied housing units, the analysis assumes that the impact fee
increase will be recouped by the landlord through an increase in monthly rent. The fee will be recouped
over 30 years, thus increasing the monthly rent by $10.
Figure 59 lists the monthly costs with the impact fees for owners and renters. The cost burden ratio for
owner-occupied homes increases by 0.7 percentage points and for renter-occupied homes the cost
burden ratio increases by 0.2 percentage points. Even with the increase, renter-occupied homes are still
considered affordable for households who earn 80 percent of the median income.
Figure 59. Scenario 2: Cost Burden Analysis with Proposed Impact Fee
Condition Monthly Income Monthly Cost Cost Burden
Owner-Occupied $4,571 $1,763 38.6%
Renter-Occupied $4,571 $1,023 22.4%
Impact Fee Effect on Affordable Housing
Condition Change
Owner-Occupied 0.7%
Renter-Occupied 0.2%
Conclusion
This chapter estimates the effect on affordability of housing from imposing the maximum defensible
impact fees. To calculate the effect, a household that earns 80 percent of the median income should have
a cost burden ratio of 30 percent or less for housing. Currently, the cost burden of an owner-occupied
home (single family/Two-family) is above the threshold, thus considered moderately burdensome. The
cost burden of a renter-occupied home (multifamily) is below the threshold, thus considered affordable.
This analysis has concluded that the maximum defensible impact fees would only create a marginal
increase in housing affordability in Portland. Additionally, with the impact fees, renter-occupied units
are still well below the 30 percent threshold.
As noted, this analysis takes a conservative approach by assuming that the impact fees are absorbed
entirely by the home occupants. However, in some cases, impact fees result in land values to decrease
placing the burden on land owners and not on the future home owners or renters.
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Figure 60. Cost of Homeownership
Monthly Payment Calculation
Scenario 1 Scenario 2
Baseline Condition +
Cost of Living Components Baseline Condition Impact Fee
Purchase Price $259,306 $264,477
Down Payment $51,861 $52,895
Loan Amount $207,445 $211,582
Loan Length (Years) 30 30
Loan Length (Months) 360 360
Yearly Interest Rate 4.35% 4.35%
Monthly Interest Rate 0.36% 0.36%
Monthly Payment $1,033 $1,053
Property Tax - City (per month) $399 $408
Stormwater Fee $13 $13
Water, Sewer, Gas & Electric Utilities $141 $141
Telephone, Cable & Internet Utilities $80 $80
Homeowners Insurance $68 $68
Monthly Cost $1,733 $1,763
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APPENDIX C: LAND USE ASSUMPTIONS
In determining the Wastewater Impact Fee for meters that are larger than the standard meter size for a
single family home, 5/8 inches, a capacity ratio is calculated and then applied to the impact fee of a single
family home. For example, the water flow capacity for the standard meter size serving a single family
home is 20 gallons per minute (gpm). The water flow capacity for a 1.5-inch meter is 100 gpm. The capacity
ratio is calculated by dividing the larger meter’s capacity by the standard meter’s capacity (100/20 = 5.00).
To calculate the corresponding fee, the ratio is applied to the proposed impact fee for the 5/8 meter. The
meter capacities shown in Figure 61 are from the American Water Works Association.
Figure 61. Water Meter Capacity Ratios
Meter Size Meter Capacity
(inches) Capacity Ratio
5/8 20 1.00
3/4 30 1.50
1 50 2.50
1 1/2 100 5.00
2 160 8.00
3 320 16.00
6 1,000 50.00
8 1,600 80.00
Capacity ratios are based on meter capacity standards
published by American Water Works Association,
Principles of Water Rates, Fees, and Charges, M1, 7th
ed., 2017
63
Attachment 3
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 1
-
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 2
PORTLAND IMPACT FEE ANALYSIS
SUMMARY
9/20/2018
Office
Multifamily Multifamily Suburban Shopping
Downtown Hotel + Industrial
Rental Condominium Airport Hotel Center
Retail
# of Residential Units 75 Units 50 Units
# of Hotel Room Keys 150 Keys 200 Keys
Office GSF 50,000 GSF
Retail GSF 7,500 GSF 105,000 GSF
Industrial GSF 50,000 GSF
Surface Parking GSF 24,375 GSF 65,000 GSF 16,250 GSF 325,000 GSF
Structured Parking GSF 16,250 GSF
Development GSF (ex. Parking) 67,500 GSF 55,000 GSF 52,500 GSF 70,000 GSF 57,500 GSF 50,000 GSF 105,000 GSF
Total Development Cost (Without Impact Fee) $21,133,704 $21,703,206 $22,765,606 $27,256,344 $20,132,086 $10,171,438 $39,873,038
$/Unit/Key/GFA (Without Impact Fee) $281,782.72/ Unit $434,064.12/ Unit $151,770.71/ Key $136,281.72/ Key $354.55/GSF $205.22/GSF $388.81/GSF
Estimated Impact Fee to Developer $163,301 $118,926 $522,026 $685,976 $254,803 $89,738 $952,286
Percent of TDC 0.77% 0.55% 2.29% 2.52% 1.27% 0.88% 2.39%
IRR (Without Impact Fee) 9.55% 11.60% 10.19% 10.95% 15.31% 9.04% 10.38%
IRR (With Impact Fee) 9.38% 11.39% 9.63% 10.33% 14.91% 8.84% 9.83%
Difference in IRR 0.17% 0.21% 0.56% 0.62% 0.40% 0.20% 0.55%
ROI (Without Impact Fee) 4.18% 33.17% 5.85% 6.46% 9.72% 5.38% 6.27%
ROI (With Impact Fee) 4.11% 32.43% 5.50% 6.01% 9.26% 5.26% 5.86%
Difference in ROI 0.07% 0.74% 0.35% 0.45% 0.47% 0.12% 0.41%
9/20/2018
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 3
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 4
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 5
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 6
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 7
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 8
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 9
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 10
September 2018 COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL 11
Attachment 4
IMPACT FEES
13 IMPACT FEES 13.4.2 Determination of Use
The determination of the applicable land use
13.1 AUTHORITY category in the impact fee schedule shall be made
This ordinance is enacted pursuant to the authority by the Department of Permitting and Inspections
of 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4354 and 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3001. with reference to the City of Portland’s most recent
Impact Fee Study. If the proposed development is
13.2 PURPOSE of a type not listed in the impact fee schedule, then
The purpose of these impact fee provisions is to the impact fees applicable to the most nearly
ensure that new development in the City of comparable type of land use listed in the impact fee
Portland bears a proportional or reasonably-related schedule shall be used.
share of the cost of new, expanded, or replacement
infrastructure necessary to service that 13.4.3 Mixed Use Development
development through: In the event that there is more than one use within
1. The payment of impact fees dedicated to a building, impact fees shall be calculated separately
funding improvements made necessary by for each use.
development, or
2. The construction of improvements as 13.4.4 Redevelopment
provided for herein. In calculating the impact fee for a new building that
involves the full or partial demolition of a building
13.3 APPLICABILITY housing an existing, legally established use or uses,
The following shall be subject to impact fees: such new building shall be credited with an amount
1. Any new building or addition to existing equal to the fee that would have been charged to
buildings which results in net new the use or uses which occupied the structure at the
residential dwelling units, non-residential time of demolition permit. If the impact fee
building square footage, or calculation for the post-development condition is
water/wastewater meters, and greater than the credit, the applicant shall pay the
2. Any change of use which results in a net difference. If the impact fee calculation for the
increase in impact fee per Section 13.4.6, post-development condition is less than the credit,
with the exception of municipal buildings, which then the applicant shall not be required to pay an
shall be considered exempt. impact fee. The City shall not grant credits for
demolitions for which a permit was issued more
13.4 CALCULATION OF IMPACT FEE than 12 months prior to the complete application
13.4.1 In General for a building permit.
Impact fees shall be calculated based on the impact
fee schedule in effect at the time of submittal of a
complete application for a building permit.
| 1
IMPACT FEES
13.4.5 Building Additions 13.4.6 Changes of Use
In calculating the impact fee for building additions, In calculating the impact fee for changes of use,
each developed property shall be credited with an each developed property shall be credited with an
amount equal to the fee that would have been amount equal to the fee that would have been
charged to the existing use at the time of the charged to the existing use at the time of
addition of floor area. If the impact fee calculation application for building permit. If the impact fee
for the post-development condition is greater than calculation for the proposed use is greater than the
the credit, the applicant shall pay the difference. If credit, the applicant shall pay the difference. If the
the impact fee calculation for the post- impact fee calculation for the proposed use is less
development condition is less than the credit, then than the credit, then the applicant shall not be
the applicant shall not be required to pay an required to pay an impact fee. The City shall not
impact fee. grant credits for uses which have been discontinued
for a period of 12 months or more prior to the
complete application for a building permit.
TABLE 13-1: PARKS & RECREATION AND TRANSPORTATION IMPACT FEE SCHEDULE1
Land Use Type Unit of Measure Parks/Recreation Impact Fee Transportation Impact Fee
Single-family/Two-family per unit $1,126 $2,159
Multi-family (3+ units) per unit $752 $1,023
Retail/Service per 1,000 SF GFA $534 $8,248
Office per 1,000 SF GFA $677 $2,800
Industrial per 1,000 SF GFA $363 $1,130
Institutional per 1,000 SF GFA $645 $3,082
Hotel/Motel per room $875 $2,404
1
Land use types included in the impact fee schedule correspond to those in the City’s most recent Impact Fee Study.
TABLE 13-2: WASTEWATER IMPACT FEE SCHEDULE
Meter Size Capacity Ratio Impact Fee
5/
8 inch 1.00 $1,886
¾ inch 1.50 $2,829
1 inch 2.50 $4,715
1 ½ inches 5.00 $9,430
2 inches 8.00 $15,088
3 inches 16.00 $30,176
6 inches 50.00 $94,300
8 inches 80.00 $150,880
2 |
IMPACT FEES
13.5 ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT OF IMPACT FEE Credit amounts shall be determined based
To account for inflation, there shall be an automatic on plans, details, and cost estimates for the
annual increase in the impact fee schedule reflected proposed infrastructure improvements for
in this ordinance every January 1 based on the which the credit is requested. Such plans,
change in the construction cost index as published details, and cost estimates shall be
by Engineering News Record. The fee adjustment prepared by a licensed professional
shall be calculated by dividing the index amount engineer and submitted at the time of site
published on January 1 of the current year by the plan, subdivision, or building permit
index amount published on January 1, 2018 and application. The applicant shall pay for any
multiplying the resulting ratio by each fee amount. third-party review of plans, details, or cost
Annual adjustments shall be made available for estimates. On-site or immediately adjacent
public reference. improvements providing direct service to a
site as required under subdivision or site
13.6 MODIFICATION OF IMPACT FEES plan regulations shall not be considered
A. A required impact fee may be modified, in eligible under this section.
whole or in part, by formal vote of the
Planning Board in cases when an applicant B. The Planning Board may by formal vote
is otherwise before the Planning Board, or modify the payment of a required impact
by the Planning Authority in all other cases, fee, in whole or in part, if it finds that
if the reviewing authority finds that: documentation is provided to demonstrate
1. The developer or property owner who that a proposed use will impose no or
would otherwise be responsible for substantially-reduced demands on capital
the payment of the impact fee facilities for which impact fees have been
voluntarily agrees to make adopted. Such documentation shall be
infrastructure improvements for prepared by a licensed professional
which the impact fee would be engineer and include a written analysis of
collected or an equivalent the demand for capital facilities generated
improvement approved by the by the proposed use based on industry
reviewing authority, or standards and the most recent Impact Fee
2. The developer or property owner is Study. Documentation shall be submitted
required, as part of a development at the time of site plan, subdivision, or
approval by the City or a state or building permit application. The applicant
federal agency, to make or to pay for shall pay for any third-party review of
infrastructure improvements for plans, details, or cost estimates.
which the impact fee would be
collected or an equivalent
improvement.
| 3
IMPACT FEES
13.7 REDUCTION IN FEES FOR AFFORDABLE development. Impact fees collected pursuant to this
HOUSING ordinance shall be used exclusively for capital
Any residential development including low-income improvements, and the City of Portland shall expend
or workforce housing units and qualifying as an funds collected from impact fees solely for the
eligible project under Division 30 shall receive a purposes for which they were collected.
reduction of fees in accordance with Section 14-
486. 13.11 REFUND OF UNUSED IMPACT FEES
Impact fees collected pursuant to this ordinance
13.8 COLLECTION OF IMPACT FEE shall be used by the City according to the schedules
The City of Portland shall not issue any certificate of for the completion of specific capital improvements
occupancy required under the Land Use Code until as specified in the City of Portland’s most recent
the applicant has paid any impact fees required by Impact Fee Study, but in no event later than ten
this ordinance. years after the date upon which the impact fee was
collected. Any impact fees which are not so used
13.9 SEGREGATION OF IMPACT FEES FROM and any impact fees collected which exceed the
GENERAL REVENUES City’s actual costs of implementing the
Impact fees collected pursuant to this ordinance infrastructure improvements for which such fees
shall be maintained in separate, non-lapsing impact were collected shall be refunded. Refunds shall be
fee accounts for each of the facilities for which paid to the owner of record of the property for
impact fees are assessed, and shall be segregated which the impact fee was collected, determined as
from the City’s general revenues. These accounts of the date the refund is made.
shall be dedicated for funding of the improvements
for which the fee is collected, as determined 13.12 REVIEW AND REVISION
through the City’s most recent Impact Fee Study. The impact fees established in this ordinance are
Funds from these accounts shall be distributed to based upon the best estimates of the costs of the
City departments solely for the purpose of capital construction of the facilities for which the fees are
projects identified in the City of Portland’s most collected as determined through the City’s most
recent Impact Fee Study. recent Impact Fee Study. The Council may, by
amendments to this ordinance, change the amounts
13.10 USE OF IMPACT FEES of the impact fees from time to time as warranted
Impact fees collected by the City pursuant to this by new information or changed circumstances.
ordinance may be used only for financing facility
improvements which the City Council, through the 13.13 ADMINISTRATIVE RULES AND
City of Portland’s most recent Impact Fee Study, REGULATIONS
has determined are made necessary by new The Planning Board is hereby authorized to develop
development. The City Council has determined that rules and regulations governing the administration
fees imposed by schedules in this ordinance are of impact fees collected pursuant to this ordinance.
reasonably related to the demands created by new
4 |
IMPACT FEES
13.14 EFFECTIVE DATE
The provisions of this ordinance shall apply to all
building permit applications submitted following the
effective date of this ordinance, with the exception
that any development for whom site plan approval
has been granted at the time of the effective date of
this ordinance shall be considered exempt. Master
Development Plan approval prior to the effective
date shall not confer exempt status.
| 5
Attachment 5
Proposed Amendments to Division 30
DIVISION 30. AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Sec. 14-485. Definitions.
…
Development fees means:
(a) The following fees, as described in this chapter: site plan
review and inspection fees; subdivision review and inspection fees;
impact fees; and administrative fees; and
(b) Construction and permit fees as described in Chapter 6.
“Development fees” does not include any fees charged for reviews
conducted by a party other than the city.
10/5/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact Fee Ordinance
Attachment 6
Helen Donaldson <hcd@portlandmaine.gov>
Impact Fee Ordinance
Jennifer Thompson <jlt@portlandmaine.gov> Thu, Oct 4, 2018 at 11:16 AM
To: Helen Donaldson <hcd@portlandmaine.gov>
Hi Nell -
I understand that, in connection with their consideration of a proposed impact fee ordinance, the Planning Board and City
Council have raised questions about applicability and the extent to which excepting particular uses from the fees may be
possible and/or advisable. Pasted below are excerpts from a white paper on impact fees issued by the former Maine
State Planning Office, addressing those questions. That paper is available here: https://www1.maine.gov/
dacf/municipalplanning/docs/impactfeemanual.pdf
As you'll see from these excerpts, however, the best practice, at least under Maine's statute, is to take care in crafting
exceptions to impact fees. The focus in an impact fee ordinance should be on accurately assessing the true impacts of
development on capital facilities and assessing fees that are directly tied to that impact. When fees are preferentially
imposed or particular kinds of development are excepted from fees based on other policy goals rather than on the impact
of those uses on infrastructure, a municipality runs the risk of undermining the "nexus" that is established to justify the
fee. Further, and as with all fees imposed by government, where similar uses have similar impacts it's important to take
care that fees and regulations are being applied equally. If distinctions in applicability are going to be made, it is important
that the reasons for treating one group differently than another are well-articulated and sound.
All types of development that directly contribute to the demand for the improvements that the fee will be financing
must pay an impact fee. The fee should be assessed to all of those developments, regardless of the level or
review required or regardless of the status of the applicant, developer or occupant of the development. If the
impact fee is paying for improvements to a facility that will be directly used by residential, commercial, and
industrial uses, such as highway improvements, sewer facilities or public safety facilities, then the fee should be
assessed on all three types of uses. On the other hand, if the fee will be used to finance a facility that will only be
used by residents of the town, such as a recreation facility or school, then the fee should be collected from new
residences only, and not commercial and industrial developments. If a fee is being collected from new residential
structures, then all new residences that contribute to the demand for increased service or expansion of facilities
should be assessed the fee. New homes on individual lots create the same amount of traffic or supply as many
public school students as do homes in a subdivision. Therefore, a municipality should not be assessing impact
fees solely on new subdivisions and not homes built on individual lots. Similarly, if a current resident wanted to
build a new house, it would be impermissible to exempt the house from the fee based solely on residency.
...
If impact fees are of concern regarding the price of housing, local ordinances should not waive those fees for
moderately priced housing or housing reserved for low- and moderate-income families. Impact fees must be
assessed on new development based on the impact the new development will have on the facility being improved.
Unless there is a clear connection between the income of the occupant and the demand for service from the
facility, then the impact fee should be assessed similarly on all similar housing units. In communities that are truly
concerned about price of low- and moderate-income housing, an acceptable solution would be for the municipality
to appropriate funds as part of the annual budget process to pay the impact fee for qualifying units. In this manner,
the fee is paid into the special account regardless of the income of the residents, and all housing units are treated
fairly.
In addition to taking care to protect the "nexus" by making the fee applicable based on actual impact rather than on other
policy objectives, it is important to be mindful of equal protection concerns. MMA says this about ensuring that fees
imposed by a municipality comply with equal protection requirements: "A municipality may distinguish between different
classes of users when setting fees by ordinance. It is not an automatic constitutional violation of equal protection if one
class is required to pay more than another for the same privilege or if municipal services are provided to some, but not
others. However, there must be a rational basis for the difference in treatment- the distinction must be reasonably related
to a government interest (Ace Tire Co., Inc. v. Municipal Officers of City of Waterville, 302 A.2d 90 (Me. 1973);
McNicholas v. York Beach Village Corp., 394 A.2d 264 (Me. 1978); Hefflefinger, Inc. v. City of Portland, 1999 ME 153, 739
A.2d 844).
I hope this is helpful. If you, the Board or the Council have any further questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch.
Best,
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=f75a4d2e64&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1613408502460279604&simpl=msg-f%3A16134085024… 1/2
10/5/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact Fee Ordinance
Jen
Jennifer L. Thompson
Associate Corporation Counsel
City of Portland
207.874.8915
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=f75a4d2e64&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1613408502460279604&simpl=msg-f%3A16134085024… 2/2
Attachment 7
Comparables
o Impact fees from comparable communities nationwide
compared to Portland’s Maximum Defensible Fee
Maximum National Averages
Development Type Defensible Fee Burlington, VT Concord, NH Freeport, ME Bozeman, MT Boulder, CO Eugene, OR (2015)*
Parks and Recreation (per housing unit/hotel room/1,000 square feet)
Single Family/Duplex $1,126 $1,486 $1,094 - - $5,603 $4,246 $2,812
Multifamily $752 $743 $664 - - $3,936 $2,686 $2,099
Retail $534 $418 - - - - $413 n/a
Office $677 $418 - - - - $1,134 n/a
Industrial $363 $422 - - - - $694 n/a
Institutional $645 $418 - - - - $1,134 n/a
Hotel $875 $418 - - - - $1,697 n/a
Transportation (per housing unit/hotel room/1,000 square feet)
Single Family/Duplex $2,159 $386 $2,110 $1,500 for the first $4,497 $216 $2,113 $3,256
Multifamily $1,023 $196 $1,450 2,500 GFA plus $3,053 $149 $1,226 $2,201
Retail $8,248 $736 $3,330 $300 for each $10,476 $540 $5,093 $5,605
Office $2,800 $676 $1,700 additional 250 $4,535 $220 $3,212 $3,403
Industrial $1,130 $262 $1,090 GFA. Not $2,866 $140 $2,050 $2,063
Institutional $3,082 $676 $2,207 exceeding $5,435 $180 $1,965 n/a
Hotel $2,404 $676 $1,817 $30,000. $2,315 $168 $1,268 n/a
Wastewater (per meter)
Single Family/Duplex $1,886 - - - $775 - $2,396 $3,694
Multifamily $2,829 - - - $1,545 - $2,040 $1,777
Retail $4,715 - - - $3,556 - $683 $663
Office $4,715 - - - $3,556 - $1,036 $640
Industrial $4,715 - - - $3,556 - $687 $642
Institutional $4,715 - - - $3,556 - $2,163 n/a
Hotel $4,715 - - - $3,556 - $2,817 n/a
*Source: National Impact Fee Survey: 2015, Duncan Associates, November, 2015
Note: Single family units are assumed to be 2,000 square feet and multifamily units to be 1,000 square feet. A 5/8 inch meter is shown for single family
development, 3/4 inch for multifamily development, and a 1 inch meter is shown for nonresidential development, however, the wastewater fee will be assessed
based on the development's meter size. To estimate general transportation fees for Scarborough, ME the PM peak hour trip generation rates from Trip
Generation, Institute of Transportation Engineers, 10th Edition (2017) are used.
Not shown in the figure are the additional impact fees the comparable communities assess including school, fire, and police.
TischlerBise | www.tischlerbise.com 28
Comparables
o Impact fees from surrounding communities
compared to Portland’s Maximum Defensible Fee
Maximum North
Development Type Defensible Fee Brunswick1 Gorham2 Saco3 Berwick Berwick4 Scarborough Freeport Sanford York Lewiston
Parks and Recreation (per housing unit/hotel room/1,000 square feet)
Single Family/Duplex $1,126 $197 (avg.) $1,715 $1,700 $500/bedro $1,988 - - - - -
Multifamily $752 $142 (avg.) $1,108 - $500/bedro $1,317 - - - - -
Retail & Services $534 - - - - - - - - - -
Office $677 - - - - - - - - - -
Industrial $363 - - - - - - - - - -
Institutional $645 - - - - - - - - - -
Hotel $875 - - - - - - - - - -
Transportation (per housing unit/hotel room/1,000 square feet)
Single Family/Duplex $2,159 - - - - - - -
$1,042/PM $1,500 for the $261 - In certain
Multifamily $1,023 - - - - - - -
peak hour trip first 2,500 GFA $1,013/PM areas
Retail $8,248 - - - - - - -
ends (Dunstan), plus $300 for peak hour based
Office $2,800 - - - - - - - on
$990/PM peak each additional trip, traffic
Industrial $1,130 - - - - - - -
hour trip ends 250 GFA. Not to depending study
Institutional $3,082 - - - - - - -
(Haigis Pkwy). exceed $30,000. on location.
Hotel $2,404 - - - - - - -
Wastewater (meter size, inches)
5/8 $1,886 - - - - - - - $790
3/4 $2,829 - - - - - - - $1,140
Specialized
1 $4,715 - - - - - - - $2,020
sewer $2,500/
1.5 $9,430 - - $2,700/ - - - - - -
assessment $2,500
unit or
2 $15,088 - - 185 gpd - - - - - $8,075
for certain EDU
3 $30,176 - - - - -
areas - - $18,165
6 $94,300 - - - - - - - $72,650
8 $150,880 - - - - - - - $129,150
[1] Brunswick has a graduated park impact fee based on size of unit. For purposes of comparison, single family and multifamily fees have been averaged.
[2] Gorham has a graduated park impact fee for multifamily units based on size of unit. For purposes of comparison, multi-family fees have been averaged.
[3] Saco charges separate recreation and open space fees, which have been combined here.
[4] Berwick has a graduated park and recreation impact fee for singlefamily and multifamily units based on number of bedrooms. Fees have been averaged.
TischlerBise | www.tischlerbise.com 29
Attachment 8
MEMORANDUM
DISTRIBUTE TO: Members of the Economic Development Committee
FROM: Brendan T. O’Connell - Finance Director
Chris Huff - Assessor
DATE: August 12, 2018
SUBJECT: Impact Fee - Questions and Answers from Finance Director & Assessor
Several questions have been passed along from the Planning and Urban Development Department on
behalf of residents and businesses in regards to impact fees, the existing tax levy and City budget,
property valuation growth and the upcoming revaluation, and building permit fees and stormwater
service charges. This memo is intended to summarize responses to many of the frequently asked
questions (“FAQ”).
Frequently Asked Impact Fee Questions for Finance and Assessors
1. I read the FY19 budget includes $100M of new estimated valuation and I know property values
continue to grow. Why are my impact fees necessary during a time when there is so much new
value in the City of Portland? Isn’t the existing growth enough to cover all City needs?
2. Will the upcoming revaluation help alleviate budget pressure and provide more tax dollars for
City needs?
3. Building permit fees were increased recently. Wasn’t this increase intended to fund some of the
same things impact fees are intended to fund (i.e. growth related infrastructure)?
4. What about the Stormwater Service Charge? Was that created in response to growth-related
infrastructure needs?
1
Question 1: I read the FY19 budget includes $100M of new estimated valuation and I know
property values continue to grow. Why are my impact fees necessary during a time when there
is so much new value in the City of Portland? Isn’t the existing growth enough to cover all City
needs?
Property valuation has grown by $100 million in the current year due to significant new projects
breaking ground and continues our upward trajectory in overall valuation. This $100 million of new
property valuation creates an additional approximately $1,133,000 in tax revenue for municipal use.
While this may seem like a significant amount, it represents only a 0.128% overall increase to our FY18
valuation of approximately $7.8 billion, and can only fund a fraction of the cost increases and budget
challenges we face in FY19, many of which are outside of City control. These include the increases in
Cumberland County tax ($381k), increases in pension obligation bond debt service ($872k and
increasing by around $1M annually through 2026), contractually obligated union compensation
increases (approximately $3.2M) and health insurance cost increases ($2M). As you can see, the
increase in valuation can only fund a fraction of the cost increases that are outside of City control.
Question 2: Will the upcoming revaluation help alleviate budget pressure and provide more tax
dollars for the City needs?
Staff Response: No – the revaluation has no impact on total funds collected for the budget. Each year
the City Manager will recommend a budget, calling for the required amount of tax dollars to be levied on
property owners. The revaluation will have no impact on the dollar amount levied – the total amount of
tax dollars required for City / School operations will be the same both before and after the revaluation.
The revaluation will only impact how the dollars levied are split between City taxpayers. In general
about 1/3 of the residents will pay more after the revaluation, 1/3 of the residents will pay the same
amount, and 1/3 of the residents will pay less, but in total the amount of tax dollars collected will remain
the same. When property values rise overall as a result of the revaluation, the mil rate will see a
corresponding drop. For example, if total City property value increased 25% during the revaluation
from $8B to $10B as a result of the revaluation (i.e. adjusting property values to their just values) the mil
rate would then see a corresponding 25% percentage decrease.
EXAMPLE:
Pre-City Revaluation:
Total City Valuation: $8,000,000,000
Mil Rate: $20.00
Total Tax Levy Needed for City/School Operations: $160,000,000 ($8,000,000,000 / 1000 * $20.00)
Post-City Revaluation:
Total City Valuation: $10,000,000,000
Mil Rate: $16.00 (drops because we still only need a tax levy of $160,000,000)
Total Tax Levy Needed for City/School Operations: $160,000,000 ($10,000,000,000 / 1000 * $16.00)
2
Question 3: Building permit fees were increased recently. Wasn’t this increase intended to fund
some of the same things impact fees are intended to fund (i.e. growth related infrastructure)?
Staff Response: In 2017 a separate Permitting & Inspections Department was created. The new
Department was created in direct response to the 2016 City Council goal to create a more efficient
permitting process, including online functionality. This new Department including significant levels new
staff and a new Department Head, a new software system (EnerGov) and new policies and procedures,
was funded by an increase in Building Permit fees. No part of the previous increase in building permit
fees was intended to fund growth-related infrastructure. Additionally, there are no excess building
permit revenues available to address growth-related infrastructure.
Question 4: What about the Stormwater Service Charge? Was that created in response to
growth-related infrastructure needs?
Staff Response: No. The Stormwater Service Charge was created to fund and implement projects
related to the Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) mandate for combined sewer overflow
requirements. Instituting a stormwater charge more fairly and equitably distributes costs among the
users of the sewer and stormwater systems rather than putting the burden entirely on sewer users.
Stormwater service charges will raise approximately $7M towards the DEP mandate in FY19. The City
estimates between $20M and $30M will be spent annually over the next 5-10 years to address the DEP
mandate (revenues from both sewer fees and stormwater service charges will support this effort).
There will be no excess of either Stormwater Service Charges or Sewer Fees to address growth related
infrastructure needs.
3
9/20/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact fees for parking garages?
Attachment 9
Helen Donaldson <hcd@portlandmaine.gov>
Impact fees for parking garages?
Christian MilNeil <c.neal.milneil@gmail.com> Wed, Sep 19, 2018 at 3:55 PM
To: hcd@portlandmaine.gov
Cc: Jeff Levine <jlevine@portlandmaine.gov>, planningboard@portlandmaine.gov
Thanks Nell, I understand where you are coming from w/r/t not charging impact fees to new parking garages, but I don't
agree with the reasoning.
Parking garages are a land use and they are almost always subsidized – and subsidies for automobile use naturally
generate more automobile trips.
We know intuitively and by observation that a 7-11 surrounded by a big, free parking lot generates more car traffic than a
Rosemont Market, even though the square footages are roughly the same and the buildings' uses, from a zoning
standpoint, are identical. The Bangor Savings Bank branch on Middle Street is the same land use as the Bangor Savings
Bank branch on outer Brighton Avenue, but the Old Port location has virtually no impact to traffic because there is no
parking there and it's been designed for walk-in traffic; the Brighton location does have a traffic impact because it's
designed to privilege access for motorists. We drive to the Maine Mall because it's surrounded by parking lots, and we
walk to Reny's because parking is scarce on Congress Street and the pedestrian and transit connections are excellent.
The planning department needs to bear in mind that impact fees have an important function beyond financing
infrastructure projects: ideally, they could also offer a financial incentive for developers to reduce the impact of their
projects; to build fewer parking lots and more transit-oriented, walkable neighborhoods where cars don't get used as
much.
In its current form, the proposed ordinance will make smart growth even more expensive, and more development will go
out to Westbrook and Scarborough instead, and we'll end up back at square one, with increasing traffic and none of the
money we need to deal with it.
So, instead of assuming that every housing development is going to generate car traffic with a one-size-fits-all approach
we have here, we could have a tiered system of impact fees such that a car-oriented development with lots of parking
pays more, and a transit-oriented development that gives its tenants bus passes pays less (or not at all), and thus give
developers a financial incentive to build more of the latter.
The city already acknowledges, through its transportation demand management policies, that developers can and do
reduce their traffic impacts with project design and property management strategies; the prior use of TDM plans
undermines the city's argument that traffic impacts are a blind function of land use multiplied by the dreary transportation
mode shares of our status quo. In fact, developers' TDM plans themselves could be used as a better proxy for a
development's traffic impacts, since the TDM plans explicitly set a developer's expectations for how their tenants will
travel, and how much they will subsidize parking.
From a political point of view, a lot of Portlanders are upset about how much parking garage construction is happening
right now downtown. It's a clear, visible demonstration of how the city and landlords are willing to spend lots of money to
subsidize private parking, even as the city's public streets strain under increasing traffic congestion. This is a clear
"tragedy of the commons" situation – every new parking space makes driving slightly more convenient for one motorist
but incrementally increases congestion for everyone else – that demands a stronger public policy response. Impact fees
would be a good place to start: a financial nudge to encourage developers to internalize the broader traffic impacts of their
parking management decisions.
I'd appreciate it if you could share this message with the planning board as public comment tomorrow; I may try to attend
the meeting in person as well.
A couple of other more technical points:
Figure 24 in the memo seems to assume that the mode share for transit, walking and biking will remain constant
(and miserably low) through 2028. Don't we have city goals that say we want more transit market share, and less
motor vehicle use over time? Isn't shifting mode share the point of many of these infrastructure projects we want to
fund? It's discouraging to see a city planning document assume failure in those ambitions, which some of us
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9/20/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact fees for parking garages?
consider pretty important!
Mode share estimates in Table 19 seem to come from the FHWA's Household Travel Survey
(https://nhts.ornl.gov/). We should be skeptical of those figures; that survey has a very small sample size (only 250
respondents from the entire state of Maine – source) that likely discounts Portland's uniquely high transit service
and walkability relative to other small cities.
The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, by contrast, surveyed 15,423 households in Maine in its
2017 survey, so it's much, much more robust. The ACS estimates that Portland's citywide transit mode share for
commuting trips is 3.2% – twice as high as TischlerBise's assumed mode share, and transit ridership is growing.
Furthermore, we know from Census tract-level estimates that mode share also varies by neighborhood,
significantly. Bayside (in Census Tract 6) has a transit mode share of 9.9% and a walk/bike share of 40% for
commuting trips. By the logic of this memo, a project located in Bayside should pay a significantly lower impact fee
than a project located in Riverton if we use the more reliable, more statistically robust ACS data.
Christian MilNeil
-------------
double u double u double u dot christianmilneil dot com
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9/27/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact fee ordinance concerns
Helen Donaldson <hcd@portlandmaine.gov>
Impact fee ordinance concerns
Christian MilNeil <c.neal.milneil@gmail.com> Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 3:17 PM
To: Ethan Strimling <estrimling@portlandmaine.gov>, Belinda Ray <bsr@portlandmaine.gov>,
sthibodeau@portlandmaine.gov, Brian Batson <bbatson@portlandmaine.gov>, jcosta@portlandmaine.gov, Kim Cook
<kcook@portlandmaine.gov>, Pious Ali <pali@portlandmaine.gov>, Nick Mavodones <nmm@portlandmaine.gov>, Jill Duson
<jduson@portlandmaine.gov>
Cc: "PBPAC@googlegroups.com" <pbpac@googlegroups.com>, HCD@portlandmaine.gov, Stuart O Brien
<sgo@portlandmaine.gov>
Mayor Strimling and honorable city councilors,
A lot of Portlanders are distressed about how much parking garage construction is happening right now downtown (with
thousands of additional parking spaces in the planning pipeline).
These new garages are a concrete demonstration of how the city if failing in its transportation and climate goals.
Landlords are willing to spend lots of money to subsidize private parking, even as the city's public streets strain under
increasing congestion. It's a classic "tragedy of the commons" situation – every new parking space makes driving slightly
more convenient for one motorist but incrementally increases congestion for everyone else – and it demands a stronger
public policy response from the city.
Transportation impact fees could be an excellent way to tackle this issue: a financial nudge to encourage developers to
internalize the broader traffic impacts of their parking management decisions.
However, in the current proposal drafted by the city's planning department, new parking garages will get a free ride.
We know intuitively and by observation that a 7-11 surrounded by a big, free parking lot generates more car traffic, while a
new Rosemont Market makes more walking trips possible – even though the square footages are roughly the same and
the buildings' uses, from a zoning standpoint, are identical. We drive to the Maine Mall because it's surrounded by free
parking lots, and we walk to Reny's because parking is scarce on Congress Street and the pedestrian and transit
connections are excellent.
These examples demonstrate that, if we want to manage the impacts of traffic from new development, we need to
incentivize useful infill development that makes car trips less necessary, and we need to discourage subsidized parking.
The current draft impact fee ordinance does the opposite.
There's also a real financial risk to the city in giving parking garages a free pass. Under state law, by adopting the
ordinance, the city is committing to build these capital projects whether or not the anticipated growth occurs.
In its current form, the proposed ordinance will make smart infill growth even more expensive, and thus even more
development will sprawl out to cheaper suburbs like Westbrook and Scarborough instead. If Portland builds more
parking garages downtown and spends millions of dollars to increase road network capacity through these
capital projects, we run the risk of getting all of the traffic from new suburban development, but not having
sufficient new revenue from new in-town housing and offices to pay for it.
By expanding the proposed fees to cover parking garages as well, smarter infill growth becomes more financially
attractive and the city can mitigate this financial risk. Future developers will have a financial incentive to build lower ratios
of parking to usable space, and encourage more of their tenants to walk, ride bikes or patronize our underutilized buses.
In short, there's an opportunity here for the city to collect fees from a broader base of new development, while also
establishing financial incentives that are aligned with the city's goals.
I also want to stress that I'm very glad the city is looking into the impact fees generally – I think it's an important tool for us
to have in place. I'm just particularly concerned about the unintended effects of a parking garage loophole.
Thanks for your attention and your work on this.
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9/27/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact fee ordinance concerns
Christian MilNeil
45 Smith Street
-------------
double u double u double u dot christianmilneil dot com
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9/27/2018 City of Portland Mail - Impact fee ordinance concerns
Helen Donaldson <hcd@portlandmaine.gov>
Impact fee ordinance concerns
Zack Barowitz <zbarowitz@gmail.com> Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 3:30 PM
To: Portland Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee <PBPAC@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Mayor <estrimling@portlandmaine.gov>, Belinda Ray <bsr@portlandmaine.gov>, Spencer Thibodeau
<sthibodeau@portlandmaine.gov>, Brian Batson <bbatson@portlandmaine.gov>, Justin Costa <jcosta@portlandmaine.gov>,
Kim Cook <kcook@portlandmaine.gov>, Pious Ali At Large <pali@portlandmaine.gov>, Nicholas Mavodones
<nmm@portlandmaine.gov>, Jill Duson <jduson@portlandmaine.gov>, Helen Donaldson <HCD@portlandmaine.gov>, Stuart
O'Brien <sgo@portlandmaine.gov>
Pursant to Christian's large point (e.g., "These examples demonstrate that, if we want to manage the impacts of traffic from
new development, we need to incentivize useful infill development that makes car trips less necessary, and we need to
discourage subsidized parking.")
Urban density makes Land values and tax revenue are far greater in downtown Portland than in surrounding suburbs even
if annual square foot rents are roughly equal. See this for example.
Thanks,
Zack
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Gregory A. Mitchell
Director, Economic Development Department
MEMORANDUM
TO: Economic Development Committee
FROM: Greg Mitchell
DATE: October 9, 2018
SUBJECT: Purchase and Sale Agreement between City of Portland and Waterstone
Properties Group, Inc.
I. ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY
A Purchase and Sale Agreement between the City of Portland and Waterston Properties Group, Inc. is
proposed to sell a City-owned 4.82 acre vacant non-access parcel for $11,220.
II. BACKGROUND
The City has determined that the 4.82 acre vacant parcel, located in Portland, is not needed for
municipal use and should be sold. The interested buyer for this property is the Westbrook mixed use
project developer (Waterstone Properties Group, Inc.).
III. INTENDED RESULT AND/OR COUNCIL GOAL ADDRESSED
EDC approval, in the form of a recommendation to the City Council, on the Proposed Purchase and
Sale Agreement between the City of Portland and Waterstone Properties Group, Inc.
IV. FINANCIAL IMPACT
An overview of the Proposed Purchase and Sale Agreement includes the following:
Parcel Size: 4.82 acres.
Parcel Location and Environmental Constraints. The parcel is located in Portland, between the
Maine Turnpike and the proposed large scale mixed use project in Westbrook. The developer of the
mixed use project (Waterstone Properties Group, Inc.) is the buyer for this property. The site is not a
legal conforming parcel to develop because it lacks street frontage and there is no access to public
utilities. Additionally, the site is encumbered by 1.81 acres of wetlands and two CMP easements
(including 1.48 acres) which prohibit erecting or maintaining structures of any kind. Also,
CITY OF PORTLAND/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPT./389 CONGRESS ST./PORTLAND, ME 04101/(207) 874-8683
it is noted that the upland areas, estimated to be 1.53 acres (excluding the no-build CMP easements),
are not contiguous, and access to these areas would require crossing wetlands on-site and wetlands
located on the adjacent privately owned Westbrook mixed use project property. See attached map
showing the location of wetlands, CMP no-build easements, and uplands.
Property Value and Sale Price. $11,220 was determined by the City Assessor. It is noted that the
property appraisal determined the value of this property to be $0. See attached excerpt of the
Property Appraisal.
Environmental Indemnification. Buyer agrees to indemnify the City regarding any environmental
issues, and the property is sold in an “AS IS WHERE IS” condition.
It is noted that the Buyer paid for the costs of the property survey and appraisal.
V. RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the attached Proposed Purchase and Sale Agreement.
VI. LIST ATTACHMENTS
- Map of Subject Area
- Property Appraisal Excerpt
- Proposed Purchase and Sale Agreement between the City of Portland and Waterstone
Properties Group, Inc.
Prepared by: Greg Mitchell
Date: October 9, 2018
CITY OF PORTLAND/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPT./389 CONGRESS ST./PORTLAND, ME 04101/(207) 874-8683
Appraisal Report
Appraisal Report of the contributory value of a 4.82± acre non-access land parcel in the City of Portland,
Maine. This parcel is located adjacent to a development site referred to as the Dirigo Plaza which is
referenced on Map 42B, Lot 14 and located in the City of Westbrook. GA File Reference: 2753.
Effective Date of Contributory Market Value Estimate
July 10, 2018
Prepared for: Prepared by:
City of Portland Goulet & Associates, Inc.
389 Congress Street 183 Main Street
Portland, Maine 04101 Lewiston, Maine 04240
Appraisal Report – GA File 2753 7
Summary of Salient Facts and Conclusions
Appraisal Purpose: The purpose of this appraisal report is to estimate the bulk contributory
value of the subject property in light of its assemblage with the
abutting Dirigo Plaza site. The intended use is to aid our named
client, the City of Portland, in formulating a purchase price for the
subject property.
Date of Inspection: July 10, 2018.
Date of Value: July 10, 2018.
Date of the Report: August 8, 2018.
Property Rights
Appraised: Fee Simple Estate.
Property Location: The property is an interior lot located to the north of Rand Road and
to the west of the Maine State Turnpike in the City of Portland. The
site represents a portion of Map 243, Lot B-1, Map 244, Lot A-1,
Map 252, Lot A-1 and Map 253, Lot A-1. However, the City of
Portland’s map and lot references are not accurate as they do not
reflect the land areas that were previously acquired by the Maine
DOT. Refer to extraordinary assumptions.
Title/Owner of Record: Title to the subject property is referenced to the City of Portland per
Cumberland County Registry of Deeds (CCRD) as a portion of
Book 386, Page 393 dated July 3, 1871 and CCRD Book 687, Page
103 dated January 31, 1900 per the submitted survey. The subject
parcel is the portion of the land area remaining to the north of the
10.33± acres previously acquired by the State of Maine by
condemnation by way of a Notice of Layout and Taking recorded in
CCRD Book 3397, Page 194 dated May 17, 1973. No specific legal
description of the subject parcel is available therefore, the submitted
survey was relied upon.
Goulet & Associates, Inc.
Appraisal Report – GA File 2753 8
Land Area: The subject property contains 4.82± acres and has no road frontage.
The site has 1.81± acres of wetland areas and 3.01± acres of uplands
areas based on the wetlands survey provided by Jones & Beach
Engineers, Inc. The site is also subject to two easements granted to
Central Maine Power (CCRD Book 2104, Page 279 dated November
3, 1952 and CCRD Book 2365, Page 181 dated July 12, 1957). Both
of these CMP easements prohibit erecting or maintaining any structure
of any kind on the easement. Based on the submitted site survey, the
upland areas are estimated to be 1.53± acres excluding areas within
the no-build CMP easements.
Zoning: The site is located in the Industrial (I-L) zoning district in Portland.
The site has no minimum lot size requirement. However, the
minimum road frontage requirement is not met as the subject has no
road frontage. The City of Portland does not currently map the
subject site. For the purpose of this analysis, it is assumed the site is
in a lawful status. Assemblage of the same would be legal and
appropriate given the site’s Highest and Best use.
Highest and Best Use: As Vacant – assemblage as open space with the abutting
development land parcel, or retention for open space by the local
municipality or affiliated non-profits.
Conclusion of Value Based on the analyses developed within this report, it is our opinion
that, as of July 10, 2018, the subject property has no determinable
contributory market value. Refer to extraordinary assumptions and
scope of work detailed in the Transmittal Letter and engagement.
Goulet & Associates, Inc.
Appraisal Report – GA File 2753 49
Subject Parcel Upland Areas
(prior to illustration of the CMP “no-build” easement)
Total Site Area – 4.82 acres
Uplands
97,233 SF
Estimated 11,250 SF
28,061 SF
11,250 SF
136,544 SF
Less 1,242 SF in Buffer
Less 4,197 SF in Buffer
131,105 SF
or
3.01± acres of Uplands
Goulet & Associates, Inc.
Appraisal Report – GA File 2753 50
Subject Parcel with Upland Areas
(excluding Wetland Areas and CMP “no-build” easement)
Uplands –
Excluding Wetlands areas and
CMP “no build” easements
Est. 4,100 SF
27,590 SF
11,000 SF
4,100 SF
28,061 SF
70,751 SF
Less 4,197 SF in Buffer
66,554 SF
or
1.53± acres of Uplands
Goulet & Associates, Inc.
Appraisal Report – GA File 2753 51
Subject Parcel
Wetlands Area on Dirigo Plaza Site
See Insert A Below
Insert A Upland – Green
Dirigo Plaza Site Area Wetlands – Blue
Abutting Subject Parcel CMP “no build” Easement - Yellow
Subject Parcel
Goulet & Associates, Inc.
PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT
THIS PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT IS made this ____ day of ___________,
2018 by and between the CITY OF PORTLAND, a body politic and corporate located in
Cumberland County, Maine (hereinafter referred to as “Seller” or “City”), and WATERSTONE
PROPERTIES GROUP, INC., a Massachusetts corporation having a mailing address of 322
Reservoir Street, Needham, MA 02494 or nominee or designee (hereinafter referred to as
“Buyer”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the City is the owner of approximately 4.82 acres of land at Westbrook
Arterial and along the Maine Turnpike, Portland, Maine as generally depicted on the boundary
survey attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Survey”) and incorporated herein, and more
particularly described in Exhibit B attached hereto and incorporated herein (the “Premises”); and
WHEREAS, Buyer desires to purchase the Premises, and the City desires to convey the
Premises to Buyer.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties,
intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
1. SALE. City agrees to sell the Premises to Buyer, and Buyer agrees to purchase the
Premises in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
This Agreement is for the sale of land only.
2. CONSIDERATION. The purchase price for the Premises shall be Eleven Thousand
Two Hundred Twenty Dollars ($11,220.00) (the “Purchase Price”), subject to the
following cost adjustments and conditions:
a. The Buyer shall pay the City for the cost of the City’s appraisal for the Premises
(“Appraisal Cost”) within 3 business days after the full execution of this
Agreement; and
b. The Buyer shall pay the Purchase Price to the City by wire transfer (or as otherwise
reasonably requested by the City) at closing.
3. TITLE AND DUE DILIGENCE.
a. Due Diligence Period. Buyer will have from the date of this Agreement until 4:00
PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time on the day that is one hundred eighty (180)
days after the date of this Agreement (the “Due Diligence Period”) to complete
any survey, environmental review and title examinations.
b. Title and Survey Objections. Buyer will have until the end of the Due Diligence
Period to deliver to City any written objections to title, environmental, or survey
matters (other than the permitted exceptions identified in subsection d below) that
affect Buyer’s intended use of the Premises as contemplated by this Agreement,
including the terms of Section 12 below. Objections not made prior to the end of
the Due Diligence Period will be deemed waived; provided, however, that
objections pertaining to matters of record first appearing after the end of the Due
Diligence Period may be made at any time prior to the closing.
c. Option to Cure. In the event of a title or survey objection, City will have the
option, but not the obligation, to cure the objection and will notify Buyer of its
election within ten (10) business days after receipt of the objection. In the event
that the City elects to cure the objection, it will have thirty (30) days from the date
of the notice of election, or such other reasonable time as the parties may agree, to
cure the objection. In the event that the City does not elect to cure the objection,
or, having elected to cure the objection fails to timely do so to Buyer’s reasonable
satisfaction, Buyer will have the option to (i) terminate this Agreement (after
which neither party will have any further obligation or liability to the other under
this Agreement), (ii) waive the objection and close, or (iii) undertake the cure of
such objection at its own expense (in which case it shall have thirty (30) days to
do so).
d. City shall convey the Premises to Buyer at the closing in fee simple by a
municipal quitclaim deed without covenant. Title shall be good and insurable
title, free and clear of all encumbrances except (i) the easements on the Survey or
otherwise described herein; (ii) easements for all public improvements now on,
under or over the Premises and for utilities servicing the property, (iii) zoning
ordinances, and (iv) real estate taxes not yet due and payable. Further, Buyer
acknowledges that the deed shall contain a restriction stating that in the event that
the Premises or any portion thereof shall be exempt from real and personal
property taxes, by transfer, conversion, or otherwise, then the then-owner of the
exempt portion shall make annual payments to the City in lieu of taxes in the
amount equal to the amount of property taxes that would have been assessed on
the exempt portion of the real and personal property situated on the Premises had
such property remained taxable. Such restriction shall also confirm that Buyer
and its successors and assigns shall possess and be vested with all rights and
privileges as to abatement and appeal of valuations, rates, and the like as are
accorded owners of real and personal property in Maine. All of the laws and
regulations applicable to the payment of real estate taxes and personal property
taxes, except those governing property tax exemptions, shall apply to any such
payments in lieu of taxes including, without limitation, how such taxes are
calculated and the right to seek abatements and appeals.
4. INSPECTIONS.
a. During the Due Diligence Period, Buyer and its employees, consultants,
contractors and agents shall have the right, at Buyer’s expense, to enter on the
Premises at reasonable times in order to (i) inspect the same, (ii) conduct
engineering studies, percolation tests, geotechnical exams, environmental
assessments, and other such studies, tests, exams, and assessments, and (iii) do
such other things as Buyer determines, it is sole discretion, to be required to
determine the suitability of the Premises for Buyer's intended use (collectively,
the “Inspections”). The City acknowledges that such Inspections may include the
digging of test pits, which the City hereby approves.
b. Buyer agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the City against any
mechanics liens that may arise from the activities of Buyer and its employees,
consultants, contractors and agents on the Premises.
c. Buyer shall exercise the access and inspection rights granted hereunder at its
sole risk and expense, and Buyer hereby releases the City from, and agrees to
indemnify, defend, and hold the City harmless against, any and all losses, costs,
claims, expenses and liabilities (including without limitation reasonable attorney
fees and costs) (collectively, "Damages") suffered by the City on account of any
injury to person or damage to property arising out of the exercise by Buyer of its
rights hereunder, except to the extent that such Damages result from the act or
omission of the City.
d. Buyer shall cause any contractors, consultants or any other party conducting the
Inspections to procure automobile insurance, if applicable, and commercial
general liability insurance coverage in amounts of not less than Four Hundred
Thousand Dollars ($400,000.00) per occurrence for bodily injury, death and
property damage, listing the City as an additional insured thereon, and also
Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage to the extent required by law; the
forms of all such insurance to be subject to City’s Corporation Counsel’s
reasonable satisfaction.
e. In the event that Buyer does not purchase the Premises, Buyer agrees to either
return the Premises as nearly as possible to its original condition after conducting
the Inspections, or, at the City’s option, reimburse the City for any physical
damage caused to the Premises in connection with the Inspections; provided,
however, the City hereby acknowledges and agrees that the term "physical
damage" does not include any disturbance of any pre-existing environmental
contamination on the Premises caused by such inspections, studies, tests, exams,
and assessments, and that Buyer shall have no obligation to clean-up, remove or
take any other action with respect to any pre-existing environmental
contamination disturbed thereby.
f. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that it is a condition to Buyer's
obligations under this Agreement that the results of the Inspections be acceptable
to Buyer in its sole discretion. If the results of such due diligence are not
acceptable to Buyer in its sole discretion, and if Buyer exercises its right to
terminate this Agreement, then neither party shall have any further obligations or
liabilities under this Agreement except as expressly set forth in this Agreement.
The City acknowledges and agrees that Buyer shall be entitled to terminate this
Agreement for any reason or for no reason during the Due Diligence Period by
providing written notice of such election to the City during the Due Diligence
Period.
5. REAL ESTATE TAXES, PRORATIONS AND TRANSFER TAX. Buyer shall
be liable for all real estate taxes beginning as of the start of fiscal year following the
closing and continuing thereafter. Because the Premises is currently owned by the
City of Portland, which is exempt from real estate taxes, no taxes were assessed or
will be due for any portion of the current fiscal year, and no taxes will be prorated at
the closing. Any utilities for the Premises shall be prorated as of the closing. Buyer’s
fifty percent (50%) share of the Maine real estate transfer tax shall be paid for by Buyer
in accordance with 36 M.R.S.A. § 4641-A. City is exempt from paying the transfer tax
pursuant to 36 M.R.S.A. § 4641-C. The recording fee for the deed of conveyance and
any expenses relating to Buyer’s financing or closing shall be paid for by Buyer.
6. DEFAULT AND REMEDIES. In the event that Buyer defaults hereunder for a
reason other than the default of the City, City shall retain the Appraisal Cost as its
sole remedy. In the event City defaults under this Agreement, and if Buyer is not
then in default hereunder, Buyer shall have the right to pursue specific performance.
7. RISK OF LOSS. The risk of loss or damage to the Premises by fire, eminent
domain, condemnation, or otherwise, until transfer of title hereunder, is assumed by
the City. The Premises is to be delivered in substantially the same condition as of the
date of this Agreement unless otherwise stated and excluding any alterations made to
the Premises by Buyer. In the event City is not able to deliver the Premises as stated,
Buyer may terminate this Agreement, and neither party shall have any further
obligations or liabilities under this Agreement except as expressly set forth in this
Agreement.
8. PROPERTY SOLD “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Buyer acknowledges that Buyer, at
Closing, will have had an opportunity to inspect the Premises, and to hire
professionals to do so, and that Premises will be sold “as is, where is” and “with all
faults.” City, and its agents, make no representations or warranties with respect to the
accuracy of any statement as to boundaries or acreage, or as to any other matters
contained in any description of the Premises, or as to the fitness of the Premises for a
particular purpose, or as to development rights, merchantability, habitability, or as to
any other matter, including without limitation, land use, zoning and subdivision issues
or the environmental, mechanical, or structural condition of the Premises.
Acceptance by Buyer of the deed at closing and payment of the purchase price shall
be deemed to be full performance and discharge by the City of every agreement and
obligation contained herein.
9. ENVIRONMENTAL INDEMNIFICATION. Buyer covenants and agrees to
indemnify, defend, and hold the City harmless from and against any and all claims,
damages, losses, liabilities, obligations, settlement payments, penalties, assessments,
citations, directives, claims, litigation, demands, defenses, judgments, costs, or
expenses of any kind, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’,
consultants’, and experts’ fees incurred in investigating, defending, settling, or
prosecuting any claim, litigation or proceeding, that may at any time be imposed
upon, incurred by or asserted or awarded against Buyer or the City and relating
directly or indirectly to the violation of or compliance with any federal, state, or local
environmental laws, rules, or regulations governing the release, handling or storage of
hazardous wastes or hazardous materials and affecting all or any portion of the
Premises, except to the extent that such a claim results directly from the City’s
release, handling or storage of hazardous wastes or hazardous materials on the
Premises. This duty to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless shall be included in a
covenant in the deed and shall run with the land conveyed and be binding upon
Buyer’s successors, assigns, and transferees.
10. INTENTIONALLY OMITTED.
11. CLOSING. Time is of the essence in the performance of this Agreement. The
closing shall be held at the offices of Buyer’s counsel in Portland, Maine at a time
agreeable to the parties on the date that is thirty (30) days following the expiration of
the Due Diligence Period or such other date as is mutually agreed upon by the parties.
At the Closing:
a. the City shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to Buyer a municipal quitclaim
deed conveying to Buyer good and marketable title to the Premises, free and clear
of all encumbrances except as otherwise set forth herein.
b. Buyer shall deliver the Purchase Price to the City by wire transfer (or as otherwise
reasonably requested by the City); and
c. Each party shall deliver to the other such other documents, certificates and the
like as may be required herein or as may be necessary to carry out the obligations
under this Agreement.
d. Buyer shall deliver evidence, reasonably satisfactory to City’s Corporation
Counsel, that the entity receiving title to the Premises is in good standing under
Maine law, and that the individuals closing and executing documents on behalf of
Buyer are authorized to do so.
12. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement represents the entire and complete
Agreement and understanding between the parties and supersedes any prior
agreement or understanding, written or oral, between the parties with respect to the
acquisition or exchange of the Premises hereunder. This Agreement cannot be
amended except by written instrument executed by City and Buyer.
13. NON-WAIVER. No waiver of any breach of any one or more of the conditions of
this Agreement by either party shall be deemed to imply or constitute a waiver of any
succeeding or other breach hereunder.
14. HEADINGS AND CAPTIONS. The headings and captions appearing herein are for
the convenience of reference only and shall not in any way affect the substantive
provisions hereof.
15. BINDING EFFECT. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit
of the parties hereto and their respective heirs, administrators, successors and assigns.
16. TIME. The City and Buyer each confirm and agree that each of the time periods set
forth herein are essential provisions of the terms of this Agreement.
17. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in all respects in
accordance with, and governed by, the laws of the State of Maine. All parties hereto
hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Superior Court for the County of
Cumberland in the State of Maine, for all actions, proceedings and litigation arising
from or relating directly or indirectly to this Agreement or any of the obligations
hereunder, and any dispute not otherwise resolved as provided herein shall be
litigated solely in said Court. If any provision of this Agreement is determined to be
invalid or unenforceable, it shall not affect the validity or enforcement of the
remaining provisions hereof.
18. NOTICE. All notices, demands and other communications hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given on the date of service if served
personally on the party to whom notice is to be given, or on the first business day
after mailing if mailed to the party to whom notice is to be given by first class mail,
postage prepaid, certified, return receipt requested, addressed to the recipient at the
addresses set forth below. Either party may change addresses for purposes of this
paragraph by giving the other party notice of the new address in the manner described
herein.
FOR The City: City of Portland
ATTN: City Manager
389 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04101
With a copy to : The Office of the Corporation Counsel at the
same address.
FOR Buyer: Waterstone Properties Group, Inc.
322 Reservoir Street
Needham, MA 02494
With a copy to: Hinckley Allen
650 Elm Street, Suite 500
Manchester, NH 03101
Attention: John H. Sokul, Esq.
19. SIGNATURES; MULTIPLE COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be
executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties in separate
counterparts. Each counterpart when so executed shall be deemed to be an original
and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
20. BROKERS. City and Buyer represent and warrant to each other that no brokerage fees
or real estate commissions are or shall be due or owing in connection with this
transaction or in any way with respect to the Premises. Subject to the limitations of
liability set forth in the Maine Tort Claims Act, City agrees to defend, indemnify, and
hold Buyer harmless from any claims, costs, judgments, or liabilities of any kind
advanced by persons claiming real estate brokerage fees through City. Buyer agrees to
defend, indemnify and hold City harmless from any claims, costs, judgments, or
liabilities of any kind advanced by persons claiming real estate brokerage fees through
Buyer. The foregoing indemnities shall include all legal fees and costs incurred in
defense against any such claim, and shall survive closing.
21. RECITALS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. The recitals set forth above
are incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have hereunto set their hands and seals on the
day and year first written above.
CITY OF PORTLAND
WITNESS Jon P. Jennings
Its City Manager
WATERSTONE PROPERTIES GROUP,
INC.
_
WITNESS
Its:
Approved as to Form: Approved as to Funds:
______________________________
City Corporation Counsel’s Office City Finance Department
Exhibit A
Survey
Exhibit B
Legal Description
The land described in Warranty Deeds recorded in Book 386, Page 393 and in Book 687, Page
103.
Economic Development Department
Gregory A. Mitchell, Director
MEMORANDUM
TO: Economic Development Committee
FROM: Greg Mitchell
DATE: October 12, 2018
SUBJECT: Portland Convention/Innovation Center Feasibility & Market Analysis
Study
It has been recognized for a number of years that Portland needs a Convention/Innovation Center to
strengthen our community economy to support increased year-round tourism activities and talent
recruitment.
Past research has demonstrated the need for such a facility; however, a lack of dedicated funding
sources to support facility construction has been the primary impediment to moving forward with
such a project. See attached PowerPoint Presentation for an overview.
City staff recommends the City issue a Request for Proposals to conduct such a feasibility and market
study for the following reasons:
Growth in the number of hotels rooms to support a Convention/Innovation Center;
Excellent Portland transportation highway, Portland Jetport, and Downeaster connections;
Limited Site Availability. Sites to locate a larger scale facility, on Peninsula, are limited and
must be secured in order to accommodate this use; and
Private support is in place to advance this project at this time.
The cost to support proceeding with this project, when known, will be funded through a public-
private partnership.
Jon Jennings and I look forward to discussing this you at your October 16th meeting.
Attachment
CITY OF PORTLAND/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPT./389 CONGRESS ST./PORTLAND, ME 04101/(207) 874-8683
The Maine Convention and
Innovation Center
Portland Regional Chamber Update
January 31, 2018
Brief Convention Center History in Maine
• Late 1980s proposed conversion of Civic Center
• Mid 1990s statewide effort for Portland, Lewiston, Augusta and Bangor
• 2000 Libra proposal to relocate Civic Center to Bayside
• 2004 Lincoln Center Project: a combined arena/convention center/hotel complex
at the Top of the Old Port parking lot
• Why no success?
• Fragmented local tourism industry
• No local or state political leadership
• Lack of any strong public or business support
• Inadequate transportation and hospitality infrastructure
• Resistance to “Big Ideas” embedded in the state’s culture?
• Maine Convention Center Collaborative was created to turn the tide
Meeting and Convention Industry
• Travel and Tourism is a $900 billion industry in the US
• Conventions represent a $130 billion slice
• Travel and Tourism is a $6 billion industry in Maine
• Conventions represent a negligible business
• Economic potential in Maine, likely in the hundreds of millions annually….
• Portland ME is one of 7 cities in the top 104 MSAs without a convention center
• Joining Thousand Oaks and Stockton CA,
• Melbourne FL
• Youngstown OH
• Bridgeport and New Haven CT
The Maine Convention and Innovation Center
• “Peak seasons” for conventions are in the Fall and Spring
• Winter not uncommon (e.g. Boston), Summer generally out
• Midweek business not normally weekends
• Tying convention center to economic development
• Support emerging sectors (e.g. FocusMaine) by soliciting meetings in those industries
• Support food service and hospitality training
• Relocate regional economic development agencies within the facility
• Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Visit Portland (new CC sales entity)
• Maine International Trade Center
• Greater Portland Council of Governments
• Creative Portland; FAME; MEREDA; Live, Work in Maine; Etc.
Convention Center “Catalyst’ Factors
• Launch mass transit and partner with Metro
• Relocate downtown bus center to the site
• Electric transport service to downtown hotels
• Express shuttles to the airport and transportation center
• Workforce Development
• Provide year round hospitality positions (remove seasonality factor)
• Assist in knowledge worker recruitment (meeting attendees
• Job creation for Maine college graduates (partnering with USM/SMCC/UNE)
• Spark transition from Resource-based to a Knowledge-based economy
• Trend in leading convention destinations is to tie the region’s economic
development strategies with convention center goals
Latest Convention Center Trends
• Changing from big boxes in the 1970s to efficient state of the art facilities
focused on human interaction
• Most successful convention cities are attractive, vibrant destinations with a
major airport nearby, and hotels and restaurants within walking distance
• Cities and regions are tying their economic development strategies and
business strengths with convention solicitations
• Technology, flexible configurations, green operations and iconic design are
attracting premium meetings
• Three recent examples of similar sized cites to consider:
• Savannah GA, Cedar Rapids IA and Chattanooga TN
Objectives for Portland and Maine
• Brand it with Innovation and Entrepreneurialism
• No existing convention facility to retrofit, expand or rebuild
• Iconic building in the heart of America’s “Most Walkable Small City”
• Built by Maine craftspeople with Maine-made products
• Highest speed WiFi of any convention center in United States
• Breakthrough “Farm to Table” convention catering
• Extreme flexibility in layouts and configurations