MANCHESTER, N.H. – It remains to be seen whether the Manchester Board of Aldermen (BMA) will remove impact fees for developers seeking to transform commercial properties into residential properties, but one thing is for certain: the Manchester Planning Board needs more information before they will weigh in.
On Thursday night, the consensus on the board was in concert with Planning Board Chair June Trisciani that data is needed before the Planning Board can offer the BMA a recommendation on the proposal, which was offered recently by Alderman At-Large Joseph Kelly Levasseur.
Although only the BMA can mandate removing all impact fees, which pay for the impact of additional school and fire department costs incurred by the new residential properties, the Planning Board has the capacity to remove impact fees in certain situations. However, Trisciani noted that historically, developers have generally not gotten exemptions from impact fees outside of special circumstances, such as the creation of new affordable housing or units that significantly smaller than regular studio or one-bedroom apartments.
Planning Board Vice Chair Bryce Kaw-uh said that he felt it probably wouldn’t be prudent to waive impact fees in all circumstances given the impact that new residential fees have on city services. However, Kaw-uh could see granting some reductions in circumstances where the lack of fees would be offset by types of housing desired by the city.
Planning Board Member Robb Curry noted that without a firm policy from the BMA, there would continue to be a spectrum on the Planning Board between some members who want to remove impact fees in all cases to those who never want to remove impact fees, with most in the middle.
The matter is expected to be discussed in committee before it would return to the full BMA, with additional information expected on Nov. 12.
