By ALAN LEVINE, Staff Writer

FLORENCE - The Pinal County Board of Supervisors is getting closer to implementing development impact fees to help pay for infrastructure needed because of a housing boom, with charges for new homes outside city limits totaling about $7,200 to $9,200.

The board on Wednesday gave its approval to a fees study prepared by Tischler-Bise relating to capital improvements for parks, public safety and streets. The final public hearing on the development impact fee ordinance is scheduled for Oct. 4, with the adoption of the ordinance scheduled for Oct. 18.

Impact fees are a one-time, per-building levy imposed on developers, basically a reimbursement to the county for expanding services. Until a law was passed by the Arizona Legislature in the late 1990s, only cities were allowed to levy impact fees. Aside from being reimbursed for parks, public safety and streets, cities must also factor in water and wastewater, which are services not provided by counties.

The fees consist of: $290 per single-family housing unit for parks, $958 for public safety and $5,967 to $7,918 for streets, depending on the impact fee area in which it originates, for a total of from $7,215 to $9,166.

The county is divided into seven impact fee areas. Area No. 2 takes in most of the western portion of the county, including the unincorporated areas around Maricopa, Hidden Valley, Stanfield and Casa Grande, and the total impact fee for a single-family home is $8,903. Area No. 3 focuses on the central portion of the county, which takes in most of the Florence and Coolidge areas, with total fees of $8,111. Area No. 6 covers south central Pinal County, which includes the Eloy area and portions near Coolidge and has a total fee of $8,367.

Besides single-family homes, impact fees have been established for park models, mobile homes, townhouses/condos and commercial buildings.

The fees are to be effective on Jan. 18.

The supervisors also approved the following requests:

-- A special-use permit by Geronimo and Veronica Pelayo to construct and operate a commercial feed and tack store on a 3-acre parcel in the east Queen Creek area. The Planning and Zoning Commission had voted for approval.

-- A special-use permit by LDR-Bell & Cotton LN LLC to construct a full-service car wash with associated retail space on a 1-acre parcel in Johnson Ranch. The planning commission had voted for approval.

-- A zone change and planned area development overlay district by JFP 1336 LLC for the 324-lot Casa Grande Trails on a 115-acre parcel at Montgomery Road and Selma Highway. The planning commission had voted for approval.

-- A zone change by Creative Design Builders Inc. to develop a retail shopping center on a 1-acre parcel in Arizona City. The planning commission had voted for approval.

-- A comprehensive plan amendment by Redfield Financial Inc. on a 33-acre parcel from foothills to transitional, west of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The planning commission had voted for denial.

-- A comprehensive plan amendment by Redfield Financial Inc. on an 80-acre parcel from rural to transitional, southwest of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The planning commission had voted for denial.

Public hearings were held on proposed expansions of franchises for Entrada Del Oro Sewer Company and Mountain Pass Sewer Company.

A request for a comprehensive plan amendment by Johnson Ranch Holdings LLC on a 40-acre parcel from rural to rural community in the Johnson Ranch area was continued to Oct. 4. The Planning and Zoning Commission had forwarded the case with a recommendation for denial, but after a plea for a review by the applicant, Supervisor Sandie Smith asked for the continuance to give the planning staff time to consider new information.

©Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. 2006