The increased fees are on top of existing system development charges. As an example, the city says its fee for reviewing plans for an 18,500-sf office building is rising from $3,560 to $10,590.
As well, developers now will be paying 32% of the cost of planning and engineering reviews and inspections, whereas before, says the city, developers were paying closer to 23% and 11% of those costs, respectively.
Gresham's Community and Economic Development Department initiated the proposal. The lone dissenting vote on the council was Jack Horner, who drew applause from the audience after concluding the proposal was too rushed and that developers should be entitled to be "brought to the table" to hash out alternatives.
Horner had proposed that the fee increases be reviewed by a group including large and small developers, a real estate agent, a representative from a neighborhood association and someone from the city's housing policy task force. Council President Vicki Thompson--reportedly the most dismissive of developers' concerns in this regard--spiked the proposal at a Feb. 27 meeting Horner did not attend.
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