Amended
IN
Assembly
March 25, 2021 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Grayson |
February 12, 2021 |
Existing law, the Mitigation Fee Act, imposes various requirements with respect to the establishment, increase, or imposition of a fee by a local agency as a condition of approval of a development project, including requiring a local agency, in any action establishing, increasing, or imposing such a fee, to determine how there is a reasonable relationship between the fee’s use and the type of development on which the fee is imposed.
This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to this requirement.
(b)For purposes of this section:
(1)“Affordability requirement” means a requirement imposed as a condition of a development of residential units, that the development include a certain percentage of the units affordable for rent or sale to households with incomes that do not exceed the limits for moderate-income, lower income, very low income, or extremely low income households specified in Sections 50079.5, 50093, 50105, and 50106 of the Health and Safety Code, or an alternative means of compliance with that requirement including, but not limited to, in-lieu fees, land dedication, off-site construction, or acquisition and rehabilitation of existing units.
(2)(A)“Exaction” means any of the following:
(i)A construction excise tax.
(ii)A requirement that the housing development project provide public art or an in-lieu payment.
(iii)A special tax levied on new housing units pursuant to the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act (Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 53311) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5).
(iv)Dedications of parkland or in-lieu fees imposed pursuant to Section 66477.
(B)“Exaction” does not include fees or charges pursuant to Section 66013 that are not imposed (i) in connection with issuing or approving a permit for development or (ii) as a condition of approval of a proposed development, as held in Capistrano Beach Water Dist. v. Taj Development Corp. (1999) 72 Cal.App.4th 524.
(3)“Fee” means a fee or charge described in the Mitigation Fee Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 66000), Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 66010), Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 66012), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 66016), and Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 66020)).
(4)“Housing development project” means a use consisting of any of the following:
(A)Residential units only.
(B)Mixed-use developments consisting of residential and nonresidential uses with at least two-thirds of the square footage designated for residential use.
(C)Transitional housing or supportive housing.
(c)
(a)In any action establishing, increasing, or imposing a fee as a condition of approval of a development project by a local agency, the local agency shall do all of the following:
(1)Identify the purpose of the fee.
(2)Identify the use to which the fee is to be put. If the use is financing public facilities, the facilities shall be identified. That identification may, but need not, be made by reference to a capital improvement plan as specified in Section 65403 or 66002, may be made in applicable general or specific plan requirements, or may be made in other public documents that identify the public facilities for which the fee is charged.
(3)Determine how there is a reasonable relationship between
the type of development project on which the fee is imposed and the fee’s use.
(4)Determine how there is a reasonable relationship between the need for the public facility and the type of development project on which the fee is imposed.
(b)In any action imposing a fee as a condition of approval of a development project by a local agency, the local agency shall determine how there is a reasonable relationship between the amount of the fee and the cost of the public facility or portion of the public facility attributable to the development on which the fee is imposed.
(c)Upon receipt of a fee subject to
this section, the local agency shall deposit, invest, account for, and expend the fees pursuant to Section 66006.
(d)(1)For the fifth fiscal year following the first deposit into the account or fund, and every five years thereafter, the local agency shall make all of the following findings with respect to that portion of the account or fund remaining unexpended, whether committed or uncommitted:
(A)Identify the purpose to which the fee is to be put.
(B)Demonstrate a reasonable relationship between the fee and the purpose for which it is charged.
(C)Identify all sources and amounts of funding anticipated to complete financing in incomplete improvements identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(D)Designate the approximate dates on which the funding referred to in subparagraph (C) is expected to be deposited into the appropriate account or fund.
(2)When findings are required by this subdivision, they shall be made in connection with the public information required by subdivision (b) of Section 66006. The findings required by this subdivision need only be made for moneys in possession of the local agency, and need not be made with respect to letters of credit, bonds, or other instruments taken to secure payment of the fee at a future date. If the findings are not made as required by this subdivision, the local agency shall refund the moneys in the account or fund as provided in subdivision (e).
(e)Except as provided in subdivision (f), when sufficient funds have been collected, as determined pursuant to
subparagraph (F) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 66006, to complete financing on incomplete public improvements identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), and the public improvements remain incomplete, the local agency shall identify, within 180 days of the determination that sufficient funds have been collected, an approximate date by which the construction of the public improvement will be commenced, or shall refund to the then current record owner or owners of the lots or units, as identified on the last equalized assessment roll, of the development project or projects on a prorated basis, the unexpended portion of the fee, and any interest accrued thereon. By means consistent with the intent of this section, a local agency may refund the unexpended revenues by direct payment, by providing a temporary suspension of fees, or by any other reasonable means. The determination by the governing body of the local agency of the means by which those revenues are to be refunded is a legislative
act.
(f)If the administrative costs of refunding unexpended revenues pursuant to subdivision (e) exceed the amount to be refunded, the local agency, after a public hearing, notice of which has been published pursuant to Section 6061 and posted in three prominent places within the area of the development project, may determine that the revenues shall be allocated for some other purpose for which fees are collected subject to this chapter and which serves the project on which the fee was originally imposed.
(g)A fee shall not include the costs attributable to existing deficiencies in public facilities, but may include the costs attributable to the increased demand for public facilities reasonably related to the development project in order to (1) refurbish existing facilities to maintain the existing level of service or (2) achieve an adopted level of service that is consistent
with the general plan.