Agenda - Public Works Committee - 02/17/2004

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dividej~to two projects, one for the townhomes and the other for the single family homes since the street serving each type oftand use are well defined. If the short segment of Cobalt Street between the Clinic and Bill's is considered a townhouse related street, this also becomes easily assessable on a per unit basis. The remaining two developments are not that easily resolved. Survey of Other Communities: A survey of other communities was conducted and six cities responded with their townhouse assessment policies. · ~4~dover - assesses on a per unit basis whenever possible. · Maple Grove - policy varies based on type of project, type of units, and w, hether driveways front on private or public streets. Generally, however they.asses~,, 60 %r, of a single family unit. · Plymo~th - The area of the townhouse development is divided by 18,500 square feet to arrive at an equivalent number of assessment shares. Plymouth noted that on a 2003 project townhome owners paid about 60% of what single family homeowners paid. -; · Maplewood - assesses single family on a unit basis, but commercial, industri~I and multifamily on a "comparable front foot "basis increased by a multiplier (50% for townhomes). A single family home is assumed to have 75 feet on frontage. · Eaga~ - Tow~ouses are typically assessed 75% on a single family unit. · ?riot Lake - assesses to,,v~ouse (condo) units the same as a single family unit. Discussion: A review of other cities townhouse assessment policies suggest that the method currently proposed for 12:' 04-14 (that the 12 townhouse unit receive a single assessment share to divide among themselves) would be a substantial deviation from how other communities surveyed are handling the assessment of townhouse units Although there is variation from one community to the next, for the most part townhouse units are treated much similar to single family units. However, there is usually some consideration given to the economies offered by the density of the townhouse development by offering these units a percentage of the assessment applied to single family units. The justification for charging multifamily units a fraction of that assessed to a single family unit can be based upon the rational that these units generate fewer daily trips and therefore are benefited to a lesser degree. It would be best to aggregate townhouse into individual projects wherever possible in order to be most consistent with our past policy of assessing subdivisions as individual projects because of the large variation in street servicing needs. This, however, would still leave a couple a difficult situations such as Sunfish Ponds and the current lY 04-14. 4