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Central Point edges toward SDCs Staff refines street cost proposal BY SUSAN JAY CENTRAL POINT -- Builders, homebuyers and developers soon may have to pay more in this town. The City Council still needs to vote on a proposal, but the staff is moving closer to a plan that would charge a fee on new construction to help pay for new streets, street repair and maintenance. The average charge could be an estimated $2,941 per new home under the latest formula the city is considering. In comparison, Medford currently charges $1,580 and Eagle Point $1,318. Central Point's formula for determining the street development charge is similar to Medford's. It estimates what impact a new home or building would have on street use, using such factors as the number of vehicle miles a new structure would generate. Central Point's charge is higher mostly because the city has a larger number of unimproved county roads, especially in the city's urban growth boundary, said City Administrator Jim Bennett. These roads are more expensive to improve to city standards. To fix all of the city's streets, including the county roads, and widen streets for more traffic would cost an estimated $30 million, Bennett said. "We have a long-term problem to deal with here," Bennett said. Street development charges would raise only a small fraction of that cost. Other street funds come from the state gas tax, and cities have been lobbying the state Legislature to increase the tax for transportation funding, Bennett said. The city staff is still refining the proposal. Options the council could consider include phasing in the proposal, changing the formula or charging only part of the fee. Next, the council and city plan to meet with developers to hear their ideas, and hold a public hearing in the next few months. Bennett expects a decision by the council in early June. Local builder Tommy Malot understands the city has a tough problem with its streets, having served on the city's budget committee and building homes in the community for several years. Adding a street charge to new construction, however, will make it more difficult to build affordable homes, Malot said, because the cost will have to be passed on to the home buyer. Years of patching streets has pushed the city far behind in any kind of maintenance program, he said. "The maintenance hasn't been taken care of in the past, but the new people shouldn't have to pay for it, should they ?" he asked. Bennett also said the council will have to consider how to deal with projects already under construction. RiteAid and Albertson's, for instance, did not include a street development charge as a cost when planning for their projects. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA