New fee schedule proposed for Malta developers

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

The fees developers in Malta pay toward future road, open space and recreation projects in town would rise under a plan now under review by the Town Board.

Most of the fees involved would rise, but the fee for traffic mitigation would drop, according to the draft townwide generic environmental impact statement.

The study, a way of justifying what developers are required to pay toward the future impacts of their projects, lists improvements being considered by the town, from new roundabouts to municipal park improvements.

At a glance

Malta Mitigation Fee proposed changes:

Recreation: $1.09 per square foot, proposed $1.83

Open Space: $1,059 per acre, proposed $1,131 per acre

Traffic: $1,655 for each trip projected from a new development on an average day, proposed $1,353

“We have quite a few projects we would like to see happen and we would like to see funded through mitigation fees,” said town Councilman Peter Klotz.

The town has had a system of such fees since 2006, but is looking to update them, as the town continues to grow following construction of the GlobalFoundries computer chip plant.

The Chazen Group, the town’s engineers, were hired in 2013 to update the 2006 development fee study at a cost of $170,000, and it recently submitted its final draft.

The document calls for increasing the recreation fee on nonresidential development to $1.83 per square foot, up from $1.09 per square foot. The $1,330 per unit paid on new residential developments wouldn’t change.

The open space preservation fee would rise from $1,059 per acre to $1,131 per acre, and the townwide general impact fee would rise from $83 to $152 per vehicle trip projected to be generated on an average day from a proposed development.

The traffic mitigation fee, however, would drop from $1,655 per trip to $1,353 per trip.

The study estimates that $6.1 million in road improvements will be needed as Malta grows, but says local development will only be responsible for 70 percent of the additional traffic. Growth in other communities and general background growth would account for the rest.

In making its growth projections, Chazen assumed that GlobalFoundries will be building its Fab 8.2, which will be even larger than the first fabrication plant and account for 2,000 more workers.

Road improvements the study says will be needed include a $3.2 million realignment of the Northline Road, Malta Avenue and Old Post Road intersections with a single roundabout replacing the existing three intersections. There are also plans for a $1.6 million roundabout at Route 67 and Eastline Road.

The open space fee would be expected to accumulate nearly $9 million over the next 10 years, to be used to either buy land or establish a program to buy the development rights to farmland, while keeping it in private hands.

The recreation projects the plan foresees include more construction at the Luther Forest athletic fields, infrastructure improvements at Shenantaha Creek Park, and new work at the Round Lake Preserve, Malta Ecology Park and Eastline Romp ‘n’ Play dog park. Recreation trail improvements and public access to the Kayaderosseras Creek are also possibilities.

The plan states that the town isn’t committed to doing any of the projects that were studied, though they are under consideration.

While Malta has been growing for a half-century, Chazen estimates there is still plenty of room for growth. Over the next decade, it estimates there will be 600 more housing units built, 1,500 apartments or other units in the downtown area, and 1.6 million square feet of additional commercial space.

The Town Board will hold a public hearing on the plan at 6:55 p.m. Monday, July 6, at Town Hall. Public comment on the plan will be taken through July 29.

The draft is available for review on the town website, www.malta-town.org.