Placement: New Business
Action Requested: Discussion
title
Discussion of the 2025 Mobility Plan and Fee Schedule Update
body
Submitted By: Mary Savage-Dunham, Planning and Zoning Director
Strategic Plan Link: The City's Goal of high-quality infrastructure and facilities.
Executive Summary (General Business): This is a discussion for input and direction on a proposed update to the City’s Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee Schedule.
Presentation Information: Jonathan Paul will provide a presentation, and staff will be available to answer any questions.
Staff Recommendation: Request that the Council discuss the proposed Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee Schedule and provide comments and direction on same. Specifically, direction relating the following: 1. To include or exclude developer roads (lane 1 & 2) from the calculation of the Mobility Fee; 2. Whether to phase in the fee schedule that includes County owned roads upon expiration or termination of the Interlocal Agreement, or exclude them completely this cycle; 3. Whether to include or exclude specific road projects, or accelerate any, or to change any proposed projects to studies, 4. Whether to phase the increases over 2, 3 or 4 years or not, and if there should be different phasing scheduled for different assessment areas; and 5. Whether to introduce the West Assessment Area and Benefit Area.
Background: This proposed update to the Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee Schedule is occurring because the Mobility Plan Study conducted by our consultant indicated that there is a need for extraordinary circumstances fee adjustment to accommodate for rapid new growth and development taking place in the City. Over 50,000 news residents have moved to the City within the last five years, with anticipated growth of over 100,000 over the next 20 years. It is also being updated to better align with the 2024 enactment of House Bill 479, which is described in more detail below.
Staff Outreach - Staff and our mobility consultant held a public workshop on July 7, 2025, at 6 pm and July 8, 2025, at 10 am. Staff has also been fielding stakeholders’ questions relating to the proposed modification as they come in and specifically have met with several developers, including the Astoria team and the McCarty PUD team and have been listening to their concerns. The Staff and Mobility team have met with staff from St. Lucie County twice to discuss roadway needs and projects, and once with the TPO and the County to discuss the modeling associated with the Long-Range Transportation Plan and review the needs identified in that analysis. After this workshop with the City Council, the team will further refine the Mobility Plan and Mobility Plan Fee schedule based upon direction from the Council, and there will be additional public workshops at 1 pm and 6 pm on September 9, 2025.
Issues/Analysis: Issues/Analysis: The Mobility Plan outlines the specific infrastructure necessary to support growth as determined by the Mobility Plan Study. The Mobility Plan then guides the amount of the Mobility Fee because the Mobility Plan sets forth the specific infrastructure necessary to support new development. Staff is seeking direction on whether to include the following components in the Plan, all of which have a direct impact on the ultimate Mobility Fee calculation.
1. Include or Exclude the first two lanes of roadways historically deemed to be site related developer roads in the plan?
2. Include all proposed mobility plan projects or remove specific non-priority projects?
3. Change any projects, specifically long-range projects to studies?
4. Include or Exclude County owned roads in the mobility plan through a phase in approach upon expiration or termination of the 2027 ILA?
5. Introducing the West Assessment Area and Benefit Area?
6. Include or Exclude a provision for phasing the mobility fee increase so that the fee is not increased to the full baseline fee amount all at once and is instead increased over time. If yes, over how many years (i.e. 2, 3, or 4 years)? And do you want different phasing in for different assessment areas?
After discussion with the City Council the above items staff will modify the proposed Mobility Plan and Mobility Fee to better align with Council’s desires and present the revised materials to City Council.
Staff also seeks direction with respect to presentation of the revised materials:
1. Schedule another City Council Workshop prior to moving forward with First Reading?
2. Move forward to First Reading without another City Council Workshop, and after staff completes the public workshops?
Financial Information: This is not yet determinable. Additional financial information will be provided after staff seeks direction from the City Council.
Special Considerations:
1. HB 479: In 20204, HB 479 mandated, for the first time, that an interlocal agreement be entered into if a county and municipality both charge a fee for transportation capacity impacts, set forth minimum requirements for such agreements, and established an October 1, 2025, deadline to comply. Under subsection 163.3180(5)(j), failure to timely comply will result in new development receiving a 10% reduction in its total fee. HB 479 also provided for how the fee will be collected and apportioned between the local governments in the absence of a compliant and timely ILA.
Finally, there are two exemptions from HB 479’s interlocal agreement requirements: (a) charter counties, and (b) preexisting interlocal agreements coordinating the mitigation of transportation impacts, entered as of October 1, 2024, remain in effect or are extended by mutual consent of the parties.
2. Transportation Interlocal Agreement between City and St. Lucie County: There is an existing effective interlocal between the City and St. Lucie County. Unless terminated or renewed it expires in May of 2027. This interlocal does not allow inclusion of County owned roads in the City’s Mobility Plan.
3. HB 1080: Adopted in 2025, and effective January 1, 2026, provides for additional procedural safeguards when increasing impact and mobility fees, including but not limited to a unanimous vote to adopt a mobility fee increase that relies upon extraordinary circumstances.
4. County Road Impact Fee: St. Lucie County is concurrently modifying its transportation impact fee. The City has preliminarily reviewed the County’s impact fee study and has several concerns relating to the fee calculation methodology. These concerns have been communicated to St. Lucie County in writing and in person.
Location of Project: N/A
Attachments: 1. Map of Corridors 2025-2030, 2. Short Term Corridors Project List, 3. Map of Corridors 2030-2040, 4. Medium Term Corridors Plan List, 5. Map of Corridors 2040-2050, 6. Long Term Corridors Plan List, 7. Map of Corridors - Developer, 8. Developer Access Road list, 9. Intersection Map, 10. Intersections Plan, 11. Multimodal Network, 12. Multimodal Plan List, 13. Transit Map, 14. Transit Plan List, 15. July 7, 2025 Public Workshop sign in sheet, 16. July 8, 2025 Public Workshop sign in sheet, 17. Request to Table, 18. Presentation.
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: 25209-01
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Elizabeth L. Hertz, Senior Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by Richard Berrios, City Attorney.