Cape Coral talks road impact fees vs ‘mobility fees’
The city of Cape Coral is looking at whether to replace its road impact fees with another type of levy.
Whether the city should replace impact fees with a mobility plan and fee for infrastructure improvements was discussed at Wednesday’s Cape Coral City Council budget workshop.
Design & Construction Manager Bill Corbett discussed the multimodal transportation plan, which dives into a comprehensive approach and leads to a mobility plan and fee.
“It’s a new methodology in collecting funding for infrastructure improvements,” he said.
Corbett said the mobility plan will identify the projects and make sure the transportation network can sustain growth.
“That plan will be the framework for the fee. The plan will lead to the fee,” he said.
The mobility plan and fee could go toward projects like multi-use/shared paths; greenways; bike lanes; streetscapes and landscapes; traffic calming/low speed streets; roundabouts/traffic circles; micromobility and microtransit; policies, programs, services and studies; green infrastructure; parking structures; mobility hubs; transit vehicles and transit stop enhancements and water taxi stops, vessels.
The fee offers more flexibility in what can be done and would fund the growth to the local area, he said.
Councilmember Dr. Derrick Donnell asked if there has been any conversation with the industry concerning the mobility plan and fee.
“We are switching from road impact to mobility plan,” he said. “I would love to have those stakeholders have some conversation, a chance to have input.”
City Manager Mike Ilczyszyn said that is the plan, as they are tasked to put together the mobility plan and fee, as it will replace the traffic impact road fee.
“I meet with them quarterly,” he said. “They don’t want it to go up. That is a given. Once the fee is nearing completion — bring them together to go over what is going in there.”
Ilczyszyn said road impact fee was for capacity enhancements, only, such as taking four lanes to six lane roads.
“You could only do that in so many places in the city. When you go to a mobility fee — (it is) allowed to include a lot of other mobility options,” he said. “We lobby for growth pays for growth. Somewhere in the middle is policy. There will be discussions with them, and they will have what they need to lobby.”
The presentation highlighted six funded traffic signal intersection improvements that could have a potential cost of $12 to $24 million. The first one under construction is Averill Boulevard and Del Prado Boulevard North. The anticipated completion is April 2025.
The other lights, which have a start date later this year to next year, include Santa Barbara Boulevard and Tropicana Parkway; Chiquita Boulevard and Embers Parkway; Andalusia Boulevard and Diplomat Parkway and Chiquita Boulevard and Tropicana Parkway.
Roundabouts were also discussed, as there is a project underway analyzing 20 locations across the city and feasibility.
“They do come with significant benefits related to safety and resiliency. It does bring down conflict points from 32 to eight, a safety benefit,” Corbett said. “If a hurricane was to come — the infrastructure in place at roundabout is likely conducive to keep traffic flowing.”
He said they are looking at where the correct locations could be for these treatments.
There’s a potential cost of $60 to $100 million.
“Talking about the roundabouts and resiliency component, if we are able to magnify that as a purpose would that help those projects get resiliency grant funding,” Councilmember Bill Steinke said. “Use money other than ours to get a roundabout at least in that one, Yacht Club area.”
Donnell said what he heard is positive in terms of roundabouts and traffic signals.
“We are continuing to build these developments. The problem is there are no additional roads. No matter what mitigation we put in, it doesn’t really solve the issue — that is huge — some kind of way or another, add additional roadways real soon. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. We have to have additional road space to really get after this issue.”
Corbett said the mobility plan will evaluate the city’s capacity and try to highlight the opportunities for capacity enhancements.
Councilmembers also provided their insight on areas of the city that needed improvements.
Councilmember Rachel Kaduk asked the city to look at Northeast 10th Lane and Del Prado Boulevard as it has bad, multi-vehicle accidents all the time.
“Add that to the list of projects and priorities. It is dangerous, very dangerous,” she said.
The presentation also highlighted many projects, which included the Cape Coral Parkway six-laning, signal retiming and parking study.
Corbett said the city funds the signals entirely and the county operates them and maintains them. He said the city is still in full control of the lights, such as time changing.
“Risk vs. reward when you eliminate certain movements,” Corbett said, adding that they have tasked consultants that everything is on the table to improve traffic along the parkway.
The goal is to improve the capacity – Cape Coral Parkway is failing during peak hours into and out of the city.
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