By Kerry Lyman
The Fernley City Council took key steps toward implementing the North and Southwest Area Plans it adopted last year, by approving contracts at the Sept. 3 meeting to create a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), conduct an impact fee study and develop a comprehensive infrastructure plan.
Both plans listed the adoption of developer impact fees and the creation of a comprehensive infrastructure plan as high priorities to be accomplished within one year of the area plans’ approval.
According to a city staff report, a CIP must be developed to comply with Nevada law in order to impose impact fees on developers.
Kimley-Horn, the consulting firm that prepared both area plans, was chosen to create the CIP and infrastructure plans, and conduct the impact fee study, at a previously budgeted cost of $698,000.
Once the CIP is created, “Kimley-Horn will then determine appropriate, proportionate impact fees for all anticipated future development,” wrote Planning Director Michele Rambo in the staff report.
The infrastructure plan will include an analysis of existing conditions, coordination with stakeholders, infrastructure needs assessments of transportation, water, sewer, drainage, power, communications and public safety. It will also include cost estimates and identify funding mechanisms, according to the staff report.
“Ultimately, much of the capital cost is expected to be borne by developers through impact fees and required improvements as conditions of development approvals, thereby reducing the direct fiscal burden on the city,” Rambo wrote in the staff report.
Kimley-Horn, in addition to writing the two adopted area plans, also wrote the city’s Transportation Master Plan, and was selected last week to prepare the plans listed above and perform the impact fee study due to the firm’s technical expertise, an established working relationship with the local development community and continuity, according to the staff report.
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