The City of Columbia is in the early stages of a possible growth impact study.
Growth impact studies look at the economics of a city and determine what should be done to help keep city growth sustainable.
Fourth Ward Councilmember Ian Thomas said this can be a controversial issue as it will make the cost of new developments grow. Thomas said he thinks it is necessary to make sure Columbia is growing at a sustainable rate, and believes impact fees would help pay for new developments to connect to the city’s infrastructure.
“That cost can be tax billed over a period of time. It is fair and legitimate for someone moving to Columbia and buying a big new house to pay their share of expanding all of these public infrastructure systems,” Thomas said.
CEO of the Columbia Board of Realtors Brian Toohey said he thinks the city already has the information it needs from previous studies. Toohey said the city uses bonding for capital improvement projects so that new construction pays its fair share in costs.
“That’s not something that ever gets brought up when people look at who is paying for the cost of development,” Toohey said.
The Columbia City Council will see a draft of the request for proposals for the growth impact study at its meeting tonight.