For and Against: The Mobility Fee Moratorium (2013-094)

East 3rd Street in Long Beach, CA is an example of a context sensitive street. All mobility fee funded road projects would include bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

7. FOR MORATORIUM: Mobility fee payments are one time payments, but the increased property tax revenues produced by the projects approved during the waiver will continue in perpetuity.

AGAINST MORATORIUM: When will it be the right time to not have citizens shoulder the impacts of new development? This isn’t an either or situation and should not be viewed as one. It has never been proven that the mobility fee kills projects where market demand truly exists for them.

The mobility fee’s structure already includes a method the development community can utilize to eliminate or reduce their “trip generation” fee.  The whole point of the 2030 Mobility Plan is to provide Jacksonville with a path to alter its overall development pattern into one that is fiscally sustainable and safer for its taxpayers. The fee is simply the funding mechanism to incentivize that change.  For those who chose to not work within the goals of the award winning community developed policy, they have the option to pay a mobility fee that helps cover the cost to taxpayers for their negative impact on surrounding infrastructure. In return, those funds generated will be reinvested into the surrounding community to mitigate transportation impacts in a manner that aligns with the community’s already adopted visioning plans. A three year moratorium effectively embraces an unsustainable growth pattern the general community continues to express a desire to move from.

Source: Mobility Fee Credit Adjustment System (Location-based land use & transportation strategy page 13, credit adjustment system page 31):
http://www.coj.net/departments/planning-and-development/docs/community-planning-division/2030-mobility-plan-final-may-2011-as-adopted.aspx

COJ Adopted Visioning Plans:
http://www.coj.net/departments/planning-and-development/community-planning-division/plans-and-studies/vision-plans.aspx

JAX 2025 Community Survey Results:
http://www.jax2025.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/JAX2025-Survey-Results.pdf




8. FOR MORATORIUM: According to the City’s Road Links Status Report, there has been essentially no net increase in traffic since January, 2010.

AGAINST MORATORIUM: In general traffic counts have been flat or down statewide since 2006. This is in large part a result of the economy. According to an analysis by FIU’s Research Institute on Social & Economic Policy, the state has lost 715,200 jobs in the Great Recession.  In addition, economic and social trends indicate a demographic shift in mode share with usage of transit, bicycle, pedestrian facilities (something Jacksonville is sorely lacking in) increasing. As the economy recovers, traffic counts will increase from existing development. With the addition of new traffic coming from new development over “four” years of waiving mobility fees, someone will be forced to pick up the tab for mitigating new development. When will it be the right time to not have citizens shoulder the impacts?




9. FOR MORATORIUM: The adopted Mobility Plan calls for only 11% of the Mobility Fund to be spent on sidewalks and bike lanes, spread across all Mobility Zones, and spent no faster than it is collected in each zone for this purpose.

AGAINST MORATORIUM: Actually, funds for pedestrian and bicycle facilities are included in all projects funded by the mobility fee.  Cost estimates were generated to make all roadway projects “context sensitive” or “complete streets.” The 11% quoted to be utilized on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout all mobility zones are in addition to multimodal projects to be constructed as a part of roadway improvements.  These additional projects are intended to effectively create a citywide connected bicycle and pedestrian network, which is something that doesn’t exist today, which directly leads to Jacksonville being nationally known as a deadly city for bicyclist and pedestrians.

Quote from 2030 Mobility Plan Executive Summary:

Each new or widened roadway included in the prioritized transportation improvement project list is assumed to include sidewalks and bicycle facilities consistent with the applicable cross-section for road design, bus turn-out facilities, and Comprehensive Plan policies. Roadway improvement projects consist of a combination of new  roads, widening existing roads, intersection improvements and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) improvements. The total cost for proposed roadway improvements included in the 2030 Mobility Plan is $218 million in 2010 dollars.