Developers discuss voluntary rooftop fees

The Maricopa Unified School District has long debated a fair fee for developers to pay in order to offset the impact new developments may have on the district.

These fees, voluntary rooftop fees as they are known, have varied over the years and often accompany a land donation (see related story).

At the most recent governing board meeting Kelley Gorry, a representative from the Rose Law Group, laid out a fee her clients felt was fair for two potential developments just outside the city limits.

The fee Gorry proposed for the two developments, one an 892-home subdivision and the other a 1,050-home subdivision, was $1,500 per home.

“We feel that this number is fair and represents the market well,” Gorry said.

Gorry and the developers she represents came to the $1,500 number by determining the actual impact these homes would have on the school district.

Gorry proposed the developers pay this money at issuance of permit per home, but governing board member Tim White said he would like to see the money delivered in larger portions.

“We should not have to sit around and wait home by home to get paid,” he said.

Gorry said the developers could resolve this issue by paying per phase. She added that each project will have an estimated four to five phases, and the district could be cut a check at the beginning of each phase.

Inflation was another factor members of the board said they would like to see addressed as part of the developers’ next offer. “These homes are not going to start going up for five years so we need to find a way to adjust that number over time,” White said.

Gorry said that she would convey all the information to the developers, who would take it into consideration when they return with an offer in the coming months.

“I am confident we can get something done,” Gorry said.

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