Distance-Based Impact Fees - Lancaster, CA

In 1993, the city of Lancaster developed an innovative model for assessing impact fees on new development. Known as the Urban Structure Program, the model includes a surcharge levied on new development beyond the central core (5 mile radius).

The further out from the central core, the higher the surcharge. A typical new house located within the core, for example, would incur an impact fee of $5,500. The same house located one mile beyond the core would incur a fee of $10,800.

The model relies on a computer program, updated annually, that calculates the cost of providing city services for a particular development.

One goal of the model is to ensure that outlying developments pay their true public costs. Many city services are more expensive to provide in low-density developments located far from existing service areas. Often residents of the urban care must shoulder a portion of these added costs. Lancaster's model requires these outlying developments to pay their full costs.

The result is a system that discourages sprawl, promotes a more cohesive and orderly development pattern, and supports downtown businesses. Since the model was implemented in 1993, no new development has occurred outside the central core.

More Information:

• City of Lancaster, California Home Page
• Full Text of Lancaster City Code Chapter 15.64: Development Impact Fees
• Lancaster Planning Commission at (661) 723-6100
• Carfree Cities - This website proposes a daring solution to the problems associated with urban automobiles.
• Sprawl Guide -- an introduction to the problems of suburban sprawl, by the American Planners Association.
• Recommended Reading:
• Stacy Mitchell's book The Hometown Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores and Why it Matters.
• Christopher Alexander et. al, A Pattern Language: towns, building, construction, New York, Oxford University Press, 1977