Opinion ID: 2613343
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Fees Imposed as a Direct Result of Development

Text: Trimen next claims that King County violated RCW 82.02.020 because it imposed the in lieu of fees without first identifying the direct impact or result of the proposed plat. King County argues that park development fees in lieu of dedication were reasonably necessary as a direct result of Trimen's proposed developments. We agree. [7] RCW 82.02.020 provides in part: No county ... shall require any payment as part of such a voluntary agreement which the county, city, town, or other municipal corporation cannot establish is reasonably necessary as a direct result of the proposed development or plat. (Italics ours.) Trimen claims that King County's failure to identify a direct impact of its development before imposing the fees violates RCW 82.02.020. Although Trimen is correct that King County did not conduct a site-specific study, the record indicates that the ordinance's requirement  to either dedicate land for open space or pay a fee in lieu of dedication  was reasonably necessary as a direct result of Trimen's development. See View Ridge Park Assocs. v. Mountlake Terrace, 67 Wn. App. 588, 599, 839 P.2d 343 (1992) (ordinance adopted prior to the filing of a plat application can be construed as a measure taken to mitigate a direct impact that has been identified as a consequence of a proposed development), review denied, 121 Wn.2d 1016 (1993). King County conducted a comprehensive assessment of park needs in a 1985 report titled Interim Assessment of King County Park Needs. The report indicated that there was a deficit of approximately 107 park acres in the Northshore area serving the Winchester Hills I and II subdivisions. Based on adopted county standards, the report stated that over 300 acres of additional park land will be required in this area by the year 2000 to provide for the projected increase in population. Trimen's proposed subdivisions, with an expected occupancy average of three people per each of 112 potential residential units, created a need for an additional 2.52 acres of park land. The dedication or reservation of open space requirement of KCC 19.38, calculated at a reduced, negotiated figure of 5 percent, would have resulted in 2.096 acres of park and open space land. We conclude therefore that the fees imposed in lieu of dedication were reasonably necessary as a direct result of Trimen's proposed development. See Dolan v. Tigard, 62 U.S.L.W. 4576 (U.S. June 24, 1994) (rough proportionality between required dedication and impact of proposed development). [8] In Henderson Homes, Judge Agid cited Bothell's straight fee-per-lot charge as evidence that Bothell's assessment of park impact mitigation fees was made without any evaluation of the direct impact of the developments. Henderson Homes, 67 Wn. App. at 209 (Agid, J., dissenting). On appeal, we concluded that Bothell in fact violated RCW 82.02.020. Henderson Homes, 124 Wn.2d at 247-48. Contrary to Bothell's fee structure, King County's fee in lieu of dedication is calculated based on zoning, projected population, and the assessed value of the land that would have been dedicated or reserved. King County's assessment of fees in lieu of dedication are specific to the site, unlike the fee-per-lot charge assessed by Bothell. See KCC 19.38.080. As Judge Agid stated: If a fee is to be imposed in lieu of a dedication of land, the only rational, nonarbitrary way of determining the amount of the fee is to relate it to the value of the land which Bothell could require the developer to dedicate. Henderson Homes, 67 Wn. App. at 210 (Agid, J., dissenting). We hold that King County's imposition of the park development fees was not unlawful under RCW 82.02. The County's action was based on the impact assessment published in 1985 and the 1990 Annual Growth Report. The County's method of calculating the amount of land to be dedicated, as well as the fees to be paid in lieu of dedication, was a reasonable, proactive approach to the regulation of development as mandated by RCW 58.17.110, and as authorized by RCW 82.02.020. While there was not a specific agreement between the parties to fund a particular capital improvement, King County's plat approval process did not impede Trimen's ability to recommend or seek a particular capital improvement within the park service area. Trimen was fully aware that any fees paid would be applied in the park service area and would benefit the residents of its developments. We hold, therefore, that KCC 19.38 is lawful under RCW 82.02.020. King County correctly assessed the direct impact of Trimen's developments on the demand for neighborhood parks and imposed a fee reasonably necessary to mitigate these impacts. Since the County followed the requirements of a voluntary fee agreement under RCW 82.02.020, we uphold the legality of Trimen's agreement with King County to pay these park development fees.