38 ms·
How about: If you build a building of this size you must contribute $X to the public transit system to expand service to your building, adding drivers and route
by jandrese 3y ago
How about: If you build a building of this size you must contribute $X to the public transit system to expand service to your building, adding drivers and routes if necessary.
We have so many subsidies for cars baked into the system, but hardly anything for other forms of transit, and then we complain endlessly about how expensive transit is to run and have to cut service to make ends meet, which of course discourages people from taking transit.
- brewdad 3y agoImpact fees on new developments are already a thing to pay for other infrastructure improvements like sewer, utilities, roads, and parks. No reason it couldn't be extended to transit as well.
- AnthonyMouse 3y agoProperty owners already pay property taxes to fund infrastructure. Larger developments pay more in taxes (and the residents who live there pay income taxes etc.) "Impact fees" are just a way to discourage new development.
- BobaFloutist 3y agoWhat if we had a way of making buildings of a given size, or, say, value, contribute cash to the local and state governments, that the governments could then distribute as needed to transit, emergency services, infrastructure, schools, etc? We could even make it an annual fee so that they have to contribute to ongoing costs, and maybe periodically we could reassess the value of the property.
- jandrese 3y agoSounds like it would be wildly unpopular and politicians would mess with your figures to get votes, even when that would ruin the budget. Sometimes specifically to ruin the budget because what they really want is to reduce/remove those services.
- sokoloff 3y agoGP described the current property tax system, which seems to work pretty well in non-blighted towns and cities.
- deepakhj 3y agoThat's a tax on new construction which will reduce it. Tax all homeowners equally.
- lotsoweiners 3y agoIsn’t that somewhat counterproductive if you are trying to attract developers to build in your cities urban core? They might decide to just build in the suburbs or another city that pencils out better.