ARTICLE
The cities of Happy Valley and Wilsonville are considering significant increases to their System Development Charges that could go into effect in 2026: - The Happy Valley proposal could raise Transportation SDCs from $12,304 per single family home to as much as $26,239 under one scenario reviewed by the City’s consultant. Parks SDCs could see a similar increase from a current rate of $10,089 to $25,446. - In Wilsonville the proposed Sewer SDC could increase to from $7,102 to $17,321 per single family home while the proposed Stormwater SDC could increase from $2,432 to $3,532. In each case, these proposed increases are the maximum legally defensible rates developed by the consultant team, the City Councils do not need to adopt a rate at the highest level identified in either report. HBA staff and members have provided testimony and met with staff and elected officials from both cities, providing similar feedback in both cases: Seeking to adopt an SDC fee schedule significantly lower than identified in the study, while acknowledging that some increases may be necessary to extend infrastructure to serve new residential development. Any increased SDCs should be phased in over as much as ten years to provide home builders with certainty as they develop pro-formas and move toward construction. If SDC increases are phased in, cities should implement a “lock in” policy that defines when a new development will be subject to SDCs in a given year. Ideally this will occur after land use approval, ensuring that lengthy building permit approval timelines don’t result in a higher SDC rate. Move the assessment of SDCs from the point of building permit issuance to Certificate of Occupancy, reducing the debt burden a home builder must carry during construction. The Wilsonville City Council will hold a work session update on their SDC proposal on September 4 at 7 pm, details are available here. Happy Valley has yet to schedule their next work session. Conversations are ongoing with both jurisdictions, stay tuned for updates as these proposals move toward Council decision points.
The cities of Happy Valley and Wilsonville are considering significant increases to their System Development Charges that could go into effect in 2026:
In each case, these proposed increases are the maximum legally defensible rates developed by the consultant team, the City Councils do not need to adopt a rate at the highest level identified in either report. HBA staff and members have provided testimony and met with staff and elected officials from both cities, providing similar feedback in both cases:
The Wilsonville City Council will hold a work session update on their SDC proposal on September 4 at 7 pm, details are available here. Happy Valley has yet to schedule their next work session. Conversations are ongoing with both jurisdictions, stay tuned for updates as these proposals move toward Council decision points.