ARIZONA DAILY STAR: Sun., Oct. 28, 2007

Towns learned hard way: Lack of early planning hurt

By Danielle Sottosanti

They're having to hike fees now for infrastructure

Local governments built roads and other infrastructure but, they learned through harsh experience, they didn't build fast enough or big enough to accommodate growth.

"If you don't plan on growth, you'll have what we saw in the 1970s and '80s, which is communities on the fringe with no infrastructure," said County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, who represents the Southwest Side. "We're still paying for that."

The area southwest of Tucson is where much of the county's growth is occurring now.

And the county may be about five years behind in that area when it comes to infrastructure, said County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. Earlier this year, the county commissioned a Southwest Infrastructure Plan that found the area needs $755 million to $906 million in new infrastructure over the next 30 years to accommodate anticipated growth.

That translates into impact fees of $20,104 to $50,769 per home, depending on how many homes go in. The county's current impact fees are $4,400 per home. Insufficient impact fees, which are fees charged to developers, have also posed problems — and been lessons — for Sahuarita and Oro Valley.

FULL STORY: http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/208602