The fees that developers have been allowed to pay to build houses in Addison in lieu of donating land to schools and parks is headed for a substantial increase, the first since the village started collecting such payments in 1978.
It now costs $25,000 per acre to build new residential structures in the village if a developer opts to fork over cash instead of land for parks or schools. Village trustees this week said they want to raise that amount to $60,000 per acre.
But park board President Roman Strzala said the increase should be even higher. He asked that the amount be raised to $87,000 per acre, which a survey conducted by Romeoville officials concluded is the average amount charged by other communities in DuPage County.
Strzala said most developers have opted to pay the $25,000 fee rather than hand over any land.
But Trustee Richard Veenstra said the village in recent years has seen a rise in upscale housing construction, and officials should not hit potential developers too hard. “We don’t want to do something that’s going to jeopardize the new housing growth,” Veenstra said.
Glen Ellyn charges $150,000 per acre to developers, Naperville charges $81,643 and West Chicago charges $100,000, according to the survey results.
The proposal is expected to go before the Village Board next week. If approved, trustees have agreed that the matter could be reviewed annually.
