Growth Should Pay its Fair Share for Recreation

July, 14, 2011 , by Karen Rindge

Wake County is among the fastest growing counties in the nation. To help manage growth, Wake currently requires developers to set aside land -- or pay into a fund -- for parks, open space, and recreation when they build new homes. This Recreational Land Dedication Ordinance (RLDO) is hugely important for providing and maintaining parks and open space as development occurs. Moreover, it is only fair that new development carry its fair share of public infrastructure costs, rather than handing the whole bill to existing residents.

Yet the Wake County Planning Board recently voted to repeal this ordinance. Special interests are hard at work trying to eliminate the RLDO, calling it an additional burden on developers during the economic recession. Well, growth may have slowed in Wake County, but it has not stopped. We still attract new residents and businesses with a high quality of life that will only be undermined by a lack of parks and recreation. Open space provides access to healthy living, maintains environmental quality, and increases property values. The opportunities the RLDO supports are the very reasons that new development occurs!

It is true that the County has not been able to spend much of the $1.7 million generated by the RLDO to date. This is due to the narrow location restriction that requires the recreational space be within three miles of the new development. This does need to be fixed. We should heed the recommendations of the County’s Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee to retain and modify the policy so it can be implemented more effectively, while still generating the benefits for which it was initially created.

Wake County Commissioners will vote on the Planning Board’s recommendation of repeal in early August. If you agree that Wake County would be wise to keep the Recreational Land Dedication Ordinance, click here to send an email to the County Commission. Every other local municipality and county (except Granville) has a similar impact fee for parks. There is simply no good reason for Wake to opt out now.

Caitlin Burke is Policy Fellow for WakeUP Wake County.