El Monte : Developer Fees Proposed

A proposal to levy fees on developers to pay for city services required by new housing projects was approved in concept Tuesday by the City Council but was sent back to the Public Works Department for modifications.

After six months of study, the department has proposed fees averaging $1,953 per single-family house. Community Redevelopment Authority projects, senior citizen housing projects and city-supported projects would be exempted.

But Tuesday, council members said the proposed fees were too high and asked Public Works Director Bob Pinniger to cut them by half. “We should be conservative,” Councilman Dan Morgan said. “Developers need to share in costs, but we need to be mindful of their contribution as well.”