Ed Kashian wanted some developer fees back. Fresno City Council found a better option

Fresno has among the lowest impact fees on new development in the state.

A 2019 report by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley shows that the city at that time charged developers $5 per square foot in impact fees on single-family-home projects. Impact fees go for local services tied to new housing, such as parks, schools and transportation.

Fresno’s single-family rate was just $2 per square foot above that charged by Imperial, a desert city of 15,000 in southeast California. It was well below Fremont, Oakland, and Irvine, and equal to Los Angeles and San Diego, which are much bigger cities with more development.

For years, Fresno city officials referred to their cash-strapped budget as the reason they could not adequately maintain local parks. As a result, the parks fell into significant disrepair, and there was no funding to create new ones in parts of the city that were short of such green spaces. It took Measure P, a sales tax hike passed by voters in 2018, to create new funding.

In cities throughout California, having sufficient developer fees — which get charged to new homeowners — is a basic function of government.

So it was surprising to see Kashian request the city refund $517,000 in police impact and park fees to a development adjacent to Fresno State.

Campus Pointe project

Campus Pointe is the development by Kashian Enterprises. The project consists of nearly 1,000 units of student housing, 144 apartment units designated as workforce housing, and 142 apartment units for people 55 years and older that will start leasing in January.

Along with the housing, Campus Pointe is home to Maya Theater and a collection of restaurants. Fresno State’s Gibson Farm Market and Kennel Marketplace are close by, and the Save Mart Center is within walking distance.

Kashian Enterprises asked for the refund because residents of the various housing projects at Campus Pointe have access to recreational facilities on the Fresno State campus, such as walking paths. Kashian Enterprises also said it should not have been charged for city police services because university police have jurisdiction over Campus Pointe.

Fresno City Council member Tyler Maxwell, whose district includes Fresno State, said the refund request was mistakenly placed on the Dec. 2 agenda. The item came back Thursday, and this time the refund was not offered. Rather, an updated agreement called for waiving police-impact fees on any future development at Campus Pointe.

Fees are valid

Maxwell said he backed that approach because it was not fair to charge Kashian Enterprises twice for policing impacts — campus police and city PD.

“I think every developer should always pay their fair share; I’ve often voiced that opinion,” Maxwell told Fresnoland staff writers Danielle Bergstrom and Cassandra Garibay. “But I also don’t think they should be strong-armed.”

That’s understandable. But neither should Fresno yield to developer attempts to shortchange fees or get them back. The city is already a good deal for developers compared to other places in the state. It was right for the council to forge a different option than strictly a refund.

There is only one Fresno in the state of California. If a developer wants to build here, pay the fees.