ABSTRACT
Impact fees have evolved to become standardized in several respects based on important principles or proportionate-share principles. The Georgia Act outlines important impact fee calculation principles relating to proportionate share, plan-based versus standards-based calculations, and fee calculation methodology. The chapter reviews how the principles included in the Georgia Development Impact Fee Act are applied to Atlanta, Georgia, as a case study. In particular, in 1993, the City of Atlanta adopted a pioneering impact fee program that advanced professional practice in several important ways. The Atlanta case study does more than merely address principles contained in the Georgia Act. It includes a discussion of several alternative impact fee calculation approaches, level of service standards, service area designs, and implementation issues. The case study provides a rich sense of the options about which many jurisdictions should deliberate before settling on a particular impact fee program.
