Attachment 3 Comparable JurisdictionsAttachment 3
Analysis of Fees in Comparable Jurisdictions
A Note About VMT Fees
While no city or town in the Bay Area has adopted a Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) impact fee,
the City of San Diego does have a VMT in lieu fee which they call their Active Transportation In
Lieu Fee. Their fee is required for residential and non-residential development projects located
in their Mobility Zone 4 and is currently $1,400 per excess Vehicle Mile Traveled for residential
and non-residential development projects. The City of San Diego also created an Active
Transportation In Lieu Fee calculator and a user manual. Below is the background language
provided in the manual.
In preparation for the implementation of SB 743, the City of San Diego developed the
Mobility Choices Program, with an Active Transportation In Lieu Fee component, to
provide an avenue for future development to mitigate associated VMT related impacts.
The Active Transportation In Lieu Fee will assist the City to fund and construct multi-
modal infrastructure that will help to reduce citywide VMT to levels that are consistent
with the State’s climate change goals, as implemented by SB 743 and SB 375, and also
the City’s local climate goals, as set forth in the City’s Climate Action Plan. The Active
Transportation In Lieu Fee only applies to development projects (projects) located within
the Mobility Zone 43, since these are the areas that typically generate an average VMT
above the significance thresholds recommended by OPR, and the threshold that the City
will be using as well. Per the City’s Transportation Study Manual, discretionary
development projects within these areas will need to reduce their project VMT per
Capita to 15% below the regional average (for residential and office projects) through
the use of VMT-reducing strategies in order to have a less than significant transportation
VMT impact on the environment.
Rather than investing VMT reducing infrastructure in Mobility Zone 4, where its VMT
reduction potential is limited, the Mobility Choices regulations would require payment of
a fee to mitigate transportation VMT impacts. The fee is based on the estimated cost to
reduce a mile of VMT within areas of the City where there is greater return on
investment for VMT reducing infrastructure (in the City’s Mobility Zones 1, 2, and 3. The
purpose of this fee is to 1) invest in active transportation and transit infrastructure
within Mobility Zones 1, 2 and 3 where VMT reduction potential is highest and where the
greatest return on investment in terms of VMT reductions can be achieved, and 2) allow
projects within Mobility Zone 4 to more efficiently work towards a mitigation solution for
VMT impacts. This fee is based on the planning level costs identified for the various
VMT-reducing infrastructure and associated VMT reduction. This calculation resulted in
the projected cost to reduce a single unit of VMT within Mobility Zones 1, 2, and 3, on
average (Fee Cost). These calculations are established within the City of San Diego
Active Transportation In Lieu Fee Program - Nexus Study.
Attachment 3
Comparison of Fees
When adopting an updated fee, one consideration is the level of fees charged by nearby
jurisdictions as well as the current transportation impact fees being collected in Los Gatos.
Again, while no city or town in the Bay Area has adopted a VMT impact fee, Table 3-1 below
shows the fees charged by several South Bay jurisdictions as well as the existing and proposed
fee levels for Los Gatos.
Table 3-1. Fee Comparison with Other Jurisdictions
City or Jurisdiction &
Update Year
Single-Family ($
per Dwelling
Unit, unless
indicated)
Multi-Family ($
per Dwelling
Unit, unless
indicated)
Office ($ per
1,000 square
feet (KSF))
General Retail
(unless
indicated)
($ per KSF)
Los Gatos (Current) $9,571 $6,841 $11,000 $10,045
Los Gatos (Proposed
with VMT) $20,098 $14,365 $24,706 $28,037
Menlo Park (2022) $18,845.593 $6,351.83 $21,880 $12,760
San Mateo (2022) $6,867.99 $3,468.58 $8,366.76 $27,735.48
San Carlos (2022) $7,243 $4,097 $8,413 $27,874
Los Altos (2022) $6,774.20 $4,159 $9,993.93 $12,408.73
Redwood City (2022) Non-Downtown:
$1,617
Downtown:
$1,212
Non-Downtown:
$992
Downtown: $744
Non-Downtown:
$2,380
Downtown:
$1,790
Non-Downtown:
$940
Downtown:
$2,960
Palo Alto (2022) Citywide: $9,266 per net new PM peak hour trip
Charleston/Arastradero district: $460/KSF commercial or $1,599 per DUE
East Palo Alto (2022) $2,869.83 $2,024.79 $8,360 $8,360
Mountain View (2022) $5,364 $3,004 $5,720 $5,720
Cupertino (2022) $6,797 $4,215 $19,150 $10,940
Gilroy (2022) “Low-Density”
$13,012
“High-Density”
$10,548
Low Traffic Commercial: $14,397
High Traffic Commercial: $29,082
Morgan Hill (2022)
$3,585
>1,200SF: $2,222
<1,200 SF:
$1,399
All remaining uses charged using
$3,585/Peak Hour Traffic
City of Santa Clara
(2022) $1,391.16 $618.30 $1,610 Retail elements
>50KSF: $5,350
Sunnyvale (2023) Special planning zone: Lawrence Station Area Plan
$1,472/Residential Unit, applying after 2,323 residential units have been
built or approved in the plan area.