A. 
This chapter imposes a fee to pay for various traffic circulation improvements within the city. The amount of the fee is based on a Traffic Engineering analysis and has been calculated to be equal to or less than the cost of the circulation improvements. The circulation improvements funded by this fee shall be designated by City Council resolution. The City Council may modify the designation by amendment to the resolution at any time. It is the City Council's intention to review the designation of circulation improvements and the amount of the fee on an annual basis. In reviewing the improvements and amount of the fee, the City Council shall consider, among other things, any changes to the land use designations or intensity of development, changes in the amount of traffic generated or anticipated, inflation and increases in cost of materials and labor.
B. 
This chapter is necessary to ensure that adequate circulation facilities are available to serve the city in a manner which is consistent with the city's general plan. Without the circulation improvements which will be funded by this fee the circulation system of the city will be inadequate to serve any further development in the city.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986; Ord. NS-177 § 1, 1991)
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words or phrases shall be construed as defined in this section.
"Building permit"
means a permit required by and issued pursuant to Chapter 18.04 of this code. "Occupancy permit" means a permit required by and issued pursuant to Chapter 21.60 of this code.
"Circulation improvements"
means any street improvement identified by City Council resolution, including, but not limited to, right-of-way, traffic signals, overcrossings, underpasses, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, pavement, drainage facilities incidental to street improvements, necessary to provide traffic circulation consistent with the city's general plan. For the purpose of this definition, "street" includes highway or road.
"Project"
means on any property subject to this chapter, any new or additional building, structure, or any land use change which increases the number of trips generated by the use of the lot or parcel.
"Property subject to this chapter"
means any lot or parcel of land in the city.
"Trip"
means an arrival at or a departure from a project by any motor vehicle averaged over a one-day period (12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.) as determined according to Table 18.42.020. In using this table, the square footage of the building, structure or use shall include all interior floor area of a building or structure, and all usable ground area of a use without a structure, except any designated open space area. Where the table establishes traffic generation for a project on the basis of square footage, acreage, or some other unit, the unit establishing the greatest number of trips shall be utilized. When a project has more than one use the number of trips shall be calculated by adding together all the trips generated by each use. For uses not listed in the table the trips shall be calculated by the Transportation Director.
Table 18.42.020
Land Use
Estimated Weekday Vehicle Trip Generation Rate
Agricultural (Open space)
2/acre
Airports
 
Commercial
12/acre, 100/flight, 70/1,000 sq. ft.
General aviation
4/acre, 2/flight, 6/based aircraft
Heliports
100/acre
Automobile
 
Car wash
900/site, 600/acre
Gasoline
750/station, 130/pump
Sales (Dealer and repair)
40/1,000 sq. ft., 300/acre, 60/service stall
Auto repair center
20/1,000 sq. ft., 400/acre, 20/service stall
Banking
 
Bank (Walk-in only)
150/1,000 sq. ft., 1,000/acre
Bank (with drive-through)
200/1,000 sq. ft., 1,500/acre
Drive-through only
300 (150 one-way)/lane
Savings and Loans
60/1,000 sq. ft., 600/acre
Drive-through only
100 (50 one-way)/lane
Cemeteries
5/acre
Church (or Synagogue)
15/1,000 sq. ft., 40/acre (triple rates for Sunday, or days of assembly)
Commercial/retail centers
 
Super regional shopping center (more than 60 acres, more than 600,000 sq. ft., with usually 3+ major stores)
40/1,000 sq. ft., 400/acre
Regional shopping center (30—60 acres, 300,000—600,000 sq. ft., with usually 2+ major stores)
50/1,000 sq. ft., 500/acre
Community shopping center (10—30 acres, 100,000—300,000 sq. ft., with usually 1 major store and detached restaurant)
70/1,000 sq. ft., 700/acre
Neighborhood shopping center (less than 10 acres, less than 100,000 sq. ft., with usually a grocery store and drug store)
120/1,000 sq. ft., 1,200/acre
Commercial shops (also strip—commercial)
40/1,000 sq. ft., 400/acre
Grocery store
150/1,000 sq. ft., 2,000/acre
Convenience market
500/1,000 sq. ft.
Discount
70/1,000 sq. ft., 700/acre
Furniture store
6/1,000 sq. ft., 100/acre
Lumber store
30/1,000 sq. ft., 150 acre
Hardware/paint store
60/1,000 sq. ft., 600/acre
Garden nursery
40/1,000 sq. ft., 90/acre
Education
 
University (4 years)
2.5/student, 100/acre
Junior college (2 years)
1.6 student, 80/acre
High school
1.4 student, 50/acre
Middle/Junior High
1.0 student, 40/acre
Elementary
1.4 student, 60/acre
Day care
3/child, 70/1,000 sq. ft.
Hospitals
 
General
20/bed, 20/1,000 sq. ft., 200/acre
Convalescent/Nursing
3/bed
Industrial
 
Industrial/Business park (commercial included)
16/1,000 sq. ft., 200/acre
Industrial park (no commercial)
8/1,000 sq. ft., 90/acre
Industrial park (multiple shifts)
10/1,000 sq. ft., 120/acre
Manufacturing/Assembly
4/1,000 sq. ft., 60/acre
Warehousing
5/1,000 sq. ft., 60/acre
Storage
2/1,000 sq. ft., 0.2/vault, 30/acre
Science, research and development
8/1,000 sq. ft., 80/acre
Library
40/1,000 sq. ft., 400/acre
Lodging
 
Hotel (with convention facilities/restaurant)
10/room, 300/acre
Motel
9/room, 200/acre
Resort hotel
8/room, 100/acre
Military
2.5 military and civilian personnel
Offices
 
Standard commercial office (less than 100,000 sq. ft.)
20/1,000 sq. ft., 300/acre
Large (high-rise) commercial office (more than 100,000 sq. ft.)
17/1,000 sq. ft., 600/acre
Standard commercial office (less than 100,000 sq. ft.)
20/1,000 sq. ft., 300/acre
Corporate office (single user)
10/1,000 sq. ft., 140/acre
Government office (single user)
30/1,000 sq. ft.
Post office
150/1,000 sq. ft.
Department of motor vehicles
180/1,000 sq. ft., 900/acre
Medical
50/1,000 sq. ft., 500/acre
Parks
 
City (developed)
50/acre
Regional (undeveloped)
5/acre
Neighborhood
5/acre
Amusement (theme)
80/acre, 130/acre (summer only)
San Diego Zoo
115/acre
Sea World
80/acre
Recreation
 
Beach, ocean or bay
600/1,000 ft. shoreline, 60/acre
Beach, lake (fresh water)
50/1,000 ft. shoreline, 5/acre
Bowling center
30/lane, 300/acre
Campground
4/campsite
Golf course
8/acre, 600/course
Marinas
4/berth, 20/acre
Racquetball/health club
40/1,000 sq. ft., 300/acre, 40/court
Tennis courts
30/1,000 sq. ft., 30/court
Sports facilities
 
Outdoor stadium
50/acre, 0.2/seat
Indoor arena
30/acre, 0.1/seat
Racetrack
40/acre, 0.6/seat
Theaters (multiplex)
80/1,000 sq. ft., 1.8/seat
Residential (See Note 1)
 
Single-family detached
10/dwelling unit
Condominium
8/dwelling unit
Apartments
6/dwelling unit
Mobile home
 
Family
5/dwelling unit, 40/acre
Adults only
3/dwelling unit, 20/acre
Retirement community
4/dwelling unit
Rural estate
12/dwelling unit
Congregate care facility
2/dwelling unit
Restaurants (See Note 2)
 
Quality
100/1,000 sq. ft., 500/acre
Sit-down, high turnover
300/1,000 sq. ft., 1,200/acre
Fast food (with drive-through)
700/1,000 sq. ft., 3,000/acre
Transportation facilities
 
Bus depot
25/1,000 sq. ft.
Truck terminal
10/1,000 sq. ft., 60/acre
Waterport
170/berth, 12/acre
Transit station (rail)
300/acre
Note 1
As used in this table, "single-family detached," "condominium" and "apartments" shall be defined consistent with the Institute of Transportation Engineers guidebook "Trip Generation." "Condominium" is defined as single family ownership units that have at least one other single-family owned unit within the same building structure. "Apartments" are defined as rental dwelling units located within the same building as at least three other dwelling units. Duplexes that are not individual ownership units will be assessed at the "condominium" generation rate.
Note 2
Square footage of dining area allowed in incidental outdoor dining areas pursuant to Section 21.26.013, and square footage of dining area allowed without any parking requirement in outdoor, sidewalk or curb cafes, as defined by and pursuant to the Village and Barrio Master Plan and the City Council, shall not count towards the generation of trips. However, any combination of outdoor dining area square footage which exceeds the amount of indoor dining area square footage shall count towards the generation of trips.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986; Ord. NS-177 §§ 2, 3, 1991; Ord. CS-086, 2010; Ord. CS-164 § 2, 2011; Ord. CS-207 § 2, 2013; Ord. CS-333 § 11, 2018)
For any property subject to this chapter, notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, no building permit or occupancy permit for any project shall be issued and no person shall build, use or occupy any project, without first paying the fee established by, or otherwise complying with, this chapter.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986)
Prior to the issuance of a building permit or occupancy permit for a project the project owner or developer shall:
A. 
Provide the Transportation Director with detailed information regarding the size, siting, types of uses and trips to be generated by the project;
B. 
Pay the fee established by Section 18.42.050 of this code.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986; Ord. CS-164 § 2, 2011)
A. 
A traffic impact fee of $265.00 for each average daily trip generated by a residential project and a traffic impact fee of $106.00 for each average daily trip generated by a commercial or industrial project, pursuant to Section 18.42.020(E), shall be paid by the owner or developer prior to issuance of any building permit or occupancy permit for a project. The traffic impact fee shall be adjusted annually as part of the capital improvement program budget process, by two percent or the annual percentage change in the Caltrans Construction Cost Index (12-month index), whichever is higher.
B. 
In lieu of payment of all or part of the fee the project owner or developer may offer to construct or fund circulation improvements to the satisfaction of the City Council, other than circulation improvements required by any other law, approval or city action. If such offer is accepted by the City Council, any amount expended by the project owner or developer shall be credited against the fee. If the offer is rejected the fee shall be paid. The offer shall be made at the time of consideration of any discretionary planning or subdivision permit or approval, or if no such permit or approval is required then before building permit application is filed.
C. 
The City Council shall give a credit toward the fee imposed by this chapter for properties within the boundaries of and subject to taxation by community facilities district number one. The amount of such credit shall be determined by the City Council and established by resolution.
D. 
Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, all traffic impact fees for any residential development that consists of five or more dwelling units and for all new commercial, office, and industrial buildings or building additions shall only be paid prior to building permit issuance, or, at the request of the applicant, deferred until all work required for final inspection has been completed and all department approvals required for final inspection have been obtained by the applicant. If the applicant chooses to defer the payment of fees to prior to the request for final inspection, then the amount of the fees shall be based on the fees in effect at the time of the request for final inspection.
In the event that the city, for any reason, fails to collect any or all fees prior to final inspection, such fees shall remain the obligation of the developer and/or the property owner.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986; Ord. NS-158 § 2, 1991; Ord. NS-177 § 4, 1991; Ord. NS-885 § 1, 2008; Ord. NS-890 §§ 1, 2, 2008; Ord. CS-028 § 1, 2009; Ord. CS-200 § III, 2013; Ord. CS-271 § III, 2015)
Projects by public agencies or entities shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986)
A. 
All of the fees collected for a commercial or industrial project shall be allocated to a circulation improvement account and shall be expended only to build or finance circulation improvements serving the city.
B. 
All of the fees collected for each newly constructed residential unit, excepting the portion defined in subsection C of this section, shall be allocated to a circulation improvement account and shall be expended only to build or finance circulation improvements serving the city.
C. 
A portion of the fees collected for newly constructed residential housing units, excepting the fees collected for newly constructed housing units constructed for extremely low, very-low, low and moderate income households as defined in California Health and Safety Code Sections 50105, 50106, 50079.5 and 50093, during the 40-year period starting July 1, 2008 shall be allocated to a separate circulation improvement sub account and shall be used to build or finance circulation improvements to the regional arterial system as adopted by the Board of the San Diego Association of Governments. For the year from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, said portion shall equal $2,000.00 per residential housing unit. Said portion shall be adjusted annually as part of the city's capital improvement program budget process, by two percent or the annual percentage change in the Caltrans Construction Costs Index, (12-month index), whichever is higher.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986; Ord. NS-177 § 5, 1991; Ord. NS-885 § 2, 2008; Ord. NS-890 § 3, 2008)
If an assessment district or special taxing district is established for all or any part of the area subject to this chapter to fund circulation improvements which are or will be funded in whole or in part by the fee established by this chapter, the owner or developer of a project may apply to the City Council for a credit against the fee in an amount equal to the assessments or taxes paid.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986)
The city may advance money from any available source or fund for the construction of improvements which would otherwise be paid for from the fees collected pursuant to this chapter and reimburse itself from future fees.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986)
This chapter shall be of no further force and effect when the City Council determines the amount of fees which have been collected reaches an amount equal to the cost of the circulation improvements.
(Ord. 8107 § 1, 1986)