Plan for ‘Trip Fees’ for Developers Advances

A Los Angeles City Council panel approved a plan Monday to charge a fee for all new downtown development to cover the cost of easing traffic problems the projects create.

The one-time “trip fee” would be assessed to developers for every evening rush-hour trip created by a project. If an office building, for instance, contained 10,000 daily workers, the developer would be charged a set fee for each rush-hour trip made by those employees. The panel did not decide how much to charge, holding the matter open pending further study. It could be as high as $16,500 per trip.

The plan approved by the Community Redevelopment and Housing Committee in a 2-1 vote called on the city Department of Transportation, the Community Redevelopment Agency and the city attorney’s office to draft an ordinance within 60 days.