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After Losing Water Fee Lawsuit, Homebuilders Plan Appeal
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By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 7 years ago on
June 20, 2018

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Three Fresno homebuilders are trying to prove the adage that water is for fighting and disprove another adage: You can’t fight City Hall.
A Fresno County Superior Court judge last month sided with the city of Fresno in a lawsuit over the implementation of water fees (also known as capacity fees) on new developments. Now, an attorney for the plaintiffs — Granville Homes, Wathen Castanos Peterson Homes and Lennar Homes — says they will appeal. That should take place in the next few weeks.

New Water Facilities Coming

In April 2017, the Fresno City Council voted unanimously to approve the capacity fees, approximately $4,200 per new home. The city is either building or planning to build two major water treatment facilities. The goal is to comply with state water regulations on reducing underground water pumping.
The two main projects are a new treatment plant in southeast Fresno that should be operational later this year and expanding the existing northeast facility.
The homebuilders sued, saying the charge for the water projects to new developments is unfairly high. They also argued that the city failed to specify how the fees would be spent.

Judge’s Ruling

Regarding linking a specific project to the fees, Judge James Petrucelli wrote, “Simply making a reference to future facilities without any actual plan or commitment is sufficient to satisfy the Mitigation Fee Act.”
The Mitigation Fee Act is a state law regulating how government agencies impose fees.
Petrucelli also sided with the city in its argument that funding the new water projects fairly benefits new developments.
“While the cost of the Southeast Water Treatment Facility should be shared by all of the City’s water customers, the cost of expanding the capacity of the Northeast Water Treatment Facility should be paid entirely by development because the expanded capacity was needed to cover the needs of new housing,” the judge wrote in his 39-page opinion.
John Kinsey, attorney for the homebuilders, said that the decision is bad for homebuyers.
“The fee significantly increases the cost of new homes in the City at a time when first-time homebuyers are having difficulty entering the market due to the statewide housing crisis,” Kinsey said an email to GV Wire.  “We look forward to demonstrating on appeal that the City lacked the evidence to impose the fees solely on new development.”
The city did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit continues to list The Building Industry Association of Fresno/Madera Counties as a plaintiff, even though the group dropped out.
Disclosure: Granville’s President/CEO Darius Assemi is the publisher of GV Wire.

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David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

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