Is this utility a way for new developments to avoid their responsibilities for managing stormwater?
No. All new development will still be required to follow existing city ordinances. Existing regulations require the developers to build, at their expense, storm drain systems and stormwater detention facilities to manage the runoff generated by their developments. Once a lot is developed, that lot will be subject to the same stormwater fee as all the existing lots. In fact, stormwater design criteria has become more stringent over the past two decades.
