Growth Management Study
Overview
In 2007 the City Council contracted with NIU Regional Development Institute to prepare a Growth Management Study. The purpose of the study was to help the City better understand the cost of development and what fees could be put in place to ensure development was paying for itself. It is important to note that the study was not a recomendation to adopt the fees identified, rather it was only an educational document from which the City could determine what fees were appropriate.
Methods
In the words of author: The Study itself represents a detailed analysis of projected impacts of land development on various municipal functions including general governmental facilities, selected elements of the arterial roadway network, selected elements of the water system, and wastewater treatment. Literally hundreds of thousands of individual calculations were required to produce Study output. As a result, the reader should view this written report a comprehensive executive summary rather than a detailed step-by-step explanation of data gathering procedures and analytical methodology. Data for the Study were collected through a variety of means including review of memoranda, existing reports, and plans; and interviews.
Studies
The full study is available for view here.
In addition to the City of Belvidere, NIU also contracted with the Belvidere School District, Belvidere Township Park District, and the Boone County Conservation District to complete a similar analysis. The individual studies are available for review here.