By Impact fees fund traffic plan

Los Altos is moving forward with a plan that would allow city hall to collect traffic impact fees from developers to fund citywide traffic improvements identified in the city’s updated General Plan Circulation Element.

Under state law, cities may collect fees from developers to make street improvements for approved projects specifically earmarked for such fees. Los Altos currently levies impact fees on a case-by-case basis and only to address traffic impacts directly attributable to a specific project. Most of these projects include street improvements.

With the circulation plan in place, the city will be able to collect additional fees. Gilroy and Morgan Hill have similar programs in place that charge developers per unit, depending on the level of building density. Under Gilroy’s plan, the 96,000-square-foot Rambus building along El Camino Real would pay about $900,000 in impact fees if it were considered high-impact.

Los Altos

Community fund raises $85,500

Los Altos

Los Altos police have received more than $85,500 in community donations over the past three weeks for the disaster relief fund they created to aid the families of police officers, firefighters and other community members killed or injured Sept. 11 during the collapse of New York’s World Trade Center following terrorist attacks.

Police will give all contributions to the following organizations: The New York Police Survivors Fund, The International Association of Firefighters/ New York Firefighters 9-11 Relief Fund and the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

For more information, call Los Altos Police Department at 948-8223.

-Town Crier Staff Report