Green Alley Special Assessments

Whenever the City reconstructs a street or alley, the abutting property owners are assessed a portion of the cost, usually approximately 15% of the actual cost. The remainder of the cost (85%) is covered with city funds or grant funding. The reason abutting property owners receive an assessment for the project is because they also receive a corresponding benefit of the project that the rest of the citizens are not receiving. The benefits include reduced flooding and icing, an improved road surface, and better access to property. The assessment to a particular property is proportional to the size of their lot/property.

The assessment amounts will vary based on the frontage (width) and depth of the lot. For most of the alleys in the Bee Branch Watershed, an approximate “rule-of-thumb” cost to the property owner for paving will be $25 per foot of frontage. For example, if you have a 50-foot-wide lot, the approximate cost could be calculated by multiplying $25 times 50 for a net paving cost of $1,250. However, these costs are influenced by the contractor’s bids and whether or not there are cost overruns during construction. It is also important to note that assessments may include additional utility costs if it is necessary to replace private water or sewer service lines.

A preliminary assessment notice will be sent to all property owners before a public hearing with an estimate of the assessments at a City Council meeting. That number represents a “worst-case scenario” and includes additional costs for possible overruns and engineering costs. Most final assessments for average-sized lots, without utility costs, are expected to be in the range of $1,000 to $1,500.