By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium

With housing costs climbing and school enrollment declining, the King County Council recently adopted amendments to school impact fee legislation that seek to balance the need for new classrooms with the demand for affordable housing.

Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda and Rod Dembowski partnered on the changes, which cap fees on family units, exempt affordable housing projects, and require analysis of housing impacts before fees are set.

School impact fees are charges many Washington jurisdictions impose on new residential development to help fund school district capital projects, such as the construction of new classrooms or buildings. While intended to ensure schools can keep pace with growth, the fees can also add tens of thousands of dollars to the co

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