Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has agreed to propose legislation to reduce building permit fees for three-to-five story wood frame apartment buildings. As reported by the Washington Post:

The fee reduction is expected to save builders an estimated $1.1 million annually. It is the second rollback in developer costs recently proposed by Leggett. In September, he asked the County Council to trim charges to builders used to underwrite the IT system in the county’s Department of Permitting Services, which will save the industry about $1.5 million a year, officials estimate.

The proposal is the result of a Workgroup appointed to examine this issue.

After complaints from developers this year, Leggett authorized formation of a Mid-Rise Building Workgroup of county and industry representatives. The group agreed to reduce the trigger for lower permit fees from $8 million to $4.5 million. County officials estimate that the cost of building permits for mid-rise apartments will drop by an average of $330,000 to $400,000 for each project.