The Wicomico County Council is considering waiving impact fees on new construction as a way to boost housing growth. Reports delmarvanow:

The fee was adopted in 2006 in the middle of a housing boom. All new residential construction was required to pay $5,231 for a single-family house and $1,524 per unit for multi-family housing.

But as new construction halted following the economic crash in 2008, county officials began looking at ways to stimulate the industry. Council members first approved relief to builders of single-family homes in the form of grants. They later approved a moratorium on the impact fee for all new residential construction, but it expires on Dec. 31.

Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver proposed the repeal after being inspired by Governor Hogan announced his repeal of septic regulations at MACo’s Summer Conference.

While the council supports removing the fee, members are currently weighing options on how to go about it – i.e., whether the keep existing language in the code but zero out the dollar amount, or remove the language entirely.