The city of Aberdeen is planning to expand its borders by more than 1,000 acres along its northwest side, bringing new development, revenue and demands on the city?s infrastructure.
The developments tentatively planned for the site will add about 3,000 new “hookups” for water and sewer service over the next 10 to 12 years, said Mayor Fred Simmons.
Aberdeen has about 4,800 water and sewer customers, and some residents think the city won?t have the infrastructure to support the addition.
“Aberdeen hasn?t looked at this annexation?s fallout,” said Paul F. Burkheimer, who owns several acres that would be brought into the city. “There was a public hearing ? and they didn?t have the answers.”
Burkheimer fears that the Aberdeen Fire Department and nearby Level Volunteer Fire Department would be stretched by having to serve all the extra development.
But Jason Gallion ? the Level Volunteer fire chief and a candidate for County Council ? said the two fire departments were negotiating about how to handle the new territory.
“There?s goingto be nothing that we won?t be able to get to,” Gallion said. While Level lacks a ladder truck that would be required to reach the top floors of some of the taller buildings proposed for the site, Aberdeen has one and would respond to those calls, he said.
The impact fees ? money the city charges developers to offset the extra strain on schools, police and other services ? will be adjusted according to the city?s requirements, Simmons said. When the sewer system reaches its tipping point and needs to be upgraded, the city can ask for as much as $20,400 per unit of development to help pay for expansions, he said.
Simmons said annexing and planning for such a large parcel will be easier for the city than doing smaller, piecemeal developments that would eventually fill the same space. Bringing them into the city?s water and sewer network will be better for the developers than digging hundreds of wells and septic tanks, he said.
