In a large development project with on-site infrastructure, which mechanism best clarifies what infrastructure will be provided as part of the development?

• A. Impact fees
• B. Development agreement
• C. Zoning ordinance
• D. Building permit

Answer: (B)

A development agreement is the binding tool that clearly lays out exactly what infrastructure will be provided as part of the project, by whom, and when. It’s a negotiated contract between the developer and the city that specifies on-site improvements (roads, utilities, drainage, parks, transit facilities, etc.), who funds them, how they will be phased, and who is responsible for ongoing maintenance and operations. It also ties these commitments to approvals and entitlements, offering enforceable guarantees and remedies if obligations aren’t met. This level of specificity and binding commitment isn’t provided by impact fees, which are general charges to fund system-wide infrastructure rather than particular project commitments; zoning ordinances, which set general land-use rules and standards but don’t spell out a detailed, project-specific infrastructure package; or building permits, which authorize construction but don’t define the integrated infrastructure obligations of the development.