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use alternatives (Kaiser County's General Plan, Godschalk 1995). These same characteristics were populated with sophisticated citizens and developers who were acquainted with growth management concepts and planning law, Planners needed to ensure that process was "legally and that growth management policies could withstand the constitutional challenges based on tests of rational nexus and takings. Fiscal was into the planning processes not only to ensure due diligence related to the costs of growth, but also because it "was a way of testing the implications of planning safely" (Avin), These two case studies are intended to provide an understanding of the dimensions or characteristics of the fiscal impact analysis models and the application of fiscal impact analysis in each community, The two models are different in detail, but strikingly similar in scope and complexity. With similar tools, each community has found different uses for fiscal impact analysis in response to community needs. A. Howard County, Maryland During the process of developing the 199Q G~I1~ra1 Plal1, Howard County retained the services of Tischler & Associates, Inc. to prepare an analysis of the costs and revenues associated with development of the county according to the land uses and pace of growth envisioned by the preliminary plan. The consultant was asked to project the net costs associated with growth over a 20 year period, holding the level of services and tax rate constant and accelerating the purchase of parkland and school sites. issues paper, (Howard County I that the plan would cause revenues and expenditures to increase at roughly the same rate. County staff subsequently drew from the consultant's report to create a spreadsheet model which featured the same input and output formats used in the plan's background study. Dimensions of the Model - On the revenue side, the model directly linked the zoning and land uses, as proposed in the draft plan, with the projected growth of housing units, by type and price, and commerciallindustrial space, by value, More specifically, residential development was divided into several unit types, based largely on differing school-aged children generation rates, Single family detached, single family attached, apartment, condominium, and "other" unit types were allocated according to historical trends of annual market demand for such units, Thus, market factors related to product type, price, and production were integral to the fiscal impact model growth assumptions, A fundamental element of the proposed comprehensive plan was an annual quota or cap on residential development. The level of permitted development, however, closely matched anticipated housing demand based on long term trends for housing starts, The cap was intended to dampen the "boom and bust" cycle of housing growth which made the concurrent provision of adequate government facilities difficult. Market-related factors were also utilized in projecting non-residential growth, Development was allocated among retail, office and R&D, and industrial and warehouse uses by square footage and market value. Like the residential market, cycles were eliminated through the use of longer term trends in non-residential space absorption. file://\\metro-inet.us\Roseville\CommDev\PLANNING AND ZONING\PLANNING FI.., 02/17/2005