JACKSON TWP — The township is looking at expanding its traffic impact fee program for next year.

The program, implemented in November 2014, allows the township to collect fees from developments that impact traffic and roads. The fees are used mainly for roadwork and infrastructure improvements.

“The board (of supervisors) approved a resolution that incorporated additional areas of the township into the impact fee district,” said township manager Chris Rearick.

Areas along Route 68, Evans Road, the northern part of the township and “some areas south” are included.

The township planning commission was given a draft Wednesday evening for the updated impact fee program and road sufficiency analysis.

“We simply have to do our due diligence to forecast what might reasonably happen on these properties in the future and when,” Rearick said.

State law does not allow the township to use fee money to work on roads impacted before developments come into the area.

Rearick said the township is projecting that 60 to 80 single-family homes will be built in 2017. He also said about $1,000 on average per residential unit is collected.

He also said projecting commercial developments on an annual basis is “more difficult.”

“We’re seeing continuous development at Jackson’s Pointe,” he said. “We also expect development on the parcel in front of Sippel Development.”

He said FedEx paid about $450,000 in impact fees this year. FedEx Ground opened its facility off Tomlinson Drive earlier this year.

The township also received some state funding for its intersection project where Route 528, Tomlinson Drive and Jo Deener Road meet.

It also is looking at more grant funding for other road-improvement projects.

Rearick said that while the plan attempts to predict what will happen with developments for the next 20 years, it will be revisited “every few years.”

“It’s best to get ahead of the game before development occurs to collect the fees to ensure any impacts are mitigated,” he said.