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1000 FRIENDS OF IOWA: PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE
VOLUME TWO, #1 - JANUARY 27, 2000
On Thursday, February 3rd at 12:00 noon in Room 118 of the Iowa State
Capitol Building, The State Land Use Commission will reconvene to review
progress on meeting the charge set forth by the Commission, which concluded
its work in December of 1998. Members of the commission will conduct the
meeting. Legislators and the general public are invited to attend. For
more information, contact Jay Howe at (515)743-6128.
The 2000 legislative session is through its third week. The budget has been
the primary focus of discussion, and
lawmakers are just beginning to turn their attention to land use issues. A
number of ideas could receive discussion. Bills are in the works to address
tax increment financing, historic tax credits, land value taxation,
annexation, condemnation, and possibly other issues as well. SF 293 -- a
bill requiring cities and counties to plan cooperatively -- continues to be
refined in the Senate. Here's an overview of SF 293.
· The bill is called the "Land Development Management Act" and seeks to
preserve agricultural, natural, cultural, and historical areas, provide
for the orderly development of cities, preserve private property rights,
encourage economic development, and control urban sprawl.
· State agencies providing development incentives are not required to
target those incentives to "smart growth" areas, but are asked
to "consider" whether the awarding of state money is consistent with the
goals of the Land Development Management Act. This language will probably
be strengthened.
· The bill also sets up a state land use strategic development council,
composed of the heads of various state agencies, which will oversee and
coordinate state sponsored development projects. It also changes the
name of the city development board to the state land management planning
board, which will be responsible for approving local strategic
development plans and all boundary adjustments, including both voluntary
and involuntary annexations.
· The real estate transfer tax is increased from $5 to $9 to help fund
the costs of implementing this act. A fiscal analysis by legislative
staff indicates that more money will be needed to accomplish all the
tasks set forth in the bill.
· Iowa State University will continue collecting and updating land use
inventories.
· The most important sections of the bill deal with local planning, and
require every county and all cities within each county to cooperatively
assemble a strategic development plan. Plans must identify a unified
physical design, encourage compact and contiguous high-density
development, provide a variety of housing choices, protect
non-replaceable farmland and natural areas, encourage in-fill and
redevelopment of existing urban sites, and prevent the occurrence of
urban sprawl. Plans must identify territory that can accommodate growth
for twenty years and must avoid farmland with a corn suitability rating
of sixty or higher, except as a last resort. The bill sets up a process
for public hearings, approval of plans and annexations by the state land
management planning board, and a dispute resolution and judicial review
process.
· Upon approval of an annexation, a city must extend public benefits and
services to the annexed territory within three years, though an
additional three year extension is possible if the city has shown a good
faith effort toward providing services.
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Rex L. Bavousett
Photographer
University of Iowa
Our old name: University Relations - Publications
Our new name: University Communications & Outreach - Publications
100 OPL, Iowa City, IA 52242
http://www.uiowa.edu/~urpubs/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
voice: 319 384-0053
fax: 319 384-0055
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