--- begin forwarded text 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. --- end forwarded text ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 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 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]