It's More Than Just Farmland - Look at the Big Picture

Smart Growth Bills Introduced in Iowa House and Senate By Rod Swoboda, quotes LaVon Griffieon Wallaces Farmer February 2002

Last week (as of Feb. 4, 2002), smart growth legislation was introduced in both the Iowa House and Senate. The bills are very similar to legislation that has been worked on in the House and Senate over the past three years.

According to LaVon Griffieon, president of 1,000 Friends of Iowa, an organization that promotes wise use of land and other natural resources in Iowa, here’s an explanation of these bills. The first one, in the Iowa Senate, is SF 2088. It is sponsored by Republican Senators Andy McKean and Mary Lundby and Democratic Senators Bill Fink and Johnnie Hammond. The bill was assigned to the Senate Local Government Committee and a sub-committee of David Miller, Jeff Angelo and Gene Fraise.

An identical bill in the House, HF 2178, is sponsored by Republican Representatives Danny Carroll, Clarence Hoffman, Betty Grundberg, Scott Raecker, Dave Heaton, Jodi Tymeson, Barbara Finch, Dan Boddicker, Steve Sukup, David Johnson, Willard Jenkins and Democratic Representatives Ed Fallon, John Connors, Becky Reynolds, Geri Huser, Mark Tremmel, Bill Witt, Mark Kuhn, Bill Dotzler, Steve Richardson, Frank Chiodo, Jack Hatch, Pam Jochum, Dick Myers and Jane Greimann.

The first hurdle is for this bill is to be voted out of either the House Local Government Committee or Senate Local Government Committee by February 22. That is the deadline (or "funnel") for all bills to be voted out of a House or Senate committee.

The full text of the bill and any additional history can be found on the Web at Bill History. Following is a brief summary of the bill's major points:

1. Every county and all cities in that county appoint members to a committee that puts together a strategic development plan for the entire county, identifying territory that can accommodate growth for twenty years. The bill provides an option for regional planning in certain metropolitan areas. The plan also identifies strategic preservation areas; i.e., land to be preserved for agricultural use or other non-development purposes. The plan is then submitted to the Land Management Planning Board for review and approval.

2. Identify goals for the development of land. As cities and counties assemble their strategic development plans, they are asked to:  A. Encourage a pattern of compact development.  B. Promote redevelopment of existing urban areas.  C. Promote the economic health of the entire region.  D. Provide for a variety of housing choices.  E. Conserve natural resource areas and environmentally sensitive land.  F. Preserve prime agricultural land.  G. Protect private property rights.  H. Provide municipal services concurrently with development. 3. The bill establishes a process for cities and counties to ratify or reject proposed plans, and to amend those plans. A system of dispute resolution is established if final, amended plans are not ratified by the county and all cities in the county. Cities, counties, and individual citizens may seek judicial review of a decision by the Land Management Planning Board.

4. The bill targets development incentives and subsidies to projects in strategic development areas.

5. The bill also seeks to expedite the permitting process for development in strategic development areas.