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Linn County planning staff outline comprehensive-plan update, housing technical assistance and permit trends
Summary
Planning staff reported permits are down about 6% year-to-date while valuation is up about 6%. The county is scoping an update to its 2013 comprehensive plan, signed a Center Point fringe area agreement and may apply for a NACO Housing Solutions technical assistance program.
Charlie Nichols, planning and development, told the Linn County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 18 that year-to-date permit counts are down about 6% while total valuation is up about 6%, driven by larger commercial projects.
Nichols said the department is scoping an update to the county's comprehensive plan, last adopted in 2013. "Doing a new comprehensive plan is a massive undertaking," he said, noting outside plans in Iowa have ranged from about $150,000 to $400,000. Nichols said the county will look at what can be done internally and what would require consultants.
The board also received notice that a Center Point fringe-area agreement has been signed by the city and the county chair. Nichols said the city pays 50% of the cost for such agreements and that EC COG will assist. He described the agreement as a tool to coordinate future land use and development inside the city's two-mile influence area.
Nichols offered other program updates: the department will post a zoning intern position for summer; building staff are organizing a statewide training on initial damage assessments after natural disasters (expected in March); and the office is producing step-by-step videos for customers using the BS&A online permitting portal.
He described a National Association of Counties (NACo) technical assistance program called Housing Solutions that would run 12 weeks with seven 90-minute sessions plus additional meetings with Smart Growth America. The program requires a 2–4 person team including one county supervisor and would use county and partner-city properties to evaluate housing options. Nichols said the application is due at the end of the month.
On upcoming land-use reviews, he said a developer will seek design changes to a governing plan (roof slope, garage siding standards and private patio requirements). Those items will go to the planning and zoning commission on March 17 and to the Board of Supervisors on March 20 and March 26 for final consideration.
Nichols said the county also has openings on its planning and zoning commission (up to four) and two openings on the board of adjustment and encouraged applications.
No formal actions or votes on these items were taken at the meeting.
