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Planning department reports permit activity, enforcement challenges and floodplain map updates
Summary
Planning and Development Director Leanne Harter reported a modest uptick in first-quarter permits, ongoing floodplain and mapping work with the DNR, numerous enforcement cases, the completion of two removed turbines south of Nevada, and continued transition to an online geo‑permit system.
Leanne Harter, director of Story County Planning and Development, presented the first‑quarter report to the Board of Supervisors on April 22, outlining permit activity, enforcement caseloads, floodplain mapping updates and staff changes.
Harter said the county issued 24 zoning permits in the first quarter of 2025 compared with 15 in the same period last year, with increases chiefly in nonresidential permits such as solar arrays, storage sheds and accessory structures; single‑family dwellings in the quarter numbered four with one accessory dwelling unit. She noted permit valuations were lower than the prior year because two unusually high‑value homes inflated the 2024 totals.
On floodplain management, Harter said the department submitted materials for the Community Rating System annual cycle and that a DOT contractor’s earlier floodplain map for Walnut Creek South (Highway 69) was inaccurate; the DNR has contracted for a map refinement on portions of the South Skunk River and the county’s inclusion in that work comes at no cost. Harter said regulation changes are being drafted but the department is waiting for the Iowa Legislature to adjourn and for federal rule changes before finalizing amendments.
She described rising enforcement activity, including construction without permits, junk and salvage yard cases, expired conditional‑use and temporary permits being used without renewal, and ongoing investigations where certified mail had not been received. Harter said the department closed more than 2,000 open permit steps as part of the transition to a geo‑permit system and expects geo permits to make the permitting process easier for the public.
Harter also noted the removal of two HC wind turbines south of Nevada and said the decommissioning left the site restored; consultants will present a debris‑site plan to the board in coming weeks. She announced Leslie Day as the new county planner and said the office will soon hire an administrative assistant.
Board members asked whether enforcement increases were driven by individual landowners and how the department could prevent cases before they become enforcement matters; Harter said most issues involve building without permits and noted that staffing increases and public outreach (including geo permits and social media) could help reduce violations.
The board received the report and held a brief discussion about enforcement priorities and public education; no formal action was taken at the meeting.
