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Planning and development reports rising permit activity, valuation spike and enforcement cases
Summary
Planning and Development Director Leanne Arter reported Jan. 14 that permit activity and development review cases rose in 2024, average single‑family dwelling valuations jumped sharply in the last quarter, and the department is preparing for a permitting software transition while managing several enforcement and floodplain tasks.
Leanne Arter, director of Planning and Development, told the Story County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 that 2024 saw an uptick in permit and development review activity, a significant increase in dwelling valuations in the last quarter, active floodplain work and enforcement matters, and an imminent transition to new permitting software.
Arter said the department issued 35 preliminary development permits in the most recent quarter and that 2024 was one of the busier years for inspection workload. She reported an average single‑family dwelling valuation in unincorporated Story County of approximately $489,489 in the last quarter (a sharp increase from roughly $170,000 in 2020), and she said average dwelling size has decreased slightly even as valuations have risen.
The department finalized about 30 floodplain permits in preparation for a community assistance visit and recertification work with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Arter said, and she noted the department has entered its Community Rating System recertification cycle. Notices were sent to repetitive‑loss properties and lenders, real‑estate and insurance professionals as part of floodplain outreach.
Arter said enforcement activity has increased: the office has several active enforcement cases for structures built without permits, four active unpermitted junk/salvage yard cases (one with a court citation, another awaiting court decision and two working toward voluntary compliance), and a number of expired conditional use permits and temporary permits the office will address. She said the department will follow up on conceptual reviews dating to 2020 to determine whether proper permits were obtained.
The department is preparing to migrate permitting from SysinterServe to GeoPermits; Arter said a scoping meeting was scheduled the afternoon of Jan. 14 and staff are cleaning files and preparing permit designs for import. She also thanked staff for response work following the county tornado last year and noted 13 properties have pulled permits to rebuild; the board previously waived application fees for those reconstructions and the waiver was scheduled to expire in January.
Arter said the county hosted a resources fair for manufactured home community residents and service providers and that the Story County Housing Trust will consider a pilot program approved earlier by the board. She said the department will bring a housing action plan update to the board in March.
Why this matters: rising permit activity and valuation changes affect planning, revenue projections and oversight responsibilities. The department's enforcement caseload, floodplain recertification and software transition are operational priorities that will demand staff time and may require follow‑up to the board.
