COMMISSION ON URBAN PLANNING, GROWTH MANAGEMENT OF CITIES, AND PROTECTION OF FARMLAND

MINUTES

December 1, 1997 - Fourth Meeting of 1997

MEMBERS PRESENT

Senator Mary Lundby, Co-chairperson
Representative Russell Teig, Co-chairperson
Senator Eugene Fraise
Representative Ed Fallon
Mark Ackelson
Lu Barron
Sue Cosner
Jay Howe
Elizabeth Infield-Hamin
Tim Keller
Jill Knapp
Charles Manley
Sally Puttman
Donna Robinson
Beverly Thomas
Kevin Vinchattle

MEETING IN BRIEF

Minutes prepared by Tim McDermott, Legal Counsel
Organizational staffing by Doug Adkisson, Legal Counsel

Procedural Business.
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Problems and Costs of Urban Growth.
Public Concerns.
Commission Discussion.
Next Meeting.
Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

1. Procedural Business.

Call to Order.Co-chairperson Senator Lundby called the meeting of the Commission on Urban Planning, Growth Management of Cities, and Protection of Farmland to order at 10:10 a.m., Monday, December 1, 1997, in the Speaker's Conference Room in the State Capitol.

Financial Update. Co-chairperson Representative Teig notified the Commission of recent action by the Legislative Council regarding funding for the Commission. He stated the Legislative Council authorized $50,000 to support the Commission, provided that the expenditures of moneys is conditioned upon the contribution of matching moneys by private sources. The letter to the Legislative Council requesting the funding is attached.

Adjournment. The Commission recessed for lunch at 12:45 p.m., reconvened at 1:35 p.m., and adjourned at 2:45 p.m.

2. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Dr. Dennis Keeney, Director, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, discussed his perspectives of urban sprawl and farmland preservation as they relate to sustainable agriculture. Dr. Keeney stated that food security worldwide is threatened by the conversion of prime farmland to urban and industrial uses. He stated the impact of this conversion, however, may not be seen until sometime in the future. Dr. Keeney opined that changes in grain economies around the world, energy availability, and economic pressures in general all play a part in fueling the current conversion of prime farmland.

Dr. Keeney discussed national and international urban sprawl issues. He stated that urban sprawl is beginning to occur in China and other Asian countries. According to Dr. Keeney, European countries have enforced strong land use policies and have not experienced much urban sprawl as a result. He noted that some states in the eastern portion of the United States have begun to address urban sprawl issues.

Urban Sprawl Recommendations. Dr. Keeney stated there is common perception that there is not an urban sprawl problem in Iowa, particularly given the enormous amount of agricultural productivity. While recognizing that urban sprawl is a difficult issue to address, Dr. Keeney made the following recommendations:

Build a broad-based coalition.
Develop information on the costs of prime farmland conversion and urban sprawl.
Develop and present achievable alternatives which minimize the costs to all parties involved in the urban sprawl issue.
Form learning groups.
Change our culture.

Member Questions. In response to questions by Commission members, Dr. Keeney made the following remarks:

Dr. Keeney estimated that 40 percent of the grain produced in the world is used for livestock production, while the remaining 60 percent is used for human consumption. Dr. Keeney recognized that these numbers are approximations.
Grain yields in Iowa have not hit their peak; however, the rate in increased production has decreased. Changing climate and technology will be future issues for persons interested in increased grain production.
Some agricultural technologies are too expensive to make their use profitable.
Population is not the ultimate threat to sustainable agriculture; rather, it is petroleum production and the use of petroleum products.
In general, farmers in Iowa do not seem to be concerned by urban sprawl issues.

3. Problems and Costs of Urban Growth.

Mr. Philip Bloch, Intern, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, discussed his personal perspective and research on urban sprawl issues in Iowa. As an introduction, Mr. Bloch discussed the movement of people away from rural communities to urban centers during the Industrial Revolution and from urban centers to rural communities at the current time.

Mr. Bloch defined urban sprawl as a development pattern characterized by scattered, decentralized, low-density development that is not functionally related to adjacent land uses. Mr. Bloch stated that cities can increase their land mass at a rapid rate while maintaining a relatively level population. This activity leads to lower population density which, in turn, leads to less efficiency. Mr. Bloch cited Council Bluffs as an example of this phenomenon. Mr. Bloch stated that the density of population in the United States decreased 23 percent between 1970 and 1990. He also stated that, since 1978, the average size of a farm in Iowa has been increasing primarily due to the increasing number of large farms and the decreasing number of mid-sized farms. According to Mr. Bloch, the amount of land used for farming practices in Iowa has been steadily declining.

Development Costs. Mr. Bloch stated that, since developers are not currently taxed for converting land from agricultural use, a parcel of undeveloped land is much more profitable to develop than to redevelop land in an urban center. As a result, urban centers deteriorate. He stated that infrastructure in areas of low population density are inefficient and costly. Potential sites for redevelopment in urban centers face zoning problems, economic problems, and perceptions of societal problems.

Policy Suggestions. Mr. Bloch identified a number of problems and policies related to urban sprawl. The problems associated with urban sprawl include increased infrastructure costs, increased pollution, increased commuter costs, erosion of the tax base for urban centers, decreased farm viability, increased nuisance complaints, and fragmented farms. Mr. Bloch suggested the following policies:

Developers should be taxed when the status of land is changed from agricultural use to a different status.
Preferences for high density development projects should be created.
A municipality should be allowed to regulate development within its own sphere of influence. Spheres of influence should be two miles for municipalities of less than 5,000 people, three miles for municipalities of 5,000 to 15,000 people, and four miles for municipalities of more than 15,000 people. Regulatory ability should include requiring building standards to meet those adopted by the municipality and that various infrastructure developments be created in accordance with city planning and approval. Urban growth boundaries could also be used.
Tax assessments on land should be divisible.

Member Questions. In response to questions by Commission members, Mr. Bloch's comments included the following:

Multiple-use zoning creates conflicts between individuals.
Divisible tax assessments would not necessarily result in a loss to the municipalities.
Developers should be taxed for converting agricultural land from agricultural uses and the taxation should take place at the time the land is developed.

4. Public Concerns.

Environmental Conditions. Mr. Dean Robertson, Cedar Rapids, discussed his personal concerns regarding urban sprawl. Mr. Robertson suggested the United States Constitution was not designed to preserve the best future interests of ecological and environmental conditions in the United States. Mr. Robertson discussed the need to change current land use and planning laws in order to preserve land and best serve ecological and environmental conditions. Mr. Robertson cited the deer populations in urban areas as an example of humans intruding on needed natural habitat. Mr. Robertson opined that our current economy is not sustainable. He encouraged members of the Commission to further research issues related to urban sprawl and sustainable communities. In response to a question by Co-chairperson Lundby, Mr. Robertson acknowledged that there is not currently strong public awareness of the urban sprawl issue.

Ankeny Area Farmer. Ms. Lavon Griffieon, farmer, Ankeny, discussed how urban sprawl is affecting her farmstead. Ms. Griffieon lives north of Ankeny and urban development is closing in on her family's farm. Ms. Griffieon discussed the difficulties created by farming in an area where urban development is occurring. She described soil as a nonrenewable resource which is irreversibly lost when urban development occurs. Ms. Griffieon encouraged the members of the Commission to develop a plan which considers the common good of all Iowans. Ms. Griffieon played a videotape for the Commission which covered many of the same issues she discussed in her presentation. Ms. Griffieon cited absentee ownership of farms and zoning issues as two of the many sources of urban sprawl problems in her area.

5. Commission Discussion.

The Commission discussed issues relating to the Commission's work during the 1998 legislative session, financing the work of the Commission, and the interim report of the Commission.

Subcommissions. Upon suggestion by the Co-chairpersons, the Commission agreed to form six subcommissions which will meet from January 1998 to May 1998. Each subcommission will be required to report on its activities to the full Commission in May 1998. Each subcommission is required to provide prior notification to the Legislative Service Bureau of any subcommission meetings which will take place. At each meeting of each subcommission, notes must be taken relating to any discussions by the subcommission or presentations to the subcommission. Each subcommission will be composed of three members with one member designated as the chairperson. Members of the Commission were asked to submit their preferences for subcommissions to the Co-chairpersons.

The Commission established the following six subcommissions:

Annexation.
Private Property Rights.
Land Use Planning and Policy/Urban Revitalization.
Public Parks and Recreation Areas/Natural and Historic Areas.
Farmland Inventories/Farmland Preservation.
Infrastructure Costs and Subsidies/Tax Implications of Development.

Finances. The Commission also discussed issues relating to the financing of work by the Commission. Co-chairperson Lundby stated that an outside entity will be required to raise public moneys and provide research assistance to the Commission on a per-project or per-hour basis. She stated the outside entity would not provide recommendations to the Commission. Co-chairperson Lundby recommended that a contract with an outside entity be narrowly constructed to meet these intents. The financing discussion included the following comments:

The Commission will not receive any money from the state until private moneys are identified first. The state will only match the first $50,000 in private moneys.
Raising private moneys is a difficult task which should be undertaken immediately.
A request for proposals (RFP) is the typical manner in which the Commission should solicit an outside entity to raise public moneys and provide services to the Commission. Both the American Farmers Trust (AFT) and the American Planning Association (APA) would be appropriate entities to provide services to the Commission.
The Commission should define the services which an outside entity is to provide before the Commission begins the RFP process. The Commission should also determine if the services can be provided by the members of the Commission instead of by an outside entity.
Representative Fallon was instructed to communicate with the AFT and the APA regarding the availability of moneys from the state and the requirements which must be met to receive such moneys.

[Progress] Report. The Commission discussed the contents of the [progress] report which must be filed with the General Assembly. Co-chairperson Lundby stated the report will include a summary of the meetings of the Commission, a calendar and timetable of intended future activities of the Commission, identification of the subcommissions, and a description of the intended activities of the subcommissions.

6. Next Meeting.

The next meeting of the Commission on Urban Planning, Growth Management of Cities, and Protection of Farmland is scheduled for Monday, January 5, 1998, at a location to be announced later.

7. Written Materials Filed With the Legislative Service Bureau.

a. Dr. Dennis Keeney filed the following:

An outline of his presentation to the Commission.
A pamphlet titled "Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture."
A pamphlet titled "Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture: Mailing List Profile."
A brochure titled "Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture: 1996-1997 Annual Report."

b. Mr. Philip Bloch filed the following:

A handout titled "An Analysis of Causes, Problems and Solutions Associated with Current Urban Growth."
A handout which included two articles titled "Preserving Pennsylvania's Agricultural Jewel" and "Maryland's 'Smart Growth' Law: A National Model?"

c. Mr. Dean Robertson filed a written copy of his presentation to the Commission.

d. Mr. Doug Adkisson filed a proposed schedule of Commission activities for calendar year 1998.

OTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS COMMITTEE:

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Last update: FRI Jan 23 1998
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