Meeting Public Comments

Phoebe Neseth [Community Associations Institute (CAI) ]

Dear Chairperson Jones, Vice Chairperson Williams, Ranking Member Zabner, and the esteemed Delegates of the Iowa House Local Government Committee: Community Associations Institute (CAI) is an international membership organization dedicated to building better communities. CAI provides information, education and resources to the homeowner volunteers who govern communities and the professionals who support them and advocates for and represents the 79.1 million people living and working in Americas 369,000 community associations (homeowners associations, condominiums, and housing cooperatives).On behalf of CAI and approximately 295,000 Iowans living in 121,700 homes in nearly 3,000 community associations across the Hawkeye State, thank you for the opportunity to share comments related to HSB 162 A bill for an act relating to county and city regulation of accessory dwelling units.CAI supports HSB 162 as introduced, as it preserves the ability of community associations to exercise their contractual authority to regulate the placement of accessory dwelling units. An association must be able to develop reasonable rules and regulations requiring consistency with the common plan or scheme of the subdivision where accessory dwelling units are located within a community, including restrictions upon design, size, and location. For more information, please review CAIs Accessory Dwelling Units public policy. (https://www.caionline.org/advocacy/publicpolicies/accessorydwellingunits/) Thank you, Chairperson Jones, for introducing legislation that recognizes the core principle of selfgovernance and the need for a particular community association to develop reasonable rules and regulations for accessory dwelling units consistent with that community's unique design, development, and operation. Thank you to the full committee for considering this critical legislation.Please contact CAIs Government & Public Affairs team at governmentcaionline.org to discuss these comments or any policy issues impacting community association residents in Iowa.Respectfully yours, Phoebe Neseth, Esq.Senior Director, Government and Public AffairsCommunity Associations Institute (CAI)pnesethcaionline.org (703) 9709256