Smart Planning Consortium_EPAMasterpiece on the Mississippi
Dubuque
An- AmedcaCity
' I '
2007
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Support for EPA Technical Assistance for Smart Planning Consortium
DATE: February 14, 2011
In late 2010, Dubuque County and the cities of Dubuque, Asbury, Cascade, Dyersville,
Epworth, Farley and Peosta came together to form the Dubuque Smart Planning
Consortium.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has requested letters of interest on
technical assistance for the Sustainable Communities Building Block Program. The
EPA technical assistance includes public engagement, direct consultation with relevant
decision - makers in a one -day workshop, and a short report outlining workshop results
and specific implementation steps. EPA expects to select only 20 communities to test
this new technical assistance effort.
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens recommends City Council approval to
request technical assistance from the EPA by the Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
Michae C. Van Milligen
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
SUBJECT: Support for EPA Technical Assistance for Smart Planning
Consortium
DATE: February 11, 2011
INTRODUCTION
This memo transmits a request for technical assistance from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) by the Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium, for the City
Council's review and support.
Dubuque
Aft- America city
1111 1l
2007
DISCUSSION
In late 2010, Dubuque County and the cities of Dubuque, Asbury, Cascade, Dyersville,
Epworth, Farley, and Peosta came together to form the Dubuque Smart Planning
Consortium. The consortium's goals are to develop a regional sustainability plan that
includes the State of Iowa's Smart Planning principles, the City of Dubuque's
sustainability principles, and watershed planning, and then incorporates the smart
planning elements of the regional plan into local comprehensive plans.
The EPA has requested letters of interest on technical assistance for the Sustainable
Communities Building Blocks Program. The program supports the priorities of the
Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaborative effort between the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Transportation,
and U.S. EPA.
The EPA technical assistance includes public engagement, direct consultation with
relevant decision - makers in a one -day workshop, and a short report outlining workshop
results and specific implementation steps. EPA expects to select only 20 communities
to test this new technical assistance effort. Selections are expected by mid March, with
technical assistance to be completed by June 2011.
Support for EPA Technical Assistance for Smart Planning Consortium
Page 2
RECOMMENDATION
The Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium feels that Tool #4: Smart Growth Zoning
Codes for Small Cities and Rural Areas will help in the creation of the regional plan
and will help improve quality of life in the region. The small communities have
expressed interest in a standardized smart growth zoning code that helps communities
implement the Smart Planning and sustainability principles, and that coordinates with
the much more expansive zoning regulations used by Dubuque County and the City of
Dubuque.
I recommend that the City of Dubuque support the Dubuque Smart Planning
Consortium's request for EPA technical assistance. An application from a consortium of
eight jurisdictions ranging from a county and large city to small cites in rural areas will
be more competitive that an application from any of the jurisdictions alone.
REQUESTED ACTION
The requested action is for the City Council to support the Dubuque Smart Planning
Consortium's request for EPA technical assistance to develop a standardized smart
growth zoning code.
Enclosure
cc: Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
David Johnson, Assistant Planner
e octrc z ol SuperviJorJ
COURTHOUSE - 720 CENTRAL AVENUE
Eric Manternach DUBUQUE, IOWA 52001 - 7079
emantemach @dbeco.org www.dubuquecounty.org
Wayne Demmer
wdemmer®dbq.org
Daryl Klein
dklein @dbeco.org
February 14, 2011
Kevin Nelson
Via Email
Nelson. Kevi n @ epa.gov
Dear Mr. Nelson:
Cu4
Phone: 563- 589 -4441
Fax: 563 -587 -3836
Dubuque County, Iowa is located at the juncture of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The County has a 2000 population of
89,143 and contains the City of Dubuque, a small metropolitan area, and several smaller rural communities.
In late 2010, Dubuque County, The City of Dubuque (57,686), The City of Asbury (2,450), The City of Cascade (1,958), The
City of Dyersville (4,035), The City of Epworth (1,428), The City of Farley (1,334), and The City of Peosta (1,052) came
together to form the Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium. The consortium's goals are to develop a regional sustainability
plan that includes the State of Iowa's Smart Planning principles, the City of Dubuque's sustainability principles, and
watershed planning, and then incorporates the smart planning elements of the regional plan into local comprehensive
plans.
The Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium is unique because it brings together small and large communities to develop a
regional plan for sustainability. At the end of the two year planning process, the County will have a regional plan that other
communities can use as a guide in the development of regional sustainability plans. The Dubuque Smart Planning
Consortium feels that Tool #4: Smart Growth Zoning Codes for Small Cities and Rural Areas will help in the creation of the
regional plan and will help improve quality of life in the region.
The Dubuque Sustainability Consortium has several issues that could be addressed using smart growth zoning codes.
Economic Development
Zoning and Building Code issues are frequent topics of discussion at the Smart Planning Consortium meetings. Current
codes are complex and vary greatly from city to city. A standardized development code that promotes smart growth
throughout the region would help simplify the development process and help spur economic growth in the region.
Rural Development and Annexation Issues
Some older rural subdivisions in Dubuque County are reaching the point where onsite septic systems are beginning to fail.
These failing septic systems threaten to contaminate ground water, and burden local municipalities with the cost of
extending utilities to these subdivisions after annexation.
A smart growth zoning ordinance could direct new development towards existing urban areas to reduce sprawl and
infrastructure costs, and could more fairly distribute the cost of extending utilities to existing developments.
Flooding and Water Quality Issues
In recent years, the communities in Dubuque County have dealt with many flooding and water quality issues. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has designated Dubuque County as a flood disaster area in four of the last ten
years. Dubuque County has also encountered problems with water contamination from agricultural and urban sources. A
smart growth zoning ordinance could help mitigate flooding and water quality problems by encouraging conservation best
management practices such as low impact development and conservation subdivisions.
Open Space
Dubuque County is home to highly productive agricultural lands and wonderful natural areas. Both are vital to the region's
economy, but both are facing development pressure from new residential subdivisions. The Dubuque Smart Planning
Consortium could use smart growth zoning to conserve open space by encouraging redevelopment of existing urban areas,
incentivizing more compact development patterns, and permitting low impact developments that allow for new
development while preserving natural amenities.
Downtown Revitalization
In many of Dubuque County's smaller communities, residents and businesses have left the historic downtown districts and
moved to new developments on the edge of town. Communities could use smart growth zoning to help revitalize
downtown areas by promoting mixed used development and adaptive reuse of existing buildings.
Small Towns
In addition to the seven cities included in the Smart Planning Consortium, Dubuque County is home to fourteen
incorporated towns that have populations Tess than one thousand. These small towns would benefit from a smart growth
zoning code, but no resources are available to create or enforce such a code. The consortium would like to develop a
simplified smart growth zoning code that small towns could implement with limited resources.
Transportation
In the County's rural areas, transportation efficiency is difficult to achieve because population densities are very low. Smart
growth zoning regulations that encourage mixed use and higher density development could help reduce travel distances,
encourage the use of walking and biking, and increase transit ridership.
Expected Results
The Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium will use the EPA's Technical Assistance to analyze the strengths and weaknesses
of its member's existing zoning codes, and to identify and prioritize code changes. The Consortium will incorporate the EPA
Technical Assistance into the goals and objectives of the Dubuque Regional Sustainability Plan. Technical Assistance will
also be used to help guide the regional planning process. Following the adoption of the regional plan, The Consortium will
use EPA information to develop a standardized smart growth zoning code that helps communities implement the Smart
Planning and sustainability principles.
The Dubuque Smart Planning Consortium will provide the following: Background information such as local codes or plans,
organization of workshop and tour, local logistics, and local key contact.
Sincerely,
Wayne Deriimer
Chairperson, Dubuque County Board of Supervisors