Linn County Planning & Development 2016 Annual Report

Transcription

1 Linn County Planning & Development 2016 Annual Report

2 2 Table of Contents Director s Message Story, Vision, Mission, & Beliefs , Special Projects Building Division 2016 Activities Permit Activity... Services Provided to Cities Building Permit Activity... Map of 2016 New Dwelling Locations... Agricultural Exemptions Agricultural Exemptions by Parcel Size... Agricultural Exemptions by Building Type Planning & Zoning Division 2016 Activities 2016 Zoning Cases... Zoning Cases Map of Land Preservation Parcel Splits Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) Requests... Subdivisions Applications Zoning Compliance Inspections Other Interesting Tidbits Annexations Key Performance Indicators Board & Commission Members... Planning & Development Staff Contact Information

3 3 Director s Message Greetings! Thank you for taking the time to review the Linn County Planning & Development Department s Annual Report for This Annual Report will provide you with a snapshot of our activities and projects that we have been involved with over the course of the past year, and of trends in permits and development review cases over the previous five years. As always, I would like to acknowledge and thank the Planning & Development staff for the truly outstanding work they have provided throughout the year, all while leading a commitment to providing customer satisfaction. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about this information, or if you have suggestions for ways in which we can improve your satisfaction with our products and processes. Les Beck, Director Linn County Planning and Development les.beck@linncounty.org

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5 5 Our Story: Our story is one of change. We are continually searching for new ways to provide excellence in all areas of service. Through enthusiasm, teamwork, and a dedicated and visionary staff, Linn County Planning and Development has become a recognized leader in providing building and development programs and services. Our Vision: Earning and maintaining the public s trust. Our Mission: Balancing the needs of the individual and the public through building safety and the wise use of our land and environmental resources. Our Beliefs: We believe in living the Core Values as embraced by Linn County. We believe that our customers expect and deserve helpful service; knowledgeable assistance; and fair, objective, and consistent administration of the codes and regulations. We believe in a work environment that promotes teamwork, and where our people can be professional and have fun at the same time.

6 The projects highlighted on the next page are examples of how Linn County, and the Planning & Development Department, are working to implement a customer-centered culture and use transformational strategies to improve customer satisfaction. 6

7 Special Project: Flood Damage Assessments Immediately following the September flood, Planning & Development staff were in the field conducting damage assessments in the City of Palo and in the rural areas affected by the flood. Our staff worked with the county s GIS staff to develop a damage assessment software for hand-held devices, such as a cell phone or tablet, linking the damage assessment data to the county s property records in real time. This innovation allowed us to provide the Linn County Emergency Management Agency with damage assessment reports the following day. Photo credit: The Gazette

8 Special Project: Staff Reorganization The department completed a staff reorganization, better enabling us to fulfill our core functions. The reorganization resulted in the elimination of one management position, the addition of two non-management positions, and the rewriting of the job duties for two job classifications. The net result is an increase from 14.1 FTEs to 14.7 FTEs, with an estimated increase of $39, 829 (4.75%) to the department s staffing costs.

9 Special Project: Integrated Permitting System Working with the Iowa Quality Center, the Planning & Development Department, Public Health Department, and the Secondary Roads Department joined together to develop a one-stop shop for permit applications for new homes. Residents may now apply for all permits necessary to build a new home in rural Linn County (well, septic, E911 address, entrance, building, and zoning) at the Planning & Development Department. 1 Applicant Information 1 Site Plan 1 Permit Fee 1 Location

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11 Totals Totals 11 Permit Activity The chart on the left shows permits issued for the five-year period This includes the rural (unincorporated) area and the cities under contract with the department for services. The chart on the right indicates the number of online permits. Linn County began accepting electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits online in Online Permits Permit Totals by Type & Year Building Plumbing Electrical Mechanical Total Electrical Mechanical Plumbing Total

12 Totals 12 Services Provided to Cities Since 2005, the Building Division has been providing building department services including permitting, plan review, and inspections to several incorporated cities within Linn County. Although not shown, the department entered into an agreement with Center Point in late Permit Totals by Year for Incorporated Cities Ely Fairfax Lisbon Mt Vernon Palo Totals *The City of Fairfax contracts with the Linn County Building Division for Electrical Permits only.

13 Building Permit Activity Below are the results for all permits with a work valuation of $6,000 or greater. This includes the rural (unincorporated) area and the cities under contract for services. Type of Structure Total Permits Valuation Dwelling, New 90 $10,937,603 Dwelling, Secondary 2 $60,396 Dwelling, Addition 33 $896,725 Dwelling, Alterations/Repairs 40 $923,067 Commercial, New 12 $1,525,363 Commercial, Additions 6 $504,112 Commercial, Alterations/Repairs 11 $541,511 Accessory Building, New 69 $1,040,816 Accessory Building, Addition 1 $12,800 Accessory Building, Alterations/Repairs 1 $6,600 County Building, New (Red Cedar Lodge) 1 $1,474,224 Cabin, Alterations/Repairs (PSC) 2 $58, 832 Signs 2 $26,922 Cell Towers 7 $468,000 Solar Panels 1 $10,000 Totals 278 $18,486,971

14 14 The blue push pins indicate the distribution of new dwelling permits issued in the unincorporated area of Linn County and in the cities of Mt. Vernon, Lisbon, Ely, and Palo. New Dwelling Permits by Entity 1% 10% 20% 56 % 25% Ely Linn County Lisbon Mt. Vernon Palo

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16 16 Agricultural Exemptions by Parcel Size Year Result <10 Acres Acres Acres 40+ Acres 2012 Approved Denied Total Totals % Approved 67% 100% 50% 87% 83% 2013 Approved Denied Total % Approved 33% 40% 50% 90% 79% 2014 Approved Denied Total % Approved 71% 82% 69% 94% 79% 2015 Approved Denied Total % Approved 80% N/A 73% 87% 83% 2016 Approved Denied Total % Approved 80% 70% 84% 100% 82% The State of Iowa has given counties the authority to develop zoning regulations for their unincorporated areas and to adopt buildings codes. However, the State maintains that farms should be able to operate relatively free from local restrictions. This right to farm is contained in the Code of Iowa and exempts farm houses, farm buildings and farm land from zoning and building regulations. Because the state does not define what a farm or farm house is, the County is responsible for administering this exemption. 19% Agricultural Exemptions % Approved Denied

17 Agricultural Exemptions by Building Type New House- Primary New House- Secondary New Accessory Building Remodel Dwelling Addition Other Total No. of Requests No. Granted No. Denied % Approved 100% 0% 77% 100% 100% 90% 69% No. of Requests No. Granted No. Denied % Approved 75% 50% 65% 100% 100% 82% 75% No. of Requests No. Granted No. Denied % Approved 64% 100% 85% 50% 67% 75% 79% No. of Requests No. Granted No. Denied % Approved 55% 0% 81% 0% 100% 100% 84% No. of Requests No. Granted No. Denied % Approved 83% 0% 83% 0% 100% 100% 82%

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19 19 Planning & Zoning Division 2016 Zoning Cases Temporary Uses 3% Variances 1% Special Exceptions 4% Residential Parcel Splits 8% Rezonings 3% Preliminary Plats 1% Minor Boundary Changes 5% Agricultural Exemptions 30% Major Site Plans 0% Land Preservation Parcel Splits 2% Land Evaluation Site Assessments 28% Conditional Uses 9% Amendments 1% Appeals 0% Final Plats 5%

20 Totals 20 Zoning Cases Agricultural Exemptions Amendments Appeals Conditional Uses Final Plats Land Evaluation Site Assessments Land Preservation Parcels Splits Major Site Plans Minor Boundary Changes Preliminary Plats Residential Parcel Splits Rezonings Temporary Use Permits Variances Special Exceptions Totals

21 21 Land Preservation Parcel Splits Year Total Acres Preserved Totals , A Land Preservation Parcel Split allows a house site to be divided from the parent parcel. In exchange, a minimum of 10 acres must be protected as farm land or otherwise protected from development. This table shows the total number of acres protected from

22 22 Land Evaluation Site Assessment (LESA) Requests The Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) system was introduced in The LESA system is a point system used to guide when and where new development should occur. Points are awarded (or withheld) for such factors as the impact of the proposed development on existing agricultural uses in the area, the compatibility of the proposed development with surrounding land uses, and environmentally sensitive areas on or near the site. In order for a development application to be considered, a minimum score on the LESA point system must be achieved. Additional factors beyond the LESA score are then evaluated as part of any development review and approval process. The LESA system gives applicants a reasonable expectation of the success of a development proposal, even before making a formal application LESA Evaluations Meeting Threshold Score 39% Met Threshold 61% Did Not Meet Threshold *54 total LESA s *21 met threshold score *33 did not meet threshold score

23 Totals 23 Subdivision Applications Minor Boundary Change Residential Parcel Split Final Plat Land Preservation Parcel Split Total

24 Totals 24 Zoning Compliance Inspections Compliance Inspections by Type & Year Work w/out Permit Zoning Flood Plain Setback Property Mainentance Total

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26 26 Annexations Annexation: Total Acres by City % of Total Area Annexations by City % % 1% 1% 4% Cedar Rapids Totals Springville % 21% 25% Center Point Central City Ely Fairfax Robins Marion Hiawatha Fairfax Ely % Hiawatha Marion Robins Springville Central City Center Point Cedar Rapids

27 27 Planning & Development Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Program Goal: Excel in Customer Satisfaction Description: Fair, objective, and consistent administration of zoning and building regulations; balancing the need of the individual and the public through building safety and the wise use of our land and environmental resources. Linn County Strategic Goal: Linn County embraces a customer-centric culture that provides excellent service for all using transformational leadership and strategies. KPI 1: Achieve 90% customer satisfaction rating of "Good" or "Very Good" for the overall services or assistance provided by staff on all Planning & Development customer service survey returns. FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 Actual Actual Projected Budgeted 93% 94% 95% 93% KPI 2: Perform 95% of building inspections on the scheduled inspection day. FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 Actual Actual Projected Budgeted 100% 99% 98% 98%

28 Board & Commission Members Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) Board of Adjustment (BOA) Frank Bellon Veronica Cerka, 2016 Vice-Chair Linda Gorkow R. J. Carson Pat Harstad Amy Hockett Food Systems Council Kimberly Dickey Dave Machacek, 2016 Chair Sonia Kendrick, 2016 Chair Ted Grenis Janet Manatt Pilcher / David Martin Sophia Mehaffey Christine Landa, 2016 Chair Herb Stone Pam Oldham Les Marquart, 2016 Vice-Chair George Maxwell Rachel Schramm Laura Seyfer Joe Stutler, 2016 Vice-Chair Chris Thoms 15% No. of P&D Agenda Items in % 51% BOS (88) PZC (58) BOA (26)

29 29 Planning & Development Staff Staff Person Phone Les Beck, Director Becki Woodson, Office Manager Andrew Oien, CBO, Building Official Carolyn Siebrecht, Project Manager Stephanie Lientz, AICP, Planner II Mike Tertinger, Planner I mike.tertinger@linncounty.org Rodd Baxter, CFM, Zoning Enforcement Officer rodd.baxter@linncounty.org Luke Maloney, Senior Combination Inspector luke.maloney@linncounty.org Paul Rohlwing, Senior Combination Inspector paul.rohlwing@linncounty.org Ryan Sunderman, Combination Inspector ryan.sunderman@linncounty.org Ande Hendricks, CPT, Lead Permit Specialist ande.hendricks@linncounty.org Susan Bennett, Permit Specialist susan.bennett@linncounty.org Ryan Sampica, Permit Specialist ryan.sampica@linncounty.org Jill Mathey, Permit Specialist jill.mathey@linncounty.org