Land Use

Land Use

1976-77, amended 1981, 1985, 1998 & 2004-amended and organized into sections

  • Support for land use plans for Story County and Ames that include and consider the immediate and long-range economic, social, cultural, recreational and environmental effects of all proposed land use changes.
  • Support for public participation at all levels of planning and zoning decision-making, with the objective of controlling growth. Support for flexible, multifaceted programs to protect open space, including zoning, financial incentives, acquisition and landowner education.
  • Support for the development of dependable funding sources to ensure the acquisition and management of adequate amounts and types of open space to meet future public needs.
  • Support for coordinated long-range land use planning among local agencies.
  • Support for adequate funding to ensure strict enforcement of all zoning ordinances as part of comprehensive plans.

Land Use - Natural Resources

  • Support for policies that ensure stewardship of land, water and biological resources. The League supports preserving and ensuring sustainable use of prime agricultural land, greenbelts, high quality natural areas, environmentally sensitive areas and recreational open space.
  • Support for ordinances that provide installation, monitoring and abandonment procedures for underground storage tanks.
  • Support for comprehensive natural resource inventories and support for requiring the consideration of inventory data in land use decisions.

Land Use - Development

  • Support for county and municipal policies promoting compact development patterns that are energy efficient and environmentally, socially and fiscally sustainable.
  • Support for policies that emphasize the use and restoration of existing infrastructure and appropriate use of vacant land within developed areas.
  • Support for action to encourage active use of concentrated commercial areas (such as downtown Ames and Campustown).
  • Support for policies that include open space among infrastructure requirements for new development.