Council narrowly adopts MarshALLtown 2045 Comprehensive Plan

Concerns raised about potential Shady Oaks annexation

After a series of planning sessions and public engagement events dating back to last summer, the Marshalltown city council finally adopted the 20-year comprehensive plan at the tail end of Monday night's meeting, which ran over 3 ½ hours, but it only passed on a narrow 4-3 vote due primarily to the ongoing controversy over potential data center development.

Mayor Mike Ladehoff held a public hearing on the matter after most of the crowd that had been gathered for the agenda items related to the data center moratorium and the presentation from Amir Atefi on the proposed project in the Edgewood Industrial Park had already dispersed, and Assistant Housing and Community Development Director Clayton Ender provided a brief breakdown of the new plan and acknowledged Charlie Cowell of RDG Planning & Design along with members of the steering committee who were in attendance. Ender told the council that the new comprehensive plan accounted for some of the recent challenging events in Marshalltown such as the tornado and derecho, and he then listed off the various public and business engagements city staff participated in throughout the process.

According to Ender, the plan covers land use and design, mobility, housing and neighborhoods, parks, trails and the environment, economic development, facilities and infrastructure and implementation, and the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval.

During the public comment period, Layne Pieri raised concerns about the potential annexation and rezoning of parcels currently zoned agricultural along Shady Oaks Road just southeast of the present city limits and whether it would give vested rights to a "speculated" data center developer.

"Not unless something's in writing, and nothing's in writing," Ladehoff said.

"The packet's in writing. That's the only reason I was concerned," Pieri replied.

Ender added that all property within two miles of the current city limits was reviewed for future land uses, and the vast majority is proposed to remain as is. The areas they did identify for development took existing utilities and where development is already occurring.

Cowell stepped forward to speak and thanked the community for its continued involvement up until the end of the process.

"We had edits all the way up to the end and providing good feedback," he said.

After the public hearing was closed, Councilor Marco Yepez-Gomez asked about how homes in the Shady Oaks area would be zoned if they are annexed into the city. Ender explained that upon annexation, all property is automatically zoned low-density residential, and from there, any potential rezoning could be pursued.

Councilor Gary Thompson said the people who want to stay next to a data center will be considered legal non-conforming, and Ender replied that it would depend on their specific property and whether it was rezoned.

"So you're spot zoning," Thompson said.

"It wouldn't be spot zoning because it would be at the edge and it's following the comprehensive plan," Ender replied. "Those properties could potentially rezone themselves in the future. They could petition themselves. They could see an opportunity and say 'I have a couple acres here in an industrial area. Maybe I'm ready to sell,' so someone could come in after the fact and want to rezone this as well."

With no further questions, a motion to approve the plan passed 4-3 with Jeff Schneider, Melisa Fonseca, Sue Cahill and Greg Nichols in favor and Yepez-Gomez, Thompson and Mark Mitchell opposed, and the meeting was adjourned.

Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.