City to set hearing on new project guidelines

FORT MADISON – The Fort Madison City Council will vote to hold a public hearing on a proposed resolution to add language to the city code around high infrastructure impact developments (HIID) within city limits.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission has been fine tuning language for the code that would give the city some guidance on litmus tests for developers that want to build projects within the city limits that will have large impacts on city infrastructure, including energy demands, property demands, and utility demands.
It will also give the city some leverage with regard to the impact to neighborhoods.
At the most recent P&Z meeting, the committee pushed city staff on the clarity of the proposed language to make sure that city staff had sufficient standing to have oversight on projects that could come to the city.
According to City Manager Laura Leigois, city staff  believes the broader HIID approach is the most appropriate direction because the City's underlying concern is not simply the identity of a particular industry. It is the potential community impact created when a development requires unusually significant infrastructure and public resources. A threshold-based HIID framework allows Fort Madison to address those impacts consistently while remaining flexible enough to address future types of development.
The ordinance creates three types of HIID projects.  Class 1 is lower infrastructure impact and limited additional requirements. Class 2 is a project with greater infrastructure demands that requires more substantial review; and Class 3 is for developments creating the greatest infrastructure demands and potentially requiring major new infrastructure or system improvements.
The intent of the language is to create a level of review that follows the level in the impact on city resources, including people.

The hearing is set for Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m. and will allow for public comment on the language prior to being placed on the agenda for a future vote.
The council will also vote on establishing fees for electric bikes, electric scooters, and electric unicycles, and other electric micromobility devices that are used on city sidewalks and streets. Included in the language is required lighting for vehicles used after dark, consisting of a white light on the front visible from 300 feet and a red rear light visible from 300 feet.
The new code language creates three types of classes for Electric Bicycles.
Class 1 is an electric bicycle which is a low-speed electric bicycle that has a motor to provide assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the vehicle reaches 20 mph.
A Class 2 device is a low-speed e-bike with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bike and is not capable of providing assistance when the bike reaches 20 mph or more.
A Class 3 device is a low-speed e-bike with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bike reaches 28 mph.
An electric mobility device is a device designed for personal transportation and powered in whole or part by an electric motor, including low-speed electric bicycles, scooters, or unicycles.
Scooters or unicycles may not exceed 15 mph within city limits. No modifications are allowed that permit any electric devices to exceed posted speed limits and violations of any of the code are subject to municipal infractions and the city’s adopted fine schedule.