The County Unified Development Ordinance and application for rezoning are available here or from the Johnson County Planning Development & Sustainability Department.
The Planning and Zoning Commission reviews rezoning applications once each month. Applications must be received by the second Thursday of the month in order to be considered during the following month’s meeting. The Commission meets on the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
What to Submit
The following information must be submitted with your completed rezoning application:
- A map of large enough size to show the property for rezoning out-lined in red, the property within 500 feet of the property for re-zoning outlined in blue.
- A diagram drawn to scale (no smaller than one inch equals one hundred feet) showing the location of the proposed or existing access to the property.
- A list of name and addresses of those persons owning property within 500 feet of the property of the owner of record.
- Applications fees (check made payable to the Johnson County Treasurer).
- A signed resolution affirming the stability of the current road system.
- A cover letter explaining the purpose of the application.
- Does this request address affordable housing in Johnson County, Iowa?
- An electronic or digitized copy of the legal description of the area to be rezoned.
- Instructions for electronic submission of plats and zoning descriptions
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In order to make the processing of electronic plats easier and faster, allowing for a better review, please follow the minimum standards listed below.
1. E-mail your electronic plat submissions to Nancy Rockensies at [email protected]
2. Provide a complete outer boundary line (one contiguous line) represented in blue colored solid line
3. Provide inner lot lines represented with a yellow colored solid line
4. Provide right of way lines represented with a orange colored hashed line
5. Please use Coordinate System: NAD_1983_StatePlane_Iowa_South_FIPS_1402_Feet
6. Please only include the outer boundary lines, inner lot lines, and right of way lines. Do not include legend, legal descriptions, scales, location maps, license seals, etc.
Information concerning property ownership can be obtained from the Johnson County GIS site or the Johnson County Auditor. Applications for rezoning generally take a minimum of three months before final decision by the County Board of Supervisors.
Considerations In Reviewing Zoning Applications
Compatibility with the County Land Use Plan
All proposed rezonings must be found compatible with the Johnson County Land Use Plan.
Road Standards
Johnson County has adopted and attached to the 1998 Land Use Plan a Road Performance Resolution. This resolution is very specific and states that the roads providing access to a parcel must be sufficient to carry the traffic that a proposed change in a zoning use will generate. For information regarding your road condition and traffic counts please contact the Planning, Development & Sustainability office. The County’s road resolution, which must be read and acknowledged in writing when applying for a rezoning, states that road improvements at the County’s expense cannot be expected by developers in order to serve the growth that they have created.
Wastewater Suitability
Most septic systems require appropriate soil types to work properly. Rezoning applications will not be approved for land that is unable to support a wastewater septic system unless an alternative system can be developed. Most wastewater systems are owned and maintained by private homeowners, while others may be maintained by a homeowner’s association.
Well Access
The property must have sufficient well access to provide water for the proposed use. As with wastewater systems, wells are generally privately owned and maintained.