2017 Spencer Comprehensive Land Use Plan

Spencer, Iowa  2017  Comprehensive Plan

businesses, almost 47% of respondents stated that all business including the agricultural sector are good for Spencer, while 42% of those responding indicated that more intensive ag industries should be scrutinized whereas value added or renewable resource ag industries should be encouraged in Spencer. In review of the city’s existing land use map, much of the existing agricultural land in Spencer is located toward the fringe of the community in northern, northeastern, and southern portions of Spencer. There are also some tracts of agricultural lands in the far west and northwest parts of Spencer. The largest tracts of agricultural lands are located north of West 18 th Street and East 18 th Street, as well as south of 12 th Street SW between Highway 71 and 4 th Avenue SW. Since virtually all property in Spencer, located outside of the floodplain areas, has potential for development of some kind agricultural land uses are generally not designated on the future land use map, unless specific agricultural areas are designated as such for the foreseeable future. A similar low impact land use classification to agricultural uses, but generally not seen as productive land, are those tracts of land consisting of natural resources, open space or otherwise undeveloped land. This may include land being utilized as conservation, floodplain areas or wooded timber lands. Although the development potential for most of the properties classified as open space, conservation or natural resource areas are limited at best, these areas provide often overlooked benefits to the community. Natural resource and open space lands provide benefits such as floodplain protection, recreational amenities and general beauty to the community. The amount of water acres in the community consists of 78 acres or approximately 1.1% of the land in Spencer. Aside from the Little

Sioux and Ocheyedan bisecting the community, the largest concentration of water resources in the community are in Stolley Pond, the Oxbow wildlife area, Moose Pond, Pete’s Pond in Storybook Park and other small ponds throughout the community. Much of these water resources are simply just natural wetlands or used in the capacity of stormwater management or recreational enjoyment. Natural resource areas, undeveloped land, or open spaces are typically considered low impact in nature and compatible with most other land uses.

Photo of natural resource land uses in Spencer

Conversely, there are also developable lots identified as vacant or classified as having no current land use associated with such property. Typically, undeveloped land uses may include vacant lots in a newly platted residential subdivision or vacant parcels in a business or industrial park. Natural resource, open space and floodplain properties comprise almost 377 acres of land in Spencer. Most of the land classified as such is in the form of low lying natural resource areas situated within the designated floodplains of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan river corridors. Concentrations of vacant or undeveloped lots in Spencer are primarily located within the Fairway Woods Subdivision, Deerfield Subdivision, Spencer Technical Park, Green Industrial Park, the Menards commercial development, and land in front of the Holiday Inn commercial development.

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NW Iowa Planning & Development