Opinion ID: 2000775
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Application of Test to Facts Presented Here.

Text: A. DNR permit. First, Comes claims that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may not issue a necessary permit for the City's project. It is undisputed that the proposed runway extension encroaches upon a floodplain and that a permit from the DNR will be required. The evidence at trial showed that the City's consultants had been working with the DNR on this issue and that the DNR had suggested a minor change to the runway that would move it outside the floodway. A DNR employee testified at trial that if this change were made, then the agency would probably issue a permit for the project. The plaintiff introduced no evidence that the proposed change could not or would not be made. Therefore, we conclude that the plaintiff has failed to prove that the City cannot reasonably expect to obtain the required DNR permit for the airport expansion. B. DOT approval. The plaintiff also relies on the expectation that the City will have to obtain approval of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to relocate a road and connect the relocated road to a state highway. Although the City had not, at the time of trial, applied for a permit from the DOT, the City's consultants had presented the DOT with two proposed layouts for the intersection between the new road and the highway. The DOT did not like some features of the proposed intersection, and so it had devised two alternatives for the City's consideration. At trial a planner for the DOT testified that he knew of no reason that the project could not be done in one fashion or another. Again, we think the plaintiff has not proved that the City cannot reasonably expect to obtain the required permit from the DOT for the road relocation aspect of its airport project. C. Zoning changes. The City will also be required to obtain a special use exception in order to comply with zoning regulations. The only testimony on this issue was elicited from the City's administrator, who testified that he knew of no reason that the board of adjustment would not grant the City a conditional use permit for the airport expansion. He based his testimony on two factors: (1) the conditional use was already existing, and the permit would simply authorize an expansion of that use; and (2) his review of the criteria for a permit led him to conclude that the City would easily satisfy those criteria. We find that the plaintiff has not proved that the City cannot reasonably expect to obtain a conditional use permit for its project. See Hardy v. Grant Township Trustees, 357 N.W.2d 623, 627 (Iowa 1984) (holding that plaintiffs had not met Mann test because they had failed to prove that the condemning authority would be denied permission to use the [condemned] tract for a township hall if they were to seek a variance or apply for an amendment to the [zoning] ordinance). D. Historical artifacts. Another contingency that the plaintiff has identified is the existence of historical artifacts on the airport expansion site. The evidence introduced at trial showed that further investigation must be undertaken to identify the nature and extent of the artifacts. No witness testified that the finding of historical artifacts would prevent the project from going forward. To the contrary, the City's consultant and the city administrator testified that such artifacts are typical and usually are not a serious problem. This evidence will not support a finding that the City cannot reasonably expect to complete expansion of the airport. E. Funding. The final issue raised by the plaintiff is the question of federal funding. Based on the testimony at trial, it is probable that all of the permits required for federal funding will be obtained. In addition, one of the City's consultants testified without contradiction that the FAA's finding of no significant environmental impact is a signal to the City that it may proceed with the project. This finding indicates that the FAA believes, based on its initial assessment, that the project generally conforms to its requirements. The greatest uncertainty revealed by the record with respect to federal funding is whether funds will be available. Testimony from an FAA supervisor established that each year the requests for airport improvement funds exceed the monies available. Therefore, the FAA has established a priority system, giving a higher priority to rehabilitation and improvement of existing airports than to construction of new airports. Other than an uncertainty about the level of available funds, the plaintiff showed no other potential obstacle to the City's ability to obtain federal funding. We think the fact that requests for funding exceed available funds establishes at most a possibility that the project will not be funded. The excess of requests over funds does not provide a basis to conclude that the City cannot reasonably expect to complete its airport project, especially in view of the fact that the City's project falls within a high-priority funding category. Similarly, the possibility that the FAA would fund the first stage of the project, but not the remaining stages, will also not support a conclusion that the City cannot reasonably expect to accomplish its ultimate objective, since the testimony established that, once a portion of a project was funded, it was unlikely that the FAA would not provide funding to complete the project.