Opinion ID: 1293235
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Is the Enactment of the PUD Ordinance by Dubuque an Invalid Exercise of the City's Police Power?

Text: It is well-settled law that zoning decisions are an exercise of the police powers delegated by the State to municipalities. Neuzil v. City of Iowa City, 451 N.W.2d 159, 163 (Iowa 1990). Iowa Code section 414.3 provides zoning regulations shall be made in accordance with a comprehensive plan and designed ... to encourage efficient urban development patterns ... [and] to promote health and the general welfare. Iowa Code § 414.3 (2001). Section 414.3 also provides zoning regulations shall be made with reasonable consideration, among other things, as to the character of the area of the district and the peculiar suitability of such area for particular uses, and with a view to conserving the value of buildings and encouraging the most appropriate use of land throughout such city. Id. `[A zoning] ordinance is valid if it has any real, substantial relation to the public health, comfort, safety, and welfare, including the maintenance of property values.' Shriver v. City of Okoboji, 567 N.W.2d 397, 401 (Iowa 1997). Zoning ordinances carry with them a strong presumption of validity. Perkins v. Bd. of Supervisors, 636 N.W.2d 58, 67 (Iowa 2001). The party asserting the invalidity of the zoning regulation has the burden of proving the zoning regulation is unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious, or discriminatory. Id. If the reasonableness of a zoning ordinance is fairly debatable, we will not substitute our judgment for that of the legislative body. Id.; see also Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365, 388, 47 S.Ct. 114, 118, 71 L.Ed. 303, 311 (1926); Shriver, 567 N.W.2d at 401. The reasonableness of a zoning ordinance is fairly debatable when for any reason it is open to dispute or controversy on grounds that make sense or point to a logical deduction, and where reasonable minds may differ; or where the evidence provides a basis for a fair difference of opinion as to its application to a particular property. Neuzil, 451 N.W.2d at 163-64. The landowners argue we must balance the possible public good against the harm to the landowners to determine whether the zoning was unreasonable as applied to the landowners. We appeared to use this test in F.H. Uelner Precision Tools & Dies, Inc. v. City of Dubuque, 190 N.W.2d 465, 468-69 (Iowa 1971), to overturn a zoning ordinance downzoning an industrial district to a residential district. We do not believe the validity of a zoning statute depends on the balancing test used in F.H. Uelner Precision Tools & Dies, Inc. A property owner does not have a vested right in the continuation of a particular zoning classification. Quality Refrigerated Servs. Inc. v. City of Spencer, 586 N.W.2d 202, 206 (Iowa 1998). In reviewing an ordinance, we are predominantly concerned about the general purpose of the ordinance, not any hardship that may result in an individual case. Shriver, 567 N.W.2d at 401. To the extent the balancing test used in F.H. Uelner Precision Tools & Dies, Inc. is inconsistent with the fairly debatable standard applied in Neuzil, Shriver, and Perkins, it is overruled. Applying the fairly debatable standard to this case, the district court found that the city retained experts in urban planning and design to formulate the Port of Dubuque Master Plan. After reviewing the reports of the experts and receiving input from its citizens at public hearings, the city concluded the rezoning (1) encouraged efficient urban development patterns; (2) promoted the health and general welfare by prohibiting new or expanded development that would be incompatible with the commercial, recreational, and residential uses in the area north of the Ice Harbor; and (3) was made with a view to encourage the most appropriate use of the land. These conclusions are supported by substantial evidence showing industrial uses by their nature tend to generate levels of smoke, dust, noise, or odors rendering them incompatible with most other uses, and there is no way to adequately screen the area north of the Ice Harbor from the area south of the Ice Harbor. Substantial evidence also supports the finding by the district court that the area south of the Ice Harbor had access problems due to the railroad tracks, and the businesses located in the area were not using the riverfront in connection with their business operations. Finally, substantial evidence supports that the economic impact to the area south of the Ice Harbor would add a substantial number of new jobs to the area and increase property values in the area by at least $40 million, resulting in a million dollars per year in added tax revenue to the city. Although the landowners contend the city rezoned the area to force them to relocate, substantial evidence supports the district court's conclusion that the reasonableness of the zoning ordinance is fairly debatable. Therefore, we agree with the district court's determination that the city's enactment of the PUD ordinance was a proper exercise of its police power.