Urbandale staff outline stormwater incentives: $3,500 foundation‑drain grants, zoning change for permeable pavement and proposed design bonus

Urbandale staff on Tuesday briefed the City Council on environmental sustainability measures that include a foundation drain disconnect grant program already underway, a zoning amendment to permit permeable pavement for parking and a proposed incentive to encourage a higher stormwater design standard.

"Our current grant assistance is $3,500 which is a 100% match," said Kristen, City staff, describing the foundation drain disconnect program approved earlier by the council. Staff mailed 274 letters to 253 properties to notify owners about the requirement and the grant; public works has begun field testing and responding to inquiries.

The city’s foundation drain program provides a one‑time grant intended to help homeowners comply with new ordinance requirements. Kristen said callers so far have been generally receptive and staff plan to provide guidance on testing and repair options.

Staff also proposed a zoning code amendment to allow permeable pavement systems as an option in the off‑street parking section of the code. "We'll move forward with that amendment to allow this as an option," said Christy Bales of Community Development, noting the city will rely on existing statewide guidance (iSWM / Iowa Stormwater Management Manual) for technical standards. The amendment requires public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission and council.

A third item discussed was an incentive to encourage developers and designers to use the unified sizing criteria design standard rather than the lower‑cost option permitted under SF 455, a recent state law change that allows designers to use existing developed conditions for large‑storm calculations. City staff explained the technical tradeoffs: the unified sizing criteria emphasizes smaller, more frequent storms to reduce year‑to‑year stream stress and improve water quality, while SF 455’s allowance can raise allowable releases for infrequent large storms.

"We proposed setting an incentive for them that if you design according to this standard, instead of the SF 455 standard, we'll give you some incentive," Kristen said. Staff proposed a payment of $2,000 for sites up to 10 acres, with larger incentives on larger sites, to offset higher engineering and construction costs associated with multistage outlets and more complex basins.

Council members asked about costs and developer interest. Kristen said staff had not yet surveyed developers and suggested the city could solicit input during the pre‑application process; staff also said the incentive would be folded into the city’s budget proposals in the fall if council directs.

On cost details, staff said they expect the incentive to be manageable within the stormwater utility fund and not to jeopardize ongoing capital projects, but acknowledged exact year‑to‑year costs depend on the number of qualifying site plans and subdivisions.

No formal vote on the proposed incentive occurred at the meeting. Staff listed next steps: amend the zoning code and schedule public hearings on permeable pavement, incorporate the incentive into the fall budget cycle if council chooses to proceed, and continue implementation of the foundation drain program.

Sources: Remarks by Kristen (City staff), Christy Bales (Community Development) and related staff discussion. The article separates policy description (ordinance previously approved), staff proposals and next steps; no new council ordinance or budget appropriation was approved at this meeting.