WHO ARE WE?
The Amana Colonies Land Use District (ACLUD) is a certified local government which provides guidelines and recommendations to help historic preservation within the Amana Colonies. The Amana Colonies have a long and unique history of land use regulation. Beginning with the purchase of 18,000 acres of land along the Iowa River by the Ebenezer Society in 1854, the Amana Colonies have bee
n involved with some form of land use planning. In 1986, the authority to regulate the land of the colonies was formalized with the state legislative provision for a Land Use District followed by the establishment, by election, of the Amana Colonies Land Use District.
WHAT DO WE DO?
The Amana Colonies Land Use District (ACLUD) is dedicated to helping preserve the history of the Amana Colonies. The purpose of the District is to conserve the distinctive historical and cultural character of the area, particularly in its land use and acquisition of land. The District concerns itself primarily in the areas of commercial and industrial development, residential development, and in preservation of agricultural land and historic properties. Within that context, the District also reviews the role of transportation, environmental controls, utilities, and community facilities as they contribute to the protection and improvement of the district. In practice, all construction and demolition in the District require a zoning permit from the ACLUD Board of Trustees with a initial permit review for historic district properties being performed by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).
