A three-judge panel of the Iowa Court of Appeals said in a ruling released today that the city of Pleasant Hill did not violate state law when it extended for 20 years an urban renewal area that included more than 200 acres of newly annexed land. The property was the target of a Chicago company that had planned to build a warehouse and distribution center, raising safety concerns among some residents and the nearby Southeast Polk school district. A Polk County District Court judge had noted that the original Copper Creek Urban Renewal Area had been created in 1994, one year before the Iowa Legislature changed state law that limited most urban renewal areas to a 20-year life span. The Chicago company has dropped its option to purchase the land, but the city of Pleasant Hill continues to improve streets in an effort to attract other development projects. Craig Dickey, who represented plaintiffs in the case, Concerned Citizens of Southeast Polk School District, said it is likely his client will seek further review before the Iowa Supreme Court.