Resilient Planning for Polk County
Planning Should Strengthen Polk — Not Overwhelm It
Practical Paths Forward for Polk
Polk needs more than reactive growth decisions. We need tools that help residents participate, protect shared natural systems, coordinate across city and county boundaries, and build local resilience from the ground up.
My Priorities
Protecting Polk from High-Impact Growth
Pause Data Centers Until Standards Exist
Support a minimum one-year moratorium on hyper-scale data centers until Polk has clear rules for water use, energy demand, backup fuel systems, heat, noise, traffic, emergency response, and long-term public costs.
High-Impact Use Review
Require stronger local standards for utility-intensive or high-impact uses — including hyperscale data centers — before they are approved near communities, water resources, rural lands, or strained infrastructure.
Keep Growth Fees Local
Require a transparent, percentage-based breakdown showing where impact fees are collected and where they are spent — with priority given to the roads, drainage, infrastructure, public safety, parks, trails, and amenities directly affected by nearby growth.
Whole-Impact Review
Review major projects in the context of nearby growth, annexations, road capacity, water demand, drainage, emergency services, wildlife corridors, agricultural lands, and cumulative public costs — not as isolated parcels disconnected from their real impacts.
Land, Water & Stewardship
Watershed-First Design
Review growth based on how water moves across the land, into wetlands, lakes, flood-prone areas, and aquifer recharge zones.
Native Landscapes & Living Infrastructure
Use native landscaping, rural buffers, tree canopy, bioswales, rain gardens, wetlands, and living shorelines before relying only on costly grey infrastructure.
Countywide Stewardship Agreements
Create interlocal agreements that help Polk protect recharge areas, wildlife corridors, agricultural lands, and rural buffers across city and county lines — while using voluntary PDR/TDR tools to respect property rights.
Wildlife Corridors & Rural Crossings
Plan roads, development, open space, and crossings to reduce habitat fragmentation, improve safety, and keep connected lands part of Polk’s future.
Rural Resilience & Local Solutions
Voluntary Landowner Conservation Tools
Use tools like PDR, TDR, conservation design, and market-based incentives to protect rural land while respecting property rights.
Homes That Fit Polk
Encourage attainable housing through small-town infill, cottage homes, accessory dwellings, duplexes, live/work spaces, and locally scaled neighborhoods near existing infrastructure — so working families, seniors, and young people can stay in Polk without sacrificing rural land, water, or community character.
Roads, Rail & Rural Mobility
Prioritize safer local roads, rail extension opportunities, freight coordination, and transportation solutions that connect communities without carving up rural Polk.
Community Food Resilience Grants
Support food forests, community gardens, micro-farming, local growers, mobile markets, and small food businesses to improve fresh food access and strengthen local resilience.