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Planning commission applicant Jessica Blakely tells Polk County commissioners housing and infrastructure must be paired
Summary
At the Nov. 25 Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting, planning commission applicant Jessica Blakely said population growth and housing-production work should guide updates to the county’s comprehensive plan, urged better city–county coordination and warned that infrastructure — especially water, wastewater and safety on James Howe Road — must be addressed before major expansion.
Jessica Blakely, an applicant for Polk County’s planning commission, told county commissioners on Nov. 25 that population growth and housing production should drive updates to the county comprehensive plan and that infrastructure constraints must be addressed before expanding development.
Blakely, who said she works "at the housing authority for the city of Salem, and I do our housing development, our affordable housing development," told commissioners she is motivated to serve locally because she moved to Polk County in 2017 and wants to help shape planning decisions that affect families who live and work in the county.
Blakely said the county needs clearer, updated references in its comp plan and better access to archives of past planning decisions so residents and officials…
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