.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Last Tuesday, the Polk County Board of Supervisors had its first reading of a new zoning ordinance designed to update the county’s zoning map in accordance with its comprehensive plan adopted in May 2006.

Bret VandeLune, Polk County’s land use planning manager, said most of the changes are in how zoning districts are labeled. Under the current plan, Polk County has 132,700 acres of land zoned as agriculture. If the ordinance is approved, the county will have 178,500 acres zoned as agricultural, agricultural transition and open space districts, or 47 percent of the entire county.

Yet some of the 26,000 residents living in unincorporated areas of Polk County face zoning changes, including a portion north of Ankeny that was changed from an agricultural district to low-density residential. “It doesn’t affect any way that they use their land,” VandeLune said, “but as part of the comprehensive plan, it shows the areas where we expect growth in Polk County. … it’s to show somebody that’s moving into the area to not assume they’re going to be out in the country forever.”

Tom Hockensmith, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said the plan encourages higher-density growth around cities and preserving more open space. The county worked with cities to develop the plan and is promoting growth in areas where infrastructure is already in place.

The county will have two more readings of the plan at its meetings before the rezoning proposal becomes an ordinance.