Polk board gives initial nod to 32-unit Warrior Ridge project

A proposed townhome development on Warrior Ridge that sparked controversy about building on mountaintops is a step closer to moving ahead.The Polk County Planning Board approved last week the preliminary plat for the 32-unit project, although it appeared to do so reluctantly.Gorden Threlfall, the board’s acting chairman, said the project complies with current county requirements, so there’s no basis for rejecting it. “As a member of this board, I must follow the law, even if it breaks my heart to do that,” he said.Following the planning board’s unanimous vote to grant approval, Threlfall took a moment to address the crowd of concerned residents “as an individual.” He explained that the planning board asked county commissioners to adopt stricter land use requirements for mountaintop subdivisions, but the county board declined to do so.“If you have an argument with this board (about this decision), I would suggest that it’s not with this board,” he said. “We can’t change state law or county law, we can only make recommendations and we made that recommendation (to the county board).”