Follow the Comprehensive Plan
The comprehensive plan represents years of technical work, public input, and long-range thinking. It should be the starting point for major land-use decisions—not a document that is rewritten whenever a single proposal does not fit. Amendments may sometimes be appropriate, but they should be rare, clearly justified, and openly debated.
Create Clear, Predictable Zoning
Farmington needs well-defined residential, commercial, and industrial corridors. Businesses and developers should know what is allowed before they invest, and residents should know what may be built near their homes. Streamlined zoning reduces uncertainty, limits special treatment, and makes the city easier to work with.
Protect Neighborhoods and Infrastructure
Growth must account for roads, utilities, water, public safety, construction traffic, noise, and the long-term cost of maintaining new infrastructure. A project that creates revenue but transfers its costs or disruption to nearby residents is not automatically a good deal.
Recruit Development Residents Can Use
The city should actively pursue commercial uses that improve everyday life, including a full-service grocery store and other neighborhood-serving businesses. Farmington cannot command a private business to locate here, but it can identify strong sites, create a responsive approval process, and use carefully structured incentives when the public benefit is clear.
Support Established Athletic Programs
Baseball, basketball, hockey, and football are established parts of community life that serve thousands of Farmington residents each year. The city should maintain and improve the fields, courts, rinks, and other facilities these programs rely on before removing capacity or allowing existing assets to deteriorate. Residents should not feel they are receiving fewer recreational opportunities while paying more in taxes and fees. Thoughtful growth includes protecting the successful programs and facilities that already bring families together.
My standard is simple: the right project, in the right place, with the impacts understood and the public involved before the decision is made.