Sedgwick County planning director says data centers and solar farms are top land‑use challenges

Scott Wadel, director of the Sedgwick County Planning Department, told the Sedgwick County Commission host that he has worked in county planning "about 23 years" and became the department's full‑time director in 2020, shortly after serving as interim director during the early COVID shutdowns.

Wadel said the planning department is organized into four divisions — administration, current plans (zoning and subdivision cases), advanced plans (comprehensive and neighborhood planning) and zoning enforcement — and has roughly 20 staff. "It really was a shift from being a project manager to being a people manager," he said of his transition into departmental leadership.

Why it matters: County planning decisions shape where housing, commercial development and infrastructure can be built, and Wadel told the host the department is seeing rapid change in what is feasible in unincorporated areas because of technology and market forces.

On workload and interagency work: Wadel said most zoning cases arise in the city while most platting occurs in the unincorporated county. He described frequent coordination with MABCD, public works, the county counselor's office, elected officials and sometimes the sheriff's office on land‑use and infrastructure matters. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., he said, but planners frequently attend evening or weekend neighborhood and district advisory meetings.

Emerging issues and constraints: Wadel highlighted data centers as "the biggest one to me" because they are large, can be long‑term uses and demand significant resources; he also listed solar panels/solar farms, water supply and event centers in the unincorporated county as items the department is addressing. He noted technology and changing economics affect whether such projects are feasible and how they are regulated.

Background and outreach: Wadel summarized his career path — associate planner, senior planner, a stint in the city manager's office, an interim role in transit, and eventual return as planning director — and described community engagement and project management as core functions of the department. He also shared brief personal background about growing up in Colorado and having family ties to regional history.

Contact and next steps: At the close of the interview Blue and Wadel provided contact emails for follow‑up. No formal actions or votes were taken during this interview.