Saying he wants to halt the island’s growth trajectory, Michael Pollock formally announced Tuesday his plans to seek another four-year term on the City Council.

But in a departure from his previous intention to defend the at-large seat he now holds, Pollock said he will likely challenge former council member Jim Llewellyn in the southwest ward – that is, if Llewellyn remains unopposed through Friday’s filing deadline.

“A race between us would offer the voters a clear choice,” said Pollock, a Crystal Springs resident who was elected from the Ferncliff area four years ago.

“I think I represent the environmental community, and Llewellyn is perceived as part of the development community.

“If he does not have a challenger from the environmental side, I will likely file against him.”

Pollock couched the challenges facing the island in terms of preserving a lifestyle.

“We need to look at the issue of sustainability on the island – economically, environmentally and socially,” he said. “We are on the wrong trajectory.

“If we continue like this, what is this place going to look like in 20 years, or even 10?”

Acknowledging that the problems he describes are a function of population growth, Pollock said the community should “ask how many people we want,” then pass laws directed at that objective.

A place to start, he said, would be to stop both directly and indirectly “subsidizing” development.

“Every time we build a house, there is infrastructure that goes along with it,” Pollock said. “Developers should pay for that to help keep taxes from going up.”

Pollock rejects the notion that additional permit fees and impact fees will raise the price of houses, which, in turn, can boost everyone’s property-tax assessments.

“I think in a free market that developers already charge what they can for houses,” he said. “If we raised the fees, they would either reduce their profit margins or lower their costs elsewhere. The real impact might be lower prices for land.”

Pollock says he has had a productive first term, and he measures his successes largely in terms of environmental issues.

He cites the record of open-space acquisitions, many of which, he notes, came before the city’s open-space bond.

He points to the Non-motorized Transportation Plan, the city’s pesticide education program, a watershed restoration program and an expanded public-participation program on land-use matters.

“It seems like a small thing, but just putting up signs at the project site is an early warning to encourage people to participate,” he said.

He also points to the city’s affordable-housing efforts, specifically signing a purchase agreement for Serenity House and pledging $200,000 over three years to help the county housing authority buy the Islander mobile home park.

“I’m really proud of the way we stepped up to the plate to help people in need,” he said. “It shows how the government can really make a positive difference.”

Pollock’s plan for a second term is to continue efforts under way.

“We need to really get going on the farming initiative, not only to preserve farmland but to make farming economically viable,” he said. He calls for changes in zoning laws to let farmers sell their products year-round at their farms, and for some tax incentives.

He wants to shepherd funding to build pathways and bikeways called for in the non-motorized plan, and take a look at both water quantity and quality issues.

“There are enough reports of wells going dry, and deep wells declining in production, that we need to take a look at that,” he said.

“The quality issue involves looking at pesticides, oils and other pollutants,” he said. “Are we recharging our aquifers with water of decent quality?”

Pollock said tensions between the mayor and council are abating, and credits recent management changes for that.

“I think the tension was caused by three new council members who didn’t appreciate how slowly government moves,” he said, describing his own role as mediator.

Pollock stands by the positions he has taken.

“I do feel that the last four years have been very successful,” he said. “There are a lot of things we can do in government.”