280

280,000 kWh of clean electricity generated each year

8,143

gallons of fuel avoided through City's use of hybrid and electric vehicles

99

of City-owned interior and exterior lighting is LED technology

The proof is in the progress. Some changes are highly visible, like solar panels and new trails. Others happen behind the scenes, such as replacing City lighting, changing vehicle purchasing practices, improving stormwater systems or updating development standards. Taken together, they tell a bigger story: Urbandale is doing the work.

Harnessing the Sun

In 2023, Urbandale’s first municipal solar array became operational at the Parks & Public Works Maintenance Facility. The 225-kilowatt system includes 450 solar panels and generates an average of approximately 280,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.

Put another way: that’s approximately the amount of electricity used by 23 average U.S. homes in an entire year. Using EPA’s national greenhouse-gas equivalency methodology, that generation can also be compared with avoiding approximately 188 metric tons of CO₂ annually — roughly the annual emissions of 44 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.

The solar array also reduces the City’s electricity costs by approximately $22,500 per year.

Driving Change

Urbandale purchased its first hybrid City vehicle in 2011. Today, the fleet includes 24 hybrid vehicles and 7 fully-electric vehicles, along with electric utility vehicles and lawn equipment. Nearly 6 in 10 Police Department vehicles are hybrids. The City’s fleet data shows 8,143 fewer gallons of gasoline used during the measured period.

What does 8,143 gallons mean? That’s enough gasoline for an average vehicle to travel roughly 186,000 miles, or drive more than 7 times around the Earth’s equator!

Urbandale continues to evaluate hybrid and electric alternatives when vehicles and equipment are replaced.

A Brighter Kind of Efficiency

Since 2009, Urbandale has converted approximately 99% of City-owned interior and exterior lighting to LED technology — including streetlights and traffic signals.

The change reduces energy consumption and maintenance needs and has saved the City tens of thousands of dollars annually in energy and maintenance costs.

It’s a good example of sustainability that is easy to overlook: thousands of small operational decisions adding up year after year.

Helping You Generate Your Own Power

Urbandale participated in and helped sponsor the 2022 and 2023 Grow Solar Polk County campaigns, which made solar education, site assessments and group purchasing available to area property owners.

Across the two campaigns, 124 properties added solar systems representing approximately 1,017 kilowatts of installed solar capacity.

The result extends Urbandale’s sustainability work beyond City facilities and makes it easier for individual property owners to participate.

The proof is in the progress.

Hybrid Vehicles Become a Fleet Strategy in September 2022

City Council approves the purchase of nine hybrid patrol vehicles for the Police Department, marking a significant shift in the City’s approach to fleet management. What began with the purchase of a single hybrid vehicle in 2011 had evolved into a broader philosophy: when operational needs can be met with more fuel-efficient, lower-emission technology, sustainability should be part of the purchasing decision. The move signaled that hybrid vehicles were no longer an experiment, but a practical tool for reducing fuel use, emissions and long-term operating costs across the City fleet.

Smarter Infrastructure by Design in October 2022

Urbandale builds and opens the new Parks & Public Works Maintenance Facility with sustainability incorporated into its design, including a 4,000-gallon rainwater harvesting system that captures rainfall from the building’s roof. City crews reuse the collected water to irrigate flowers, shrubs and trees throughout Urbandale’s parks, reducing the need to use treated water for routine irrigation. The project reflects a broader shift in how the City approaches its own facilities: considering resource conservation and long-term efficiency as part of the design from the outset, rather than as an add-on later. Put it in perspective: The system can store as much water as approximately 80 standard 50-gallon residential rain barrels at one time.

Environmental Stewardship Becomes a Citywide Planning Principle in December 2023

City Council adopts the Forward Urbandale Comprehensive Plan, establishing Environmental Stewardship as one of three overarching themes guiding the City’s future. The plan reflects an important evolution in the City’s approach to sustainability: environmental considerations are no longer viewed as stand-alone initiatives, but as a factor in how Urbandale plans for growth, infrastructure, transportation, development and quality of life. Sustainability becomes part of the framework for making long-term community decisions.

Renewable Energy Delivers Measurable Savings in May 2024

City completes state-of-the-art solar panel array system, adding 450 solar panels to the roof of the Parks & Public Works Maintenance Facility. The new system positions Urbandale as a leader in renewable energy adoption among municipalities in the Des Moines metropolitan area. The system ends up saving Urbandale taxpayers more than $22,000 annually.

Sustainability Moves from Principle to Action in September 2024

City Council receives the Sustainable Urbandale Action Plan (SUAP) from Iowa State University’s Department of Community and Regional Planning, providing a more focused roadmap for advancing the City’s sustainability goals. Building on the environmental stewardship principles established in Forward Urbandale, the plan identifies practical opportunities in areas such as education, renewable energy, building efficiency and infill development. It marks another evolution in the City’s approach: moving from broad commitment toward intentional, measurable action.

Sustainability Becomes Easier to Access in March 2025

Staff launch a centralized sustainability microsite, bringing Urbandale’s programs, incentives, rebates, grants and educational resources together in one easy-to-use location. The effort reflects a shift from simply offering sustainability programs to actively helping residents discover and use them. By reducing barriers to information, the City makes sustainable choices more accessible, practical and actionable for the community.

City Regulations Make Room for Sustainable Development in August 2025

City Council approves the first reading of Ordinance 2025-16, allowing permeable pavement as an option in development and redevelopment projects. The change reflects a broader shift in the City’s approach to sustainability: looking not only at what Urbandale can do itself, but also at how local regulations can enable more environmentally responsible choices by property owners and developers. By modernizing development standards, the City creates more flexibility for practices that can reduce stormwater runoff and support more sustainable growth.

Sustainable Landscaping Becomes Part of the Standard in November 2025

City Council approves the first reading of Ordinance 2025-22, adding native planting requirements to the City Code. The change reflects another step in embedding sustainability into everyday development practices by making resilient, locally appropriate landscaping part of how new projects are designed. Native plantings can support pollinators, improve habitat, reduce irrigation needs and strengthen long-term landscape resilience—making environmental stewardship a more routine part of Urbandale’s built environment.

The City Invests in Better Development Practices in January 2026

Urbandale launches the Unified Sizing Criteria Incentive Grant Program, offering developers up to $20,000 per project to help offset the added engineering and construction costs of more comprehensive stormwater management practices. The program supports systems designed to improve water quality, protect stream channels and better manage larger storm events. It marks another evolution in the City’s sustainability approach: moving beyond regulation alone and using financial incentives to help make higher-performing development practices more practical as Urbandale grows.