Greenville County Creates New Development Rules

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – For years, Greenville County has been working on a plan they say is a major overhaul of the county’s rules on economic growth and development.

The regulation is called the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), and the first draft of the complete plan is now ready for critique.

“We are looking to combine and consolidate about six different ordinances under a Unified Development Ordinance,” explained Councilman Butch Kirven.

Regulations regarding zoning, open space, stormwater management, project design and more will be covered in one comprehensive set of rules.

“This will create a lot of certainty, predictability and requirements that developers will have to meet throughout the process,” he said.

The UDO will apply only to county areas — not cities/townships. However, like the new Greenville Development Code, the UDO will act as a guide to what can be built and where.

The county hired consultants years ago to begin work on the ordinance, a move prompted by a wave of new development and the council’s challenge of managing growth.

The objectives of the UDO include: preventing overcrowding of land, preserving farms, protecting neighbourhoods and creating diverse and affordable housing types.

“We’re going to have monthly meetings that are going to be openly advertised, and anyone who wants to propose a new development has to be there, and the public can come and listen to the presentations. They can answer questions. They can talk to them one-on-one. It’s going to be like a monthly open house, if you will,” Kirven said.

Kriven says the new regulations should be introduced as soon as possible, but the council vote could still take some time.

“There is no specific timeline. We want to do it right and finish it when it’s ready,” he said.

On Monday 12th August at 6am the council will be holding a workshop where staff will provide more details on UDO. Click here to find out more.