City Presents Proposed Amendments to New Development Code

An Overview of Amendments

Last year, Greenville City in South Carolina, adopted a new code to guide growth, development, and improvement. A year down the line, the code is under review with the city seeking public feedback on ways to enhance it. Recently, a select number of residents participated in a drop-in session designed to educate the public about the proposed amendments to the code.

Residents have applauded the City’s openness and commitment to working in conjunction with the residents, builders, and contractors to ensure that growth and development benefit all residents.

Understanding The Amendments

The City has been keen over the past year to study and understand the successes and failures of the new code. Their research has revealed certain gray areas that need to be addressed, culminating in 10 proposed amendments. These are aimed at optimizing urban growth while taking into consideration the interests of the locals, especially those living in impacted areas.

The amendments proposed aim at:

• Easing design requirements for new businesses moving into existing spaces.
• Altering the rules around building breaks and setbacks to minimize the visual dominance of tall structures from the ground level and better separate new developments from existing neighborhoods.
• Prohibiting vape and smoke shops to build within a mile and a half (1,500 feet) of a school, church, park, community center, or similar facility.

Making The Code Business and Resident Friendly

The amendments not only aim at making the urban code the most business-friendly in the region but also take into consideration local residential interests. According to Mary Douglas Hirsch, the Interim City Planning Director, all the proposed amendments were based on public input. The City’s Planning staff took the feedback from citizens, consolidated and studied it in detail to eventually incorporate it into the code revisions.

Public Response and Participation

The next drop-in session where residents can learn more about these proposed amendments is scheduled for Tuesday, August 27, 4 to 6 p.m., at the Unity Park Prisma Health Welcome Center. The drop-in sessions are a valuable opportunity for local residents to take part in the process of shaping their city and its habitat. The City of Greenville encourages all its citizens to partake in these processes and contribute to the common goal of making the city a better place for all its residents.