Residents push to zone parts of Greenville County, hoping to stifle unwanted development

GREENVILLE, S.C. Community Efforts for Zoning Protection

Concerned citizens of the southern part of Greenville County are pushing to protect the area’s rural tranquility. They aim to accomplish this using zoning or land regulation, a process that could mean the difference between neighbors being a farm or a massive housing subdivision. Alyson Ghizzoni-Burns, a representative for Zone Rural, explained their goals center around “ensuring that they understand what they can do as a landowner to protect themselves from developers coming in and putting in subdivisions, etc.”

Background and Support

The majority of District 26 remains unincorporated. The organizers of Zone Rural state their campaign aims to help residents understand what that entails. However, not everyone agrees with their approach. Zone Rural came into existence in February, following the approval of a large RV park project. Remarkably, both the northern and southern ends of Greenville County lack land regulations. This means developers face few restrictions regarding their builds.”

District 26 County Councilman Rick Bradley supports Zone Rural in their efforts. He touched on his campaign promises while expressing his support for the group. “I ran on trying to slow down growth and get where we can manage it a little better and get some infrastructure down here. So, I think this is a first step,” said Bradley.

Methods for Zoning and Concerns

There are three methods for zoning property: a local vote through a referendum, obtaining signatures from 25% of property owners to sign a petition, or requesting the county council to establish the zoning. These methods are not without their critics. Ex-councilman Lynn Ballard and others worry the group will opt for the county council approval route, which could limit property owners’ say on how their land is regulated. Furthermore, some individuals express concerns about potential decreases in future property values and prospective fees for re-zoning.

Zone Rural’s Approach

On the contrary, Zone Rural maintains that their meetings serve to gauge public opinion. “Come forward and tell us what zone classification they would like to zone their property, and we will collate all of that data for the county and then push that through county council for official votes,” said Ghizzoni-Burns.

Those seeking further information on zoning can refer to the Greenville County’s Zoning Ordinance.