Public Invited to Review Proposed Changes to the Development Code

When City Council adopted the new development code, they wanted it to be responsive to the community's needs. So they mandated an annual review.

City staff are sharing the proposed amendments for their first annual review of the code, which came after 12 months of practical use and listening to feedback from residents, developers and stakeholders. The updates include changes that will streamline review processes and right-size the development standards for Greenville.

The public will have three opportunities to review and comment on proposed updates to Greenville Development Code:

• Thursday, August 22, 8 to 10 a.m.
• Thursday, August 22, 3 to 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, August 27, 4 to 6 p.m.

All are drop-in meetings (with no formal presentation) and will be held at the Prisma Health Welcome Center in Unity Park.

Highlights include:

• Easing Development Requirements for New Businesses -The City aims to reduce the immediate burden of opening a new business at an existing site or building. The updates give staff the ability to work with individual businesses and property owners to balance the code requirements with the project scope and level of investment.
• Outdoor TV Screens - Standards would be added for businesses desiring large outdoor TV screens, with use being limited to specific districts and not allowed along Main Street. Where permitted, screens must be oriented towards the interior of the property and cannot be visible from any public right-of-way, including multi-use trails. Outdoor video screens are not permitted within 100 feet of any residential (RH, RN, RC) or park (PK) district.
• Residential Building Setbacks - Most zoning districts under the previous code had side setbacks of 5 feet. The new code introduced a tiered scale based on lot width, with some lots going as high as a 15-foot side setback. This has created conflicts for new homes and additions attempting to fit the existing neighborhood character. The amendment attempts to right-size setbacks to reflect Greenville's existing neighborhood character.
• Basements and Building Heights - On sloped lots, exposed rear and walk-out basements are now permitted without counting as a story of building height. The exposed basement cannot exceed 50% of the building's perimeter.
• Campus Master Plan - Staff has received questions about the public's opportunity to review or provide input on a master plan within a Campus (CM) zoning district. This amendment enables the city to require a new or revised Campus master plan to be presented at a community meeting or Project Preview Meeting before issuing any building permits within the master plan area, allowing opportunity for public review and input.
• Vape and Smoke Shops - New smoke and vape shops will only be permitted in the BH-Business Heavy and IG-Industrial zoning districts. They cannot locate within 1,500 of another smoke or vape shop, school, church, park, trail, or community center, and cannot abut a residential district.
• Sign Ordinance - In response to concerns from businesses and sign contractors, numerous improvements have been made to the city's sign regulations. Signage during elections has also been addressed.

The 2024 code updates will go to public hearing at the Thursday, September 5, meeting of the Planning Commission before final consideration by City Council.