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Greenville County Council reconsiders, amends Paris Mountain environmentally sensitive zoning text; creates ad hoc committee on short-term rentals
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Summary
Greenville County Council voted to reconsider and amend the Paris Mountain ESDPM zoning text amendment to remove short-term rental language inserted by a clerical error and approved the ordinance as amended. Council also created an ad hoc committee to study short-term rental policy.
Councilor Shaw moved that Greenville County Council reconsider the council's Sept. 16 vote on the Paris Mountain environmentally sensitive district zoning text amendment, saying the agenda packet for that meeting included an earlier draft in error.
The council voted to reconsider, then approved changes to restore the version adopted at second reading and to remove short-term rental language that had appeared in the incorrect packet. Council members said the short-term rental provisions should be addressed by a countywide policy before appearing in the zoning ordinance. The council also formed an ad hoc committee to study short-term rental policy.
The motion to reconsider was introduced by Councilor Shaw in open session. Shaw said the agenda posted for the Sept. 16 meeting included "an earlier version of the proposed ESDPM text amendment and not the version approved by the council at second reading on 09/02/2025." He described the discrepancy as a clerical error and moved reconsideration so the council could correct the public record and adopt the intended language.
Councilor McGaughey, who earlier identified the extra language, explained the substance that prompted the reconsideration: "We passed it second reading. We took out verbiage of short term rental verbiage, because we do not have a policy." Members who supported removing the short-term rental text said the county lacks a policy to govern such rules and that inserting those rules into this ordinance would be premature.
After debate and a series of amendments, the council voted to adopt the ESDPM zoning text amendment as amended. The adopted amendment restored the version the council approved at second reading and removed short-term rental provisions that had appeared in the wrong draft. Council members said the ad hoc committee will examine short-term rentals countywide and return with recommendations so ordinance language and county policy align.
Background: The text amendment, listed in the agenda as zoning docket CZ2025-053 and previously numbered in council materials as ordinance No. 5733, concerns definitions and standards in the Paris Mountain environmentally sensitive district (ESDPM). The council had moved the measure through second reading earlier but brought it back to third reading for this correction and additional tree-save language adjustments.
Councilors said the reconsideration was intended to ensure transparency and that the version before the public and the council matched the version the council intended to adopt. No citizen speakers were recorded as opposing the procedural motion at the time of reconsideration.
Looking ahead: Council members said the ad hoc committee created at the meeting will study short-term rental issues countywide and recommend policy options before any further ordinance insertions related to short-term rentals are considered.
