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Planners discuss Plan Development ordinance tweaks, including how to limit passive commercial uses
Summary
Edgefield County planning staff explained how plan‑development (PD) zoning works and how the commission can permit or exclude specific commercial uses during PD negotiations; lot‑size minimums for detached single‑family units in residential PDs were also clarified.
Planning staff at the March 13 Edgefield County Planning Commission meeting reviewed suggested edits to the county’s Plan Development (PD) ordinance, including how the commission can limit so‑called “passive income” commercial uses and how minimum lot sizes apply in residential PDs.
A staff member described a PD as a negotiated, custom zoning district that can list permitted uses, prohibited uses or conditional uses as part of its narrative and zoning text. “A PD is is a complete negotiation between those various boards and the developer,” the staff member said, explaining that commissions may deny approval if a proposed use is unacceptable to the local approving bodies.
The staffer also clarified a minimum‑lot‑size provision discussed earlier in the packet: a 6,500‑square‑foot minimum applies to single‑family detached lots when a PD includes detached residential units, while multi‑family projects would use density (units per acre) rather than a lot‑size minimum. The planner noted that commercial or industrial PDs would not be subject to that single‑family lot minimum.
Why this matters: edits to PD language affect what developers may propose and what the commission can require in negotiations. If the commission wants to bar low‑activity commercial uses such as self‑storage, laundromats or car washes from a mixed PD, it can seek those restrictions in the PD text and deny approval if the developer refuses to modify the plan.
Key points discussed: - PDs are negotiated, custom zoning districts and can contain lists of permitted, prohibited or conditional uses; staff emphasized the commission’s ability to reject an application that contains unacceptable uses. - Suggested wording changes would clarify that “commercial elements” within a PD should favor active retail uses (restaurants, shops) rather than passive income uses (car washes, laundromats, storage) if the commission wishes to restrict them. - Minimum lot size: a 6,500‑square‑foot minimum for single‑family detached lots applies to residential PDs that include detached housing; multi‑family projects are regulated by units‑per‑acre standards.
No formal change to the county ordinance was voted on at the meeting; the discussion occurred during the agenda’s ordinance review and work session items and will inform any formal amendments brought back for a future vote.
