Statesboro council approves amendments to unified development code on second reading

Statesboro City Council approved on second reading an amendment to the city's unified development code, Ordinance 2025-01, during its July 1 meeting. The amendment was presented by city staff and approved after a motion, second and voice vote.

City planners said the amendment fixes drafting errors and makes targeted clarifications after nearly two years of using the rewritten code. "After trying on that new, new site development code, some there need to be some tweaks," a city staff member told the council, adding that staff recommended approval.

The unified development code replaced a zoning and subdivision code that staff called "47 years old" when the rewrite launched almost two years ago. According to the presentation, the changes address wording and implementation issues identified while applying the new code, including language related to open spaces. Council members moved and seconded the ordinance on its second reading and approved it by voice vote.

The council did not record a roll-call tally in the portion of the transcript; the minutes reflect a motion, second and a unanimous "aye" on the second reading. No amendments to the ordinance were described on the record during the July 1 session.

City staff said the amendments are intended to be housekeeping and implementation clarifications rather than substantive policy changes; staff recommended the council adopt the ordinance to keep the code consistent with recently tested practices.

The council's approval completes the ordinance's second-reading step at this meeting. Any further administrative clarifications, implementation guidance, or future revisions would be handled by planning staff and brought back to the council if additional legislative action is required.