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Pickens County staff outlines zoning code changes to curb high-density development
Summary
Planning staff briefed the Pickens County Board of Commissioners on recent and upcoming amendments to Chapters 38 and 67 of the county Code of Ordinances aimed at tightening land‑use definitions, strengthening enforcement procedures and routing major subdivision applications to the commission for conditional approval.
Planning and development staff told the Pickens County Board of Commissioners that amendments to Chapters 38 and 67 of the county Code of Ordinances approved in May and additional revisions coming in July are intended to limit high‑density development and clarify land‑use rules.
The briefing matters because county officials say the changes will give staff and the commission new tools to manage growth as developers seek more projects in Pickens County. "We've been tasked by the commissioners ... to not only beef up our code ordinances," said Charles, a planning and development staff member, "there are some specific items they wanted us to address."
Staff described Chapter 38 mainly as a procedural overhaul to make enforcement more effective, including a revised threshold for distinguishing major from minor subdivisions. Under the changes discussed, the lot‑count threshold for a major subdivision was reduced from seven to five lots. Staff said the county will now require any application that meets the major‑subdivision threshold to go before the Board of Commissioners for conditional approval rather than be handled solely at the staff level. "Any application for major subdivisions would be brought before you all into the board of commissioners for a conditional approval," Charles said.
Chapter 67 revisions were described as tightening land‑use definitions and removing an outdated "UR" (urban residential) classification. Charles said the goal is to make the code easier to read for citizens and developers while closing gaps in definitions and enforcement. He told the commission additional amendments will follow in July and beyond and that residents can view adopted changes on the county website's planning and development page.
Staff also told the commission the changes are intended to deter the kind of dense development seen in nearby jurisdictions, naming Holly Springs and portions of Cherokee and Dawson counties as examples commissioners referenced during discussion.
No formal vote on the summary briefing was recorded; staff said commissioners had directed them to continue drafting and returning with more amendments.
