Commissioners approve first reading of broad zoning code rewrite, steering committee to refine permitted-use table

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. — The Effingham County Board of Commissioners on first reading approved a package of amendments to the county zoning ordinance intended to update intent statements, lot-size standards and the table of permitted uses across agricultural, commercial and industrial districts.

County planning staff and a steering committee presented the changes, saying they clarify what uses each zoning district is intended to allow and move much of the detailed regulatory language into a single “table of permitted uses” for easier maintenance. Chelsea Furnall, the county planning manager, told the board that for AR-1 “the minimum lot area is still 5 acres, but a maximum of 2 residential units are permitted per lot,” and that road-frontage and building-height standards were updated for several residential zones. Kimberly Barlett, community planner, said the related update of definitions expanded the code from about 93 definitions to “over 560, enhancing clarity and usability.”

The revisions approved on first reading affect AR-1 (agricultural-residential), AR-2, a newly described AR-3, neighborhood and general commercial districts (B1–B3), and the county’s industrial district rules. Key substantive proposals discussed by commissioners and staff include: minimum lot areas of 5 acres for AR-1, 1 acre for AR-2, and 2.5 acres for AR-3; a proposed maximum principal building height of 40 feet in the AR series; limits on building footprint in commercial districts (B1 capped at 8,000 square feet, B2 at 50,000 square feet); a requirement that at least 15% of commercial and industrial development area be green space; a sidewalk requirement along public street frontages with a…