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Statesboro council pauses Unified Development Ordinance changes after debate on sprinklers, tiny homes
Summary
City council did not act on first-reading amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance after builders raised cost concerns about a new townhome sprinkler requirement and council asked staff for more outreach; council scheduled further review in May.
Statesboro City Council on April 15 took no action on proposed amendments to the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), including a newly proposed requirement that multiunit townhomes install automatic sprinkler systems and language creating a pathway for tiny-home developments.
The council deferred the items after developers and the fire department clashed over cost and safety trade-offs and members asked staff to consult further with local builders before a second reading. The council directed staff to schedule a work session and return with revisions in May.
The UDO package presented in the meeting included several technical edits and one substantive addition, cited in the draft as section 2.5.0.9, "multi-unit fire protection," that would apply a sprinkler requirement to multi-household dwellings and townhomes. Staff said the amendment could be applied going forward at council's discretion and that midstream projects could be grandfathered.
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