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Lancaster County reviews UDO Module 4: council resists broader administrative variance powers, favors stronger enforcement
Summary
Planning staff presented Module 4 of the county's Unified Development Ordinance, proposing administrative and enforcement changes; councilors rejected broad new administrative variance powers and favored stronger enforcement mechanisms in lieu of civil penalties.
Lancaster County's Committee of the Whole held a workshop on Module 4 of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), focusing on administration, procedures and nonconformities. Planning staff presented proposed reorganizations of existing Chapter 9 and sought council guidance on several policy questions.
Why it matters: Module 4 will set how permits, variances, notices and enforcement operate across Lancaster County. Changes could speed project reviews or shift authority from quasi-judicial boards to administrative staff and will affect development approvals, property owners and enforcement against noncompliance.
Planning staff said Module 4 aims to conform Lancaster County's rules to the South Carolina Planning and Zoning Enabling Act and to consolidate procedures such as zoning permits, variance and special-exception processes, and plat reviews. Staff flagged one principal policy question for council: whether to expand staff authority for administrative modifications…
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