Easley planning commission hears draft Unified Development Ordinance; discussion centers on tree rules, consolidation and review process

A consultant for the City of Easley presented a draft Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to the Planning Commission on Oct. 7, and commissioners deferred formal action to a future meeting after extensive questions and public comment about tree-preservation rules, consolidated zoning tables and implementation details.

Rico Gianni, senior planning associate with MRB Group, told the Planning Commission the UDO combines the existing zoning ordinance and land development regulations into one document and reorganizes standards into consolidated tables for permitted uses and dimensional standards. "The most significant change that you'll see in this document is the tree preservation standard," Gianni said during the presentation.

The draft also proposes a revived architectural review board, a standing internal review group called an Area Coordination Committee, clarified development-review procedures and new buffer and tree-mitigation requirements. Gianni said the document preserves existing zoning districts but reorganizes regulatory text into consolidated, easier-to-read tables so administrators and applicants can find requirements in one place.

Why it matters: commissioners and residents said the changes are substantial enough that the city needs an annotated, side-by-side comparison of the draft against the current ordinance and land development regulations before voting. Several commissioners asked staff to provide comparisons in sections so the commission and the public can verify whether wording is new, rephrased or removed.

Key points from the presentation and discussion

- Tree preservation and mitigation: The draft establishes a general tree-coverage requirement, a tree-survey submittal requirement for larger developments, replacement or…