Goose Creek planning commissioners review targeted edits to zoning ordinance in workshop

City staff presented a workshop on proposed amendments to Goose Creek's zoning ordinance on items including bulk zoning standards, new and revised housing types, parking and signage rules, and administrative clarifications.

The presentation, delivered by city staff members Joey, Alexis and Kendra, walked the Planning Commission through section-by-section changes carried forward after applying the 2024 ordinance to real projects. "This is going to be a very casual and informal presentation of a workshop," a staff member said at the start of the session, and staff asked commissioners to interrupt with questions during each section.

The staff said most changes are minor edits intended to clarify ambiguous language and fix items that proved difficult to administer. Among the proposed substantive edits: increasing the maximum building height in the conservation district from 40 to 50 feet to accommodate city-led projects; reducing the minimum lot width in the residential mixed district from 50 to 40 feet while keeping the 5,000-square-foot minimum lot size; adding a 5-foot rear setback in the village node district to preserve emergency access; and increasing setbacks in heavy industrial from 25 to 40 feet to align with buffer requirements.

Commissioners asked how the narrower lots and 5-foot side setbacks (10 feet between homes) would affect…