Easley planning commission reviews broad UDO amendments, debates sign rules, storage containers and ADU language

The Easley City Planning Commission reviewed a large package of proposed amendments to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and related planning documents, discussing in detail changes to public-notice signage, rules for temporary steel storage containers, sidewalk requirements, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) language and accessory-structure height and setback rules.

The discussion covered multiple discrete amendments that staff and commissioners said are intended to clarify existing requirements, improve public notice for annexations and rezonings and provide implementing language for recommendations in the 2022 comprehensive plan. Commissioners and staff disagreed at times over numeric limits and enforcement mechanisms — most prominently over how long temporary storage containers may remain on private property and whether rule changes should be restricted to residential parcels.

Commissioner/staff remarks and staff presentations

Alex, a planning commission member, said the commission should present two separate resolutions to the incoming city council: one “reaffirming commitment to the comprehensive plan” (the 2022 plan) and a second contingency resolution to direct a new comprehensive-plan process if needed. “I sent over a couple drafts of some resolutions,” Alex said, and added the resolutions were intended to put a shared position in front of the new council members.

Corey, who reviewed the UDO draft for staff, told the commission he found only “a few little tiny grammatical spelling errors” but also flagged substantive issues that he said the city attorney had reviewed; Corey said the packet had already completed a first reading with council and was scheduled to go to council again on Monday for further action.

What’s in the packet

Sign posting and public notice — The draft standardizes property-posting signs for rezonings and annexations (small, medium and large sizes) and proposes templates for applicant-provided signs so they are uniform and legible from the roadway. Commissioners discussed three elements: sign size by parcel, number/placement of signs by…