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Council adopts Laurens City housing pattern book to guide residential design
Summary
The council voted to adopt the city’s housing pattern book, a guidance document created under the city’s zoning ordinance to give builders certainty about compatible housing design. Council members described the book as voluntary guidance intended to encourage development that fits existing neighborhoods.
The council unanimously adopted Resolution 9-25-03 to adopt the Laurens City housing pattern book as recommended by the planning commission.
Unnamed Councilmember moved for adoption and Unnamed Mayor called the question and put the voice vote. The mayor announced, “All those in favor of passage of resolution 9 dash 25 dash 3 adopting the city of Lawrence, pattern book, please indicate by saying aye.” Members answered “Aye,” and the mayor said, “Hearing none, the pattern book is adopted.”
Council members and staff described the housing pattern book as guidance created under the city’s zoning ordinance, which the council passed in March. A council speaker called the document “the first of its kind in South Carolina,” saying the book is intended to make it easier for builders to create housing that “fits in with the fabric of the existing community.”
Council members stressed that the pattern book is not mandatory. One councilmember said the document provides an option: builders can select from the pattern book for a more certain approval path, or they may present other creative proposals to planning staff and the planning commission.
The council framed the pattern book as an incentive to encourage compatible development and to signal that Laurens City is “open for business.” The resolution passed by voice vote; the council did not record individual roll-call votes.
The adoption signals a new local design guidance tool intended to streamline approvals for residential projects that follow the patterns in the book.
