Oconee County commissioners review wide-ranging Unified Development Code amendments; no vote taken

County staff presented a package of 38 proposed amendments to Oconee County’s Unified Development Code for commissioners’ review on Jan. 28, 2025. The changes would align several local rules with recent changes in state law, add or clarify permitted uses in multiple zoning districts, and change technical standards for site development, landscaping and road construction. No formal vote was taken; staff said the package could be placed on the consent agenda for a future meeting.

The proposals cover a wide range of subjects. Several items are written to conform local regulations to recent state law changes for manufactured homes, including allowing replacement manufactured homes and expanding where single-family detached manufactured homes are permitted (including AR 3 and AR zones). “This is just to bring us in accordance with the state code that changed recently,” Daniel Hagood, a county staff member who presented the amendments, said.

The package would also add a new definition and use rules for fiber-optic or broadband transmission facilities, allowing a small “fiber hut” to be permitted by special use permit in AG, AR and AR 3 zones under a telephone/cellular/telecommunications use heading. Hagood…