Lancaster County announces UDO review committee meeting Nov. 20; staff, training dates noted

Lancaster County staff told the Board of Zoning Appeals that the County Council has approved a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) review committee; the first meeting of that committee is scheduled for Nov. 20 in the county chamber to review a draft UDO and resolve outstanding issues identified by previous working groups.

Chair (name not specified) asked whether the county still anticipated finishing the UDO review by mid‑spring; staff replied they hoped to stay on schedule and would do everything in their power to keep the project moving.

Board members and staff also discussed a county training session on Nov. 13 at the library. The chair and staff said the session, provided by the South Carolina Association of Counties, runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and satisfies required annual training.

Chair asked four guests to introduce themselves. Those who spoke identified themselves as Shannon Cato, zoning administrator; Julie Fell, planner and deputy zoning administrator; Micah Garris, zoning technician; and Andy Rowe, lead code enforcement officer for Lancaster County. Rowe said enforcement and permitting work may make the coming year “a pretty tough year” given the moratorium and other pending matters.

The chair said the moratorium and other ongoing work could mean heavy workloads for BZA, the planning commission, zoning, and code enforcement, and that completion of the UDO would be a significant step forward.

No formal board action was taken on the UDO schedule, training or staffing introductions during this meeting.