Planning and zoning staff presented a draft workforce housing overlay at the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners work session on Nov. 4, saying the tool aims to promote owner‑occupied homes affordable to workers who live and work in Cherokee County.

"This ordinance is intended to apply to workforce — about 80% of the area median income," planning staff said, citing a county median home price of $505,000 and median rent of $2,300. The staff presentation listed qualifying criteria including parcels of 10 acres or less, connection to public water and sewer, proximity (within two miles) to major corridors (I‑575, I‑75 or State Route 92), and that 75% of surrounding properties be developed or under construction.

Staff also described preservation mechanisms: a deed restriction recorded on the plat for at least 30 years and a potential soft second mortgage to protect resale to qualifying purchasers. The draft development standards included a maximum density of 10 units per acre, a 50‑foot exterior building setback, a 35‑foot exterior buffer, a 10% minimum green space and a maximum height of four stories. Staff cautioned the overlay language is pending legal review and might change.

Commissioners questioned how the overlay would interact with existing zoning and whether administrative approval would bypass public hearings. Several members said automatic administrative approvals could deny neighbors a chance to comment, especially where adjacent parcels are zoned R‑40. "If it meets the criteria, there is no public process — it's a purely administrative process," one commissioner said, prompting concern from others that neighbors should be given an opportunity to respond.

Board members asked staff to prepare example scenarios for specific parcels identified on the map so commissioners could see how an application would be evaluated under administrative review versus a formal rezoning. The board did not finalize a direction but signaled a preference among some members to require case‑by‑case zoning action or a special‑use process rather than blanket administrative approvals. Staff proposed calling a public hearing to gather public input; the board debated whether to hold that hearing immediately or delay until staff returns with modeled scenarios and clarified language.