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Council adopts natural resources element and amends residential density to align with new comprehensive plan
Summary
Georgetown County Council approved Ordinance 22-44 updating the comprehensive plan's natural resources element and passed Ordinance 24-46 amending general residential density rules — the measures aim to finalize the county's comprehensive plan and guide future zoning updates, with provisions to protect Waccamaw Neck and allow density bonuses for affordable housing.
Georgetown County Council voted Dec. 10 to adopt Ordinance 22-44, a revision to the county's comprehensive plan natural resources element, and to approve Ordinance 24-46, an amendment aligning general residential density in the zoning ordinance with the land-use element.
Planning staff presented "version 3" of the natural resources element, saying it preserved the core goals of the original draft while clarifying county roles and jurisdictional language. Miss Richardson noted the planning commission unanimously recommended approval and that stakeholder letters of support were included in the packet. Trapper Fowler of the Coastal Conservation League and Monica Whalen of the South Carolina Environmental Law Project spoke in favor during the public hearing, urging council to adopt the element to protect beaches, wildlife, wetlands, and water quality.
Miss Richardson said adoption of the natural resources element completes the required elements of the comprehensive plan, but implementation will require additional ordinances and zoning changes. On that note, Ordinance 24-46 was presented to amend Article 6, general residential requirements: the countywide multifamily density would be reduced from 16 to 12 units per acre, with an additional restriction on the Waccamaw Neck limiting multifamily in the GR district to 5 units per acre. The ordinance includes a provision that allows increases of 2–4 units per acre if a project provides at least 20% affordable housing as defined in the plan.
Councilors thanked planning staff and stakeholders for the multi-year effort; council moved and approved both measures on third reading. Miss Richardson and councilors emphasized the next work will be ordinance rewrites and zoning-map updates to implement the plan.
