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Easley council approves UDO corrections, grant awards and appointments; several measures passed unanimously
Summary
The Easly City Council approved multiple ordinances and resolutions including UDO corrections, a $113,617 opioid-recovery award, a $120,000 USDOT SS4A grant, a parks zoning designation, adoption of a recommended plant list, and the appointment of Jenny McJunkin to the Planning Commission; votes were recorded as 'all in favor' with no opposition.
The Easly City Council on Jan. 22 adopted a series of ordinances and resolutions that updated development rules, accepted grant funding and appointed a resident to the Planning Commission.
In a second reading the council approved Ordinance 20-26-06 to amend the Unified Development Ordinance for scrivener corrections, parking-material clarifications and a correction to the tree mitigation fee calculation. The presiding official said the changes were ‘‘pretty standard’’ corrections; the motion passed with all members voting in favor and none opposed.
The council then accepted Ordinance 20-26-07 to amend the FY 2025–26 operating budget to accept $113,617 from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund, authorize hiring a civilian opioid coordinator, and make building renovations for the program. "This is money that was awarded to us, and they are seeking to spend it," the presiding official said before the unanimous vote.
Council created a parks zoning designation by approving Ordinance 20-26-10, establishing a PK zoning district for map legibility and future planning; city staff member Corey explained the change is intended to make maps easier for the public and staff and does not rezoned parcels at this time. The measure passed with no opposition.
The council adopted Ordinance 20-26-11, a recommended tree and plant list for landscaping plans that emphasizes native species drawn from Clemson University’s regional database and input from the South Carolina Native Plant Species Society. "The preference would be for native species," a staff planner said; the council thanked the planning commission and approved the list unanimously.
Ordinance 20-26-12 was approved to accept a $120,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to produce a comprehensive, data-driven safety action plan within about a year. Kelly Green of Mink, who will head the project, said the plan will analyze serious and fatal crashes, include stakeholder engagement and produce locations eligible for future funding applications.
On resolutions, the council appointed Jenny McJunkin to the Planning Commission by unanimous vote after she described her local roots and prior attendance at planning meetings. The council also reaffirmed the 2022 comprehensive plan and accepted certain roads from Olive Street LLC into the city road network under Resolution 20-25-19.
Several items were postponed or remain on the table: Ordinance 20-26-08 (to rescind 20-25-12 and allow negotiation of an intergovernmental e-911 agreement with Pickens County) was postponed to allow negotiations; Ordinance 20-26-09 (repeal of a previously approved $130,000 capital expenditure for a parking lot) remains tabled pending counsel review.
The meeting moved into executive session at the end of the agenda to discuss Project X (matters related to proposed location/expansion of industry) under Section 34-70 A(5); the presiding official said no votes would be taken in executive session.
