What happened on Article 3.1 yesterday & what's next

Thank you to all who contacted members of Greenville County Council directly to ask that they strengthen the Ad Hoc Committee's proposed replacement for Article 3.1 (a local land development regulation that sets out basic criteria for subdivision approval in unincorporated parts of the county).

Unfortunately, the Ad Hoc Committee's inadequate proposal advanced in a 7-5 majority vote during a contentious meeting of Greenville County Council's Committee of the Whole yesterday. Read this Post and Courier article for a complete summary of the meeting.

What happens next?

The next step will be a public hearing at County Council on a date to be determined. We will keep you informed as this public hearing is scheduled.

In the meantime, we must continue to encourage Council members, through phone calls and emails, to amend this ordinance at its second reading on July 20 to include much stronger measures to protect rural living in Greenville County. All members of County Council need to hear directly from as many citizens as possible.

What should citizens tell County Council?

Below are the changes Upstate Forever wants to see in the ordinance:

• Areas such as high tension power lines, gas and oil lines, swimming pools, etc., should NOT be counted as "open space." Rather, important natural areas such as wetlands, floodplains, steep slopes, prime soils, habitat for endangered and threatened species, and productive farms and forestlands — as well as historic sites — should be prioritized for meeting open space requirements.
   
• The open space target should be increased to at least 40%. With a minimum lot size requirement of only 6,000 square feet, allowing 60% of a parcel to be developed provides ample space to build new homes (not to mention that all parcels have some portion of undevelopable land that will count towards open space requirements).
   
• Protections for endangered & threatened species — along with their habitats — must be included in local ordinances. State law places the primary responsibility for land regulation in the hands of local governments — with the expectation that local regulations will support implementation of state and federal law, including the Endangered Species Act.

How do I contact my County Council member?

You can find county council member contact information here and below. Don't know who represents you? Enter your address here to find out.

Joe Dill (District 17)
jdill@greenvillecounty.org
864.380.6534

Michael Barnes (District 18)
mbarnes@greenvillecounty.org
864.877.9457

Willis Meadows (District 19)
WMeadows@greenvillecounty.org
864.419.8419

Steve Shaw (District 20)
SShaw@greenvillecounty.org
864.553.9713

Chris Harrison (District 21)
CHarrison@greenvillecounty.org
864.467.4917

Stan Tzouvelekas (District 22)
stantz@greenvillecounty.org
864.467.4958

Xanthene Norris (District 23)
XNorris@greenvillecounty.org
864.271.6798

Liz Seman (District 24)
LSeman@greenvillecounty.org
864.501.4126

Ennis Fant (District 25)
efant@greenvillecounty.org
864.467.2787

Lynn Ballard (District 26)
LBallard@greenvillecounty.org
864.243.0014

Butch Kirven (District 27)
BKirven@greenvillecounty.org
864.228.9300

Dan Tripp (District 28)
DTripp@greenvillecounty.org
864.962.1093

Thank you for taking action to help stop rampant suburban-style sprawl in rural Greenville County. Please contact members of Greenville County Council today and share this with your Greenville County friends and neighbors who want to see meaningful protection in place for our remaining rural areas.

If you'd like to receive updates and action alerts such as this one directly in your inbox, join our Greenville County Land Planning & Policy Issues email list at upstateforever.org/email.