Restart of mapping process for new land development code to be considered

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Editor's note: County Council gave initial approval Tuesday to an ordinance restarting the mapping process.

Richland County Council will consider a vote to restart the mapping process for its rewritten Land Development Code at its Tuesday meeting.

The restart will provide an opportunity to incorporate public input into the map, according to a news release from Richland County.

“We have already held more than 50 public meetings across the county and spoken individually with hundreds of citizens, but the recent attention on this process and misinformation surrounding it leads us to understand we need more time to reach as many people as possible, gather their feedback and explain why we are modernizing the Land Development Code,” Richland County Administrator Leonardo Brown said in the release. “We deeply value the input of residents, and restarting the mapping process underscores our commitment to transparency and accountability.”

The LDC regulates land use, growth and development. It governs the types of uses, location and size of a development within various zones, establishes the procedures for how development proposals are reviewed and controls standards such as parking, landscaping and signage.

Richland County’s current LDC was adopted in 2005. It was rewritten to accommodate evolving needs, the county said, including increasing user-friendliness, modernizing development standards and promoting environmentally friendly development.

County Council adopted the new LDC text on Nov. 16, but it is not in effect because it requires approval of an amended zoning map, which has not yet occurred. The text received first reading at County Council's Zoning Public Hearing on Sept. 28. Second reading approval came on Oct. 19, and an additional public hearing was held at a Nov. 9 meeting.

If council approves first reading for the process amendment on May 3, it will restart the mapping process and create more opportunities for public input before the new LDC and zoning map go into effect.