Here’s a recap of the city of Greenville Planning Commission meeting on Jan. 7.
Approved: Laurens Road development modification
McMillan Pazdan Smith brought an application for a planned development modification at 1200 Laurens Road, currently home to the Laurens Road Church of God.
The site is 3.6 acres and plans call for two multi-family buildings totaling 100 residential units and standing four stories high.
As noted in the application, the site will be altered to accommodate affordable housing and function as a mixed-use development known as The Alliance Project. It will be made up entirely of residences for those earning at or below 70% of the area median income (AMI). The affordability will average 60% AMI for 30 years.
The commission recommended approval of the changes unanimously. It is scheduled for a first reading at Greenville City Council’s Jan. 27 meeting.
The application states that the first building (Building A) includes 18,000 square feet per floor. The ground floor includes just over 4,000 square feet of commercial space and about 5,000 square feet for amenities. The rest of the building for residential. Building B, will be entirely residential and total 16,500 square feet per floor.
RELATED: Two affordable housing updates go before Greenville Planning Commission
Approved: Pine Street development
A secondary affordable housing project went before the commission brought by local nonprofit Beyond Housing SC. The nonprofit brought an application for rezoning of 0.115 acres at 101 Pine St. near Unity Park from an RH-D, House D District, to RN-A, Neighborhood A District.
This project focuses primarily on senior housing and functions in compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The commission approved the application unanimously. As a result of the application’s alignment with HUD, monthly rent for each unit would not exceed 30% of its tenant’s total income.
Approved: Development code updates
It has been 18 months since the city’s new development code was passed, necessitating a planned review. Several proposed updates aim to be more conducive to Greenville’s continued economic growth.
Proposed updates to the code are intended to reduce development requirements for new businesses. The predominant issue highlighted in the review is Article 19, which focuses on the city’s change of use standards. This matter refers to the up-fitting of a building from one use to another.
The proposed amendments split change of use standards into ‘major’ and ‘minor’ change of use requirements, with minor changes of use requiring equal or lesser changes for a space to accommodate its new occupants and major changes requiring more high intensity alterations.
Other updates include:
- A name change for the Historic Preservation Board to Historic Review Board
- Building break requirement updates to accommodate smaller buildings
- Height measurement clarifications
- Relief language for street-facing entryway requirements with regard to buildings like schools or medical facilities that do not have use for multiple ingresses
- A scale back on the waiting period for the demolition of historic structures from 90 days to 45 days. The waiting period allows for the public to recover historic elements from a building before demolition or the sale of a historic property.
The updates now go to City Council for approval.
Approved: Accommodation tax utilization plan
The city’s accommodation tax utilization plan got its first review, which focused on the plan’s housing impact analysis. The analysis must be provided to City Council for approval.
Utilization of accommodations tax arises from Act 57, signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in 2023. The bill allows local government to use accommodations tax to fund middle income housing, defined as households earning 30% to 120% of the area’s median income.
The analysis takes into account details including:
- Median home value
- Average home value
- Income required for families to not feel cost-burdened by home values
- Hospitality industry worker income
- Cost burden on renters versus homeowners
- Land and constructions costs
- Impediments to workforce housing
The commission unanimously approved the plan and it is set to go before City Council Jan. 13.
Rezonings and other matters of note:
- Rezoning of 0.271 acres located at 702 E. Washington St. in the Pettrigru Street Historic District from RNX-C, Neighborhood Flex C District, to MX-3, Mixed Use 3 District. Its applicants hoped to establish a noncompliant short-term rental that city staff believed was incongruous with the city’s comprehensive plan. Since staff recommended denial, planning commission was required to approve with a two-thirds majority. Siding with the city, the commission unanimously recommended denial.
- Rezoning and annexation into the city of Greenville of 0.671 acres located at 12 Timberlake Drive near the intersection of East North Street and Pelham Road from R-M20, Multifamily residential district to an RH-B, House B District. Approved, unanimously.
- Rezoning and annexation into the city of Greenville of 9.23 acres located at 2345 E. North St. near the corner of East North Street and North Pleasantburg Drive from a C-2, Commercial district to BG, Business General District. Approved, unanimously.
