[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6675052,"mediaKeyId","2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab","parentId",2172910,"title","Council discusses rezoning request for 738 East Main Street from residential to general commercial","audioSeconds",339,"startMs",2404945,"endMs",2744109,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab&start=2404&end=2744","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab/thumbnail_2404945.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6675052/South-Carolina/Council-discusses-rezoning-request-for-738-East-Main-Street-from-residential-to-general-commercial","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675052-bd0f040c0fdb9834d78cbc8c2a21bd86/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194677&Signature=HOvfWXKnAEapvFkyHnDesqlbIaG7MP27K8lsbGurJuYKEOqzF5kcJpD3HdgCCHCgAWAZCOIiGBpIfDXjcZbmQ0xHYmwkgStgQv5SuKWNCvRO6kMzEdQ60YesFBLAZD8n55xHsMGAY0I1g5JO-AZMXRwYMNmD1P8w1YGENPB-ajs0fg4NAFRX68kCcQ0njHxnAJKmgyXgrvdj0oefeC9QUZ6GFbJUcmJX57nNaJECkgfInoBQeCp4vjEyxxPDjxKsYLGyBp4DtmcFWvxHFLcRFftM6RDPla6UfDz5n4DfDQbXNyvjLU6xhVqWDyboWBgaJ~jtz7zJf-cxNBb00Ym2og__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Easley","date","2025-01-01T05:53:46.72Z","article","Easly City councilors reviewed the second reading of Ordinance 202415, a rezoning request for approximately 0.815 acres at 738 East Main Street (the parcel adjacent to South D Street) to change the zoning from residential (R-7.5/R10 referenced in discussion) to General Commercial (GC).

Staff and councilors discussed map discrepancies (parcel address labels in Pickens County GIS showed a different address), the planning commission recommendation and neighboring land uses. Councilors noted the planning commission voted 4–1 in favor of GC; one planning commissioner abstained and favored keeping the property residential. Councilors asked staff whether the applicant had provided a specific proposed use; staff said no specific end use had been stated in the application.

Several councilors raised neighborhood concerns: nearby residences, existing traffic on South D Street, and the potential for commercial activity to increase lighting, signage and vehicle movements. Staff said zoning controls and site-level conditions can mitigate traffic and lighting impacts (for example, requiring the primary entrance on East Main rather than South D and specifying buffers along the southern property line). Staff also noted the site’s small size (about 0.815 acre) and surrounding corridor of mixed uses and commercial parcels, and that the city could require a lighting plan as part of development review.

Councilors suggested the option of a middle-ground rezoning to Neighborhood Commercial if they wanted a use category with more constraints on scale and intensity; staff said neighborhood commercial and general commercial have overlapping uses but differ in permitted scale and some dimensional standards. No formal vote was recorded in the work session; staff said the ordinances will be on the business meeting agenda for final action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Work Session 12/9/2024","oneSentenceSummary","Easly City councilors reviewed a rezoning proposal for about 0.815 acres at 738 East Main Street that would change the parcel from residential to General Commercial (GC).","taxTitle","Easly City, Pickens, South Carolina","taxId",57021,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6675066,"Easly City council debates ordinance to update council pay and expense rules",2054,9680,2064070,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab&start=9&end=2064","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab/thumbnail_9680.jpg","/articles/6675066/South-Carolina/Easly-City-council-debates-ordinance-to-update-council-pay-and-expense-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675066-38e8e8da485c7245dbef78602ac5b58f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194677&Signature=XJcTCjYYth4Z32veL83VxSlgOfihnXRpad5K6Y3d8~QfFVZ5LplCpFNLMBpzPV~Po5kEVXcaGXUqs4hNi9mhmHOiR6w4olAtCpiIkhzex2VryY5WGzf8Cd~1ht7T2DvAiqCFof43s66NL1MQwL9mG25ftivzKt7yszHj198b8RYkr3xWKRp-~WAyGWAWWuSaBTJ3pU~H--GhufG4728Mc7yuo1I7Q5NQjLGsbnt4gvnZ0VqAeJlIRvZN5il9WQou2PLZ0BvDKsLBbQJnG26whPpjXv7isiwMEPIe11shaiYO~vaS0BwnPrrZv~fkeTIdq7bAnBvvC33b6IPrJqifUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Easly City councilors spent the bulk of their Dec. 9 work session discussing the second reading of Ordinance 202411, which would amend Section 30.08 of the Easly City Code to change how the mayor and council are paid and reimbursed for official expenses.

Councilors noted the last adjustment to the compensation amount was made in 2008 and that any new salary established by ordinance could not take effect until after the next election. Council members emphasized the immediate issue is the expense allowance for 2025 because, under current practice, the city has paid a monthly expense allowance without requiring receipts; councilors cited a 2014 attorney general opinion saying expense allowances require documentation or a different structure.

Under the current structure described in the work session, councilors receive $600 per month plus a $100 monthly expense allowance (total $700) and the mayor receives $1,250 per month plus a $300 expense allowance. Staff explained the draft ordinance would roll the existing expense allowance into a larger inclusive salary beginning Jan. 1, 2026 (so the monthly payment would replace the two separate payments), while reimbursements for out-of-city travel would remain eligible under the city’s expense reporting procedures.

Councilor Jim Robinson said he would move to amend the ordinance to add a procedural requirement modeled on a Greenville County ordinance that would bring the council’s compensation adjustment onto a recurring schedule — described in the discussion as a standing item to consider every 24 months as part of the budget process. Robinson and other councilors said any periodic increase would still require a council vote and would not be automatic.

City staff (legal counsel) clarified that by state law a salary change adopted now could not legally take effect until after the next election, so the council faces a one-year timing gap for 2025 that the ordinance language and any amendment must address. Councilors discussed two near-term options: (1) amend the ordinance to require receipts for expense reimbursements for 2025 and retain capped reimbursements (council $100/mayor $300) for that year, or (2) remove the separate expense allowance from the ordinance and allow the increased salary to incorporate ordinary elected-official expenses beginning with the ordinance’s effective date in 2026.

No formal vote was taken in the work session. Councilors instructed staff to draft amendment language ahead of the business meeting so the group can decide whether to adopt the ordinance as written or approve the proposed amendment incorporating the procedural language discussed.

What’s next: staff offered to prepare text amendments before the city’s business meeting; any final action on Ordinance 202411 and any amendment will occur at that later public meeting and would be subject to state timing rules about effectiveness after elections.","Easly City councilors spent the bulk of their Dec. 9 work session discussing the second reading of Ordinance 202411, which would amend Section 30.08 of the Easly City Code to change how the mayor and council are paid and reimbursed for official expenses.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6675048,"City staff reports West End Hall parking progress and plans to revive façade grants from TIF funds",89,3151490,3240720,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab&start=3151&end=3240","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab/thumbnail_3151490.jpg","/articles/6675048/South-Carolina/City-staff-reports-West-End-Hall-parking-progress-and-plans-to-revive-façade-grants-from-TIF-funds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675048-53114bda8e11039c371d6c6c09f54561/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194677&Signature=XAoK9qt47mGv7~l4238kXwWET9Efr8BEicA8TK-cBCs-LE-5LqKMDUencTNSfaCjH8jNkfotdYhJAEQZpYBRgLF21jDj9WkVk8HJ3DBOXocHFG-0QPpdW0XZkOC5B6EbMmsWaEsVMj9JV7U~F090588BtRE1RifReQZKkMBTOjvTrfO3o1a8JjOf8AOPwDM4wXahFZHNE~oFKE3lA-qtRLJeZzKe5lpOcH4g11jqBZNxOQA7IQsriwhb74zM8ZY7Fj7js8U8kl83yIL23nybIy-Ktc~KDfgw6IEByaqa--PA1nrn2SEWHQ6qLHVJyyMrFWD4Qt~91mP13N6uHSdmaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the end of the Dec. 9 work session staff provided project updates on the West End Hall parking lot and on potential reintroduction of façade grants funded from the downtown TIF district.

Mario Gibson reported the West End Hall parking lot is approximately 80% complete: the binder course has been placed and crews await favorable weather to lay the final surface course; remaining contract items include top course surfacing, mulching and landscaping. Once complete the city will review final contract obligations and schedule landscaping work for next year.

Councilors and staff then discussed façade grants for the TIF district. Staff said the most recent completed audit (through 2023) shows just over $100,000 in TIF funds; the city expects another $40,000–$50,000 from 2024 activity when audit work is finished in spring. Councilors asked staff to draft rules and proposals for reinstating façade grants and to consider front- and rear-entrance improvements to encourage downtown investment.

Staff said they will return with proposed grant rules and a timeline for launching a reconstituted façade grant program.","Easly City staff told council the West End Hall parking lot is roughly 80% complete pending final surface and landscaping; council also discussed reinstating facade grants from the TIF district, noting the audit shows about $100,000 available with another $40,000–$50,000 expected from 2024 revenues.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6675057,"Council reviews two property lease renewals at West End Hall for chamber and United Way",264,2170150,2434340,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab&start=2170&end=2434","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab/thumbnail_2170150.jpg","/articles/6675057/South-Carolina/Council-reviews-two-property-lease-renewals-at-West-End-Hall-for-chamber-and-United-Way","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675057-2d46807af1771d8222e16b043ab18844/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194677&Signature=RjarzpVbV9BczNyUlq5-fkOIe1AyyDPl-5vrY8iGU2XL1aYQmuH3zxSKo21YyWDEaap5FahWNrLV-gpCAsQlejaRfepabRJJ6Ehg-uH7psgBU-rf7dXB6ZLu-k5jq5Y2udr~SMMbBd8lmeqFhKgn1LRWska~uH0sLQijYvyrTFm6d3SWmLnAd34ZDzcQcuWz8T-Sv7GN3oWSgZa11-7MtctRzyb9ZYTT~XFXWqmm68UH~Qv3tdV5FeHv99WQQLoH~tpUZxGVgsUe1EzpbT4Xgr2WEoKEQS8uePsWEFw9Vs~5oGly-~xTkSz8YuVaZJPqwZTj448eIOADQgz5kwpshw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Easly City staff and councilors reviewed second readings of two lease ordinances covering space at West End Hall (201 South 5th Street) intended for nonprofit tenants.

For Ordinance 202413 staff said the lease amount for the Greater Easly Chamber of Commerce was adjusted from the prior year and that the city increased the chamber’s monthly rent by about 50% for the coming year. Council members said staff met with the chamber director and that the chamber remains a city partner focused on business recruitment and support; staff noted the chamber will assume responsibility for some building maintenance costs (air conditioning repairs and related work) and will pay a share of utilities, reducing the city’s operating expense for the building.

For Ordinance 202414 staff said a prior typo in the United Way lease had left the organization paying a heavily discounted amount (the contract had been calculated as an annual instead of monthly figure). Staff corrected that to a monthly figure and applied a CPI adjustment for 2024, producing a significant rent increase from what United Way paid the prior year. Councilors asked whether staff had performed market-value research for leasing city property; staff said they had not run a full market appraisal but used prior contract amounts, square footage and CPI as the basis for the revised rents and noted the leases treat the tenants as community partners rather than retail lessees.

Councilors raised fiscal stewardship concerns because the city previously budgeted substantial amounts to renovate the building and may not recover the full renovation costs through modest nonprofit rents. Staff responded that the adjustments reflect both the tenants’ capacity and the partnership role those organizations play in downtown economic development.

No vote was recorded in the work session. Staff said the business meeting will contain the ordinances for formal action.","On Dec. 9 Easly City council discussed second readings of Ordinances 202413 and 202414 to authorize leases at 201 South 5th Street (West End Hall) for the Greater Easly Chamber of Commerce and United Way, Pickens County. Councilors questioned rent-setting and noted rental adjustments and cost-sharing arrangements.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6675062,"Council discusses six-month extension of zoning moratorium to finish UDO update",47,2064750,2112050,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab&start=2064&end=2112","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2172910-0e3fbb4232937b1dcdccd3e8841799ab/thumbnail_2064750.jpg","/articles/6675062/South-Carolina/Council-discusses-six-month-extension-of-zoning-moratorium-to-finish-UDO-update","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675062-18e017bb17cb6b83946436e76c8dd711/orig.mp4?Expires=1771194677&Signature=NoNXI9qVQFoEE9VdLAY0u3yu2w9~sSzFbI3xsm35vkSTlw9c5xrhDvPQjHK8AcxPUrYimQRSY02JYJ~8EiBCAT2~VZlRxL399bIy487M8G~VR7IPNsdsAO9Aacm6w6c4wNI1PTlDYP~ESwaTaDUzONmD1f5xnthulxwGfY4s~WO8r4~dMtdeLFgBqQuVkqt4HHPXibtwPdSbR8Y2Ak7yfO4PnIUSjrp3DP-pNonKoOqyl4a80JLegHlTjiFm14YXwohPt8RgbKEJM3hWwgbVtnYlo0gYfSjtyCyzE1STE0KsDXhyrSeziXiC-N-aAFmXQaJfrfXK7fM5-nB3DvpAAA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Easly City council briefly discussed the second reading of Ordinance 202412, a proposed six-month extension of a moratorium that temporarily suspends acceptance, review and action on zoning approvals, development and construction permits, and related actions.

Staff said the moratorium was intended to give consultant MRB time to finish drafting a new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Council members asked about the expected timeline; staff reported they were told the draft would be finished by February, after which the draft would be transmitted for review. Councilors said they had received telephone inquiries about the moratorium but had not received requests that the moratorium be lifted. One council member said the extension is intended to allow staff and the consultant to finish the UDO cleanly and avoid piecemeal approvals while the code rewrite is ongoing.

No vote was taken at the work session; staff characterized the extension as a straightforward measure intended to preserve the integrity of the UDO update process and to allow MRB to complete the draft.","Easly City council reviewed second reading of Ordinance 202412 to extend a moratorium on acceptance and action on applications for zoning approvals, permits, and related development actions for an additional six months to allow completion of a new Unified Development Ordinance draft.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council discusses rezoning request for 738 East Main Street from residential to general commercial

Easly City council debates ordinance to update council pay and expense rules

City staff reports West End Hall parking progress and plans to revive façade grants from TIF funds

Council reviews two property lease renewals at West End Hall for chamber and United Way

Council discusses six-month extension of zoning moratorium to finish UDO update