Greenville City Council voted 6–0 on Nov. 13 to adopt the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and the updated official zoning map after a two-year process of task force work, public open houses and consultant review. Planning Director Les Everett and consultant Sarah Sinatra (Inspire Placemaking Collective) presented a comprehensive rewrite consolidating multiple chapters of the city code and adding graphics, dimensional tables and clearer procedures.

Major elements explained in the presentation include clarified definitions, conditional zoning procedures, allowances for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on qualifying lots (presentation cited an ADU limit of approximately one-third of the primary dwelling—presentation slide: 35%), tiny-home standards for existing substandard lots (minimum lot 3,000 square feet), tiny-home community rules (minimum 10 lots), and incentives and protections for urban tree canopy (increased native species target to 50% for new plantings; increase in street-tree requirements from two to three trees per 100 feet). The ordinance also adds use-specific standards (including tobacco/hemp retail definitions), distance separations, and a prohibition on certain rope lighting types with a one-year amortization for nonconforming fixtures.

Sarah Sinatra said the process involved seven open houses, five staff-attended events, surveys and a task force that helped prioritize pedestrian access, affordable housing options (ADUs, cottage courts, tiny homes), and tree canopy protections. The ordinance includes a fee-in-lieu option to allow developers to pay for sidewalks or recreation-site contributions instead of building on-site amenities; staff noted continued conversations are planned about how to apply the recreation fee-in-lieu equitably across neighborhoods.

Public commenters both supported adoption and asked for follow-up changes. Friends of Greenville Greenways and multimodal advocates urged stronger pedestrian connectivity standards and explicit bicycle-facility requirements when streets are widened or new streets are proposed. Environmental and tree-advocacy speakers urged parkland dedication, stronger tree-preservation procedures and parking-lot canopy standards. Angela Richter of the Green Greenville Coalition urged council to tie parkland dedication, tree protections and active-transportation measures to the UDO’s implementation rather than delaying them.

Council discussion acknowledged those requests. Council members thanked the task force and staff and said the UDO represents a significant modernization; they also signaled that follow-up work is needed on parkland dedication, fee-in-lieu implementation, and bike/ped connections. A friendly-amendment proposal to remove R9S (single-family designation) from the list of districts that may allow ADUs was discussed but no change was made during this adoption. Council member Robinson moved to approve the UDO; Council member Blackburn seconded. The motion carried 6–0. Staff will return with a timeline and process for the next-level land-use plan update and the specific follow-up items.