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Greenville County Council should support Ag Zoning District to protect local farms

October 21st, 2021

Do you support local farms? Or enjoy farm-to-table dining at local restaurants? Do you own or manage a farm yourself? If you answered YES to any of those questions, read on.

Thanks to the hard work of many citizens, a new policy tool to protect local farms is currently under consideration by Greenville County Council. An ordinance has been introduced to establish a new Agricultural Preservation Zoning District in the county. If adopted, the Ag zoning district would serve as a tool to preserve prime farmland and ensure that future development does not negatively impact the livelihoods of local farmers, nor the economic viability of their farms.

Adoption of the Ag District should be a no brainer for County Council. The ordinance simply establishes a voluntary option for property owners to pursue zoning their land, if they so choose. It does NOT enact or change zoning anywhere in the county. 

Even so, the Ag District has become contentious and faces an upward battle if it is to be adopted intact. We anticipate a vote on the ordinance by full Council in the weeks ahead.  

If you want to see the Ag Zoning District adopted as drafted, contact Council TODAY. Tell them that establishing an Ag District in Greenville County simply provides local farmers with a much-needed voluntary tool to help protect their way of life and preserve the important farmlands on which we all depend. 

Want to email all council members at once? Click HERE. To contact members individually, see 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


Would you like to stay up-to-date on land use planning news and action alerts for Greenville County? Visit upstateforever.org/email to join our Greenville County Land Planning & Policy Issues email list.

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