Local Land Policy

We are advocating for County Council to advance ordinances that strengthen requirements for meaningful open space in residential subdivisions and better protect tree canopy, as well as a new regulatory framework that combines and modernizes the county’s antiquated zoning and land development ordinances to better meet the needs of our growing county.  

We are also advocating for a county budget that supports open space, affordable housing, and public transportation at current or increased levels. 

Additionally, we are engaging residents at a grassroots level and working with neighborhood leaders, with a focus on communities of color, to explore new strategies that ensure policy outcomes align with community goals. 

In 2020, a Performance Zoning Ordinance (also commonly known as PZO) replaced the county’s Unified Land Management Ordinance in the county’s southwestern region. In 2026, we are working to cultivate support among residents to help advance amendments to the PZO that strengthen open space and landscape standards, support connectivity, diversify housing options, and direct growth towards mixed-use activity nodes.   

We are monitoring, engaging, and encouraging citizens to participate in Anderson County’s initiative to adopt a new Comprehensive Plan and Land Use and Development Ordinance (also known as LUDO). In 2026, we are advocating for the adoption of an actionable comprehensive plan that serves as a foundation to enact policies that reduce sprawl, mitigate flooding, preserve rural and agricultural lands, and enhance open space & tree canopy countywide. 

City Council adopted the Greenville Development Code in June 2023 to ensure a new, more sustainable way of growing in the years ahead. In 2026, we are working to ensure that requirements and incentives to expand open space and affordable housing options, including the city’s density bonus program, are working as intended, or are adjusted to improve outcomes. We are also advocating that the city’s five-year comprehensive plan update adds robust goals and implementation strategies for improving resiliency and achieving a higher density urban form, expanded mobility & housing options, and ample, equitable open space & tree canopy.  

Following adoption of the INNvision comprehensive plan in 2024, the city initiated a multi-year process to overhaul zoning and land development regulations to help realize the community’s vision and goals. The city released a draft zoning ordinance in late 2025. We continue to advocate for policies that expand housing choices, enhance open space standards, protect tree canopy, and strengthen subdivision requirements, connectivity, and design guidelines. 

We are actively participating in Plan This City, an initiative to create a new Unified Development Ordinance (commonly called a UDO) for the City of Anderson. Our advocacy is focused on adoption of policies that support higher density urban forms to reduce sprawl, expand mobility options, and strengthen open space & tree canopy protections. 

Plan Spartanburg, the comprehensive plan adopted by City Council in 2023, is expected to guide an overhaul of the city’s land use policies in the coming years, with a focus on addressing existing zoning and land development regulations that perpetuate inequitable outcomes for people of color. In 2026, we are advocating for policies that support diverse housing choices, improved transportation options, and resiliency to move the city toward a more equitable, sustainable future.