GREENVILLE, S.C. — Greenville County Council on Tuesday, Oct. 6, approved a new Mountain Creek Community District, an overlay that sets tougher rules for large new subdivisions in the Mountain Creek area of the county that includes Greenville, S.C.
The measure adds Section 8:13 to the county zoning ordinance. As proposed, its requirements apply to new major subdivisions, new review districts and major changes within existing review districts inside the district boundary.
Under the version recommended by county staff and planners, covered developments would need a 50-foot undisturbed buffer around their edges, extra screening from roadways and a 100-foot buffer along streams and other state waters. Sites would have to hold stormwater runoff from a 100-year storm using low-impact design, set aside half of their total acreage as protected open space and mark historic sites on plats.
County documents say Mountain Creek residents, worried about development trends and flooding tied to the loss of natural areas, worked with planning staff to draft the overlay. At a July 20 public hearing, speakers raised concerns about runoff costs for current homeowners and the loss of tree canopy, and no one spoke against it.
Staff said the change would increase watershed protections. The Planning Commission backed it on July 22 after removing a clause that would have made the rules expire after two years.
