The County has dramatically changed since the adoption of the current Imagine Greenville County Comprehensive Plan in 2009 (shortly after the worst of the recession), with the addition of approximately 50,000 residents, accompanied by rapid commercial and economic growth. This growth has resulted in traffic and housing affordability issues, concerns about rural preservation, grass roots zoning requests (for unzoned portions of the County), and renewed interest in land use planning overall.

The goals for the New Comprehensive Plan support reasonable residential and COI growth and infill, opportunities for economic development, and fiscal responsibility, while alleviating existing and future traffic congestion, fostering a diverse economy (rural and urban), protecting the environment, and honoring environmental, cultural, and historic features. The Comprehensive Plan provides the basis for evaluating land development proposals and is the foundation for the anticipated, and highly supported, Unified Code, to ensure that the County’s goals are implemented through the regulatory process.

The current plan is organized into six chapters plus appendices, according to the SC Enabling Act of 1994. The new Comprehensive Plan should more closely match recent changes to the requirements of the Enabling Act, and be more reflective of a traditional “goals, objectives, and methodologies” approach.

The New Comprehensive Plan may carry forward the existing concept established in the 2009 Imagine Greenville County Comprehensive Plan of “Centers and Corridors,” may change direction, or be a hybrid of themes, based on new planning ideas and theories, recent local growth, and the need for a planned growth strategy. Fiscal management of resources, recognition of service locations/limitations, respect for natural features and resources, and respect for varying points of view will be key themes throughout the process.