2022 Year in Review: Franklin Co Approves Unified Development Code and Updated Zoning Map

As we approach the end of 2022 and as we always do this time of year, WLHR News looks back on some of the bigger stories this past year.

One of the biggest stories in Franklin County in 2022 was the County’s development of an updated zoning ordinance that came to be called the Unified Development Code.

In Mid-March, County Commissioners imposed a 90-day moratorium on the construction of new single and multi-family subdivisions.

The move was designed to give the County time to continue working on a plan to control the rapid growth of new subdivisions.

In late March, Franklin County Commissioners began considering whether to approve a Unified Development Code before the 90-day moratorium ran out.

The updated zoning ordinance had been in the works for over a year with a goal of regulating lot sizes and minimum acreage requirements based on usage rather than a zoning text amendment, which is a one-size fits all minimum lot size requirement for residential development.

However, former Planning & Zoning Director and Assistant County Manager Scott DeLozier recommended switching to a Unified Development Code that covered all areas of new development, commercial and residential.

Former County Commission Chair Jason Macomson recommended considering the switch to a UDC.

“We need to think carefully about this when we’re looking at changing our minimum lot size. We did the moratorium. All of this has unintended consequences…I think this is more comprehensive than just saying we’re going to double it (lot sizes) because it accounts for more complexity. There are a lot of different districts that are going to have a lot of different requirements rather than saying here’s a one-size-fits-all approach. I think we need to think about that,” he said.

A revised version of the UDC became available for public inspection in May, and after months of public input from citizens, in August, the Board of Commissioners voted to approve a final draft of the UDC to go into effect once the new zoning map was approved.

The new zoning map was approved in September putting the new UDC into effect.