Residents are asked to take an active role in helping rewrite Richland County’s Land Development Code by offering input at community meetings in February.

These meetings are part of an ongoing process to put into action the County’s Comprehensive Plan, which was updated in 2015. The Comprehensive Plan is an overall guide for preparing for future growth and development in Richland County. Rewriting the Land Development Code, which regulates how and where land is developed, is a crucial step in turning the plan into reality, with resident input leading the way.

“The Comprehensive Plan is the County’s long-range vision for growth,” said Ashley Powell, Richland County Planning Services Division Manager. “The rewrite of the Land Development Code is the next step – it undergirds the vision set forth with enforceable standards for development, which moves the County from envisioning the kind of place we want to live to creating it.”

The code rewrite meetings are:

• 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5 at Council Chambers, 2020 Hampton St., Columbia. This meeting will be live-streamed to satellite viewing locations, making it easier for residents in all parts of Richland County to be involved. The meeting will be live-streamed at Richland Library Blythewood and Eastover locations. Staff is working to make more satellite locations available, which will be updated on the project website. The meeting can also be viewed online on RCTV or at rcgov.us.
   
• 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the Community Room at the Decker Center, 2500 Decker Blvd., Columbia.

At the meetings, residents will be able to provide input, get an understanding of the latest thinking about how Richland County will regulate growth and development, and learn how rewriting the land development code will help build a better, stronger County.

“It’s critical to be involved in all aspects of local government but engagement is particularly important when it pertains to the Land Development Code,” Powell said. “This rewrite will determine the direction in which the County grows and develops for the foreseeable future. Everyone who lives, works or enjoys recreation in unincorporated Richland County will be affected and, therefore, should be invested in the success of this process.”

To learn more about the code rewrite and the implementation of the 2015 updates to the County’s Comprehensive Plan, visit weplantogether.org.