Regulations for subdivisions in Richland County were the topic of a public hearing held on Aug. 7 in the County Commissioners’ chambers. Several months ago, the county commissioners tasked the county planner to insure the regulations were easy to understand and apply and had no overly burdensome requirements that weren’t required by law. “We were asked to streamline the process,” Richland County Planner Rachel Laqua stated. The last time the regulations were updated was in 2019 and the legislature has met several times since then, potentially changing requirements.
Laqua said two drafts with the recommended changes were prepared and submitted to the county commissioners as well as surveyors who work in Richland County. One surveyor was the only participant in the public meeting.
Laqua explained that the format has been simplified, updated, modernized and linked to make it easier to find the process users may need. Element docs have been simplified to different appendices, taking a lot of the burden of determining what codes apply.
The final document which was presented on the Aug. 7 took in the comments from the commissioners as well as the surveyors. One discussion concerned the family transfer exemption. The state requires a two-year wait period from the time a plot of land has been transferred to a family member without normal subdivision rules, to when that family member can resell it. While the surveyor who commented thought it was not appropriate, the commissioners determined that it was. The commissioners also addressed a second comment, determining that the application clearly lays out the penalties for those who choose to subvert subdivision requirements by using an exemption.
The final language was approved and is now available at richland.org/planner.
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