Richland County Council defers final vote on updated comprehensive plan to June 16
June 02, 2026 | Richland County, South Carolina
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Richland County Council on Tuesday deferred final adoption of a long-awaited update to the county comprehensive plan, postponing third reading until the council’s June 16 meeting after members pressed staff for clearer mapping and process details.
A councilmember sought to amend the plan’s conservation-and-development map for District 1 — asking staff to move a boundary south to reduce the amount of land designated for higher-density growth. Planning staff said the change is a straightforward map edit but stressed the distinction between the advisory comprehensive plan and regulatory zoning. "The comprehensive plan is not a regulatory document like a land development code," ACA Jensen told the council, adding that the plan offers guidance that council and the planning commission may choose to follow.
Planning staffer Matthew Smith and Deputy Director Gio Price responded to questions about map granularity, explaining that the adopted map is a broad-stroke graphic intended to guide future rezoning rather than parcel-by-parcel law. Councilmembers asked whether future map changes would require an ordinance and three readings; staff confirmed that substantive changes do require ordinance action and formal readings.
The council debated whether to approve the document immediately or allow more time for targeted edits. After procedural votes and discussion about public comments raised during the prior public hearing, the clerk announced that the motion to defer passed 6–5. The council set the next consideration for June 16, 2026. ACA Jensen asked colleagues to submit any requested map edits quickly, noting staff and the consultant would need changes by Friday to include them in next week’s packet.
Council supporters of the deferral said the extra time would let staff incorporate district-specific guidance collected at the strategic planning forum; critics of delay said the county had already exceeded the 10-year update timetable but acknowledged the need for clarity on maps. The clerk also reminded the public that if council approves third reading in June it would include the maps and appendices in full.
The deferral leaves the plan’s substantive recommendations in place pending any edits councilmembers submit and the council’s next vote on June 16.
A councilmember sought to amend the plan’s conservation-and-development map for District 1 — asking staff to move a boundary south to reduce the amount of land designated for higher-density growth. Planning staff said the change is a straightforward map edit but stressed the distinction between the advisory comprehensive plan and regulatory zoning. "The comprehensive plan is not a regulatory document like a land development code," ACA Jensen told the council, adding that the plan offers guidance that council and the planning commission may choose to follow.
Planning staffer Matthew Smith and Deputy Director Gio Price responded to questions about map granularity, explaining that the adopted map is a broad-stroke graphic intended to guide future rezoning rather than parcel-by-parcel law. Councilmembers asked whether future map changes would require an ordinance and three readings; staff confirmed that substantive changes do require ordinance action and formal readings.
The council debated whether to approve the document immediately or allow more time for targeted edits. After procedural votes and discussion about public comments raised during the prior public hearing, the clerk announced that the motion to defer passed 6–5. The council set the next consideration for June 16, 2026. ACA Jensen asked colleagues to submit any requested map edits quickly, noting staff and the consultant would need changes by Friday to include them in next week’s packet.
Council supporters of the deferral said the extra time would let staff incorporate district-specific guidance collected at the strategic planning forum; critics of delay said the county had already exceeded the 10-year update timetable but acknowledged the need for clarity on maps. The clerk also reminded the public that if council approves third reading in June it would include the maps and appendices in full.
The deferral leaves the plan’s substantive recommendations in place pending any edits councilmembers submit and the council’s next vote on June 16.
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