Land Use and Development

 Revised Recommendations

These will be presented to City Council on July 19, 2021

Support the Creation of Affordable Housing

1. Incorporate affordable and workforce housing into catalyst areas using all available appropropriate public policies, including planned development agreements and private/non-profit funding where needed. 

Facilitate Student and Non-Student Housing

1. Cultivate appropriately scaled purpose built student housing development in identified catalyst areas that includes functional mixed uses (including mixed types of housing, green spaces, and institutional uses) and that has access to public transit, (or transportation nodes) and is safely walkable and bikeable to campus and/or other needs of daily living. 

2. Establish purpose-built student housing as a new type within the “Residential Developments” category in the table of uses for residential districts in the zoning ordinance. 

3. In designated catalyst areas, use the planned development process, neighborhood planning processes, other policy and zoning tools and new funding mechanisms to target new housing options to non-students where desired.

Create Overlays

1. Accept the catalyst areas mapped in the original recommendations for further study, recognizing that each area needs to be explored further to define boundaries, potential uses, community impact and to gather community feedback. 

2. Create overlay districts for the following catalyst areas - West Downtown, East Downtown, Clemson Triangle, and Clemson Crossing and others as identified and deemed appropriate.

3. Consider removing residential use (even as mixed-use) by right from all non-residential districts. It could be allowable in a planned development or catalyst overlay districts, including parcels of less than 2 acres in commercial districts.

4. Consider requiring BAR review and approval of all Planned Developments in catalyst areas and overlay districts.

5. In the Uptown District, establish a development process and framework including concepts for development and types of appropriate development that are economically viable for property owners and desirable or acceptable to the community at large.

6. For the Far North, Near North, and Pacolet Milliken catalyst areas largely continue using current tools to their fullest. 

Expand Capacity and Foster Collaboration

1. Consider working with a development consultant as necessary to facilitate priority catalyst area projects by leading redevelopment planning in catalyst areas, and supporting negotiations with developers, property owners, and other stakeholders.

2. Consider having the City become a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and pursue whatever resources are available through that organization.

3. Explore opportunities for partnerships/engagement with relevant University programs.