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A recent court settlement calls for developer Niemitalo Inc. to receive $100,000 and permission to proceed with a subdivision in rural northern Greenville County that county officials had blocked in 2018.
Residents Julie Turner and Brian Campbell, who both live near the subdivision on Tigervillle Road in the Slater-Marietta area, each opposed the project and were parties in the litigation over the development.
In an email this week, Turner said she was largely excluded from mediation talks in the case and felt like she had no choice but to agree to the settlement that was reached in late April. The developer gets what he wants in every regard. I get nothing, Turner said. The rural character of my community gets destroyed and my property s value as a horse farm is diminished.
ARTICLE 3 GENERAL SUBDIVISION REQUIREMENTS
3.1 Review Criteria: Submitted subdivisions may be approved if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Adequate existing infrastructure and transportation systems exist to support the project;
• The project is compatible with the surrounding land use density;
• The project is compatible with the site’s environmental conditions, such as but not limited to, wetlands, flooding, endangered species and/or habitat, and historic sites and/or cemeteries.
County Council members say changes are needed in development rule
Council members voiced their views on the land-development rule at the end of the meeting.
Meadows proposal has triggered an outcry, Councilman Ennis Fant said.
Greenville County Council Chairman Willis Meadows wants to repeal a controversial land-development rule that has sparked legal battles over proposed subdivisions in unzoned parts of the county.
The rule s supporters, which include environmental groups and rural homeowners, say it is a valuable tool in preventing urban sprawl.
But homebuilders and other detractors say the measure, known as Article 3.1, is too vague. They also say it has been used in an arbitrary manner by the Greenville County Planning Commission since it was put in place in April 2018.
Article 3.1 states that new subdivisions must have adequate infrastructure and roads. It also says they must be compatible with environmental conditions and surrounding land-use density.