The Aiken Planning Commission voted Thursday night to recommend that Aiken County Council approve two proposed ordinances dealing with tiny houses, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds.
In both cases, the decision was 6-0.
Seven of the panel’s nine members were present at the meeting, which was held at the Aiken County Government Center.
Chairman Dennis Gmerek didn’t vote on either matter.
One of the proposed ordinances would set a minimum size of 750 square feet for tiny houses located in a Residential Single-Family Conservation (RC) zoning district.
The size would be defined as the minimum heated living area of a home.
The other proposed ordinance would restrict the location of future recreational vehicle parks to the Rural Community (RUC), Rural Development (RUD) and Urban Development (UD) zoning districts.
In those zoning districts, the parks would be “conditionally permitted.”
Currently, such parks are allowed in several other zoning districts in the county.
In addition, a list of standards the parks would have to meet is included in the proposed ordinance.
All the restrictions and standards also would apply to future campgrounds.
After holding two work sessions focusing on tiny houses, the Planning Commission sent Aiken County Council a memorandum in January with suggested changes to the county’s Land Management Regulations.
The Planning Commission wanted to get input from County Council, and that led to the creation of the proposed ordinances.
Three readings before County Council will be required for their final approval.
After the Planning Commission’s meeting Thursday, Aiken County Planning and Development Director Joel Duke sent an email to the Aiken Standard explaining the reason for the proposed minimum size requirement for tiny houses in the RC zoning district.
“Overall, most of the county’s zoning districts allow a mixture of site-built structures and mobile homes,” he wrote. “RC zoning current limits allowed uses to site built structures on single unit lots. RC zoning has been applied primarily to the county’s suburban style residential subdivisions and areas of contiguous large-lot, single-unit development.
“In these developments,” he continued, “small residential units may have a negative impact, whether perceived or actual, on the configuration and the value of the neighborhood. The Planning Commission believes establishing a minimum square footage for residential structures in RC districts is necessary to protect the neighborhoods from atypical structures.”
Also in the email, Duke explained why there is a desire to reduce the number of zoning districts where future recreational vehicle parks would be allowed and why it is an issue related to tiny houses.
“Much of the recent and coming discussion regarding tiny homes centers on units constructed on a portable frame,” he wrote. “These tiny houses on wheels are not built to national codes adopted by Aiken County or the state. The county’s code classifies these units as recreational vehicles.
“Most RVs are built to standards established by the RV industry, but these standards are not enforceable by Aiken County,” Duke continued. “A 2016 amendment to the county code expanded the locations where RVs are allowed. The Commission believes that RVs are desirable and provide for needed temporary housing. However, such units do not meet the national codes adopted by South Carolina or the county and cannot be inspected for compliance for minimum safety and anchoring standards. It is the Commission’s opinion that the 2016 amendment permitting RV parks in additional districts widened and encouraged the use of non-regulated structures as permanent dwellings.
“The Commission is recommending an amendment that repeals the 2016 amendment and limits the locations where RVs are permitted,” he concluded.
