The following action shall be taken by the applicant for an amendment to this Ordinance.

12:1.1. Initiation of Amendment. Proposed changes or amendments may be initiated by the City Council, Planning Commission, and in accordance with the following procedures.

12:1.2. Application. An application for any change or amendment shall contain a description and/or statement of the present and proposed zoning regulation or district boundary to be changed, and the names and addresses of the owner or owners of the property.

All requests for amendments to the zoning map require that the City provide that applicant or his designated representative with an adequate number of Notice of Public Hearing signs to allow the applicant or his designated representative to properly post and maintain on the property a Notice of Public Hearing at least 15 days prior to the date of the public hearing. Only such signs as provided by the City shall be used, and such signs must be placed in a conspicuous place or places on the affected premises. Failure to comply with the posting requirements will result in the removal of the application from the public hearing agenda and the forfeiture of the application fee. All signs must be removed within 30 days after the public hearing.

12:1.3. Fee. When a proposed amendment is initiated by an individual or parties other than the City Council, Planning Commission, or Board of Zoning Appeals, a fee of $50.00 shall be paid to the City Clerk for each application for administrative expenses involved.

Before any action on any proposed amendment, the City Council and Planning Commission shall hold a joint public hearing.

12:2.1. Notice of Hearing. Notice of a public hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation, at least 15 days prior to the hearing. The notice shall be blocked in, carry an appropriate descriptive title, and shall state the time, dates, and place of the hearing. When a proposed amendment affects the district classification of property, notice shall also be made by posting the property concerned with Notice of Public Hearing signs.

In conjunction with holding public hearings, the Planning Commission shall consider the recommendation of the Greenville County Planning Commission staff as well as other factors before coming to a decision. The Planning Commission shall establish a recommendation by majority vote and submit this recommendation to the city council to be considered at the next regularly scheduled city council meeting. All discussion and voting shall be done publicly.

The City Council shall not consider any matter that has been considered by the Planning Commission unless and until at least the seventh day after the Planning Commission's having taken final action on the matter being presented to the City Council. Before taking such lawful action as the City Council may deem advisable, the City Council shall consider the recommendation of the Planning Commission on each proposed zoning amendment. If no vote is taken by the Planning Commission within 30 days from the date of the public hearing, then the Planning Commission shall be deemed to have approved the proposed amendment. The City Council may reject any recommendation of the Planning Commission by a favorable vote of two-thirds of the Council members present and voting. If the vote of the Planning Commission on any proposed amendment results in a tie, then the Planning Commission is deemed to have provided no recommendation to the City Council.

(Ord. No. 2022-6, § 1, 7-7-22; Ord. No. 2022-10, § 1, 9-8-22)

In case of a protest against any proposed zoning change signed by the owners of 20 percent or more of the lots included in the proposed change; or of those immediately adjacent to, in the rear, or on either side extending 100 feet; or of those directly opposite extending 100 feet from the street frontage of such opposite lots any amendment shall not become effective except by favorable vote of two-thirds of the Council members present and voting.

No protest petition shall be valid unless it is (1) written, (2) bears the actual signatures of the requisite number of property owners and states that they protest the proposed amendment, and (3) is received by the Building Inspector in time to allow at least two normal work days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) prior to the public hearing on the amendment so as to allow time for municipal personnel to check the accuracy and sufficiency of the petition.

(Ord. No. 2022-11, § 1, 9-8-22)

When the City Council shall have denied a request for an amendment, it shall not consider the same reclassification for an amendment affecting the same property until one year from the date of the previous denial. Furthermore, when an application for an amendment is withdrawn at the request of the applicant after such time as the application has been legally advertised for public hearing, it shall not be considered for an amendment affecting the same property for six months from the date of withdrawal.