2023 South Carolina Code of Laws › Title 55 - Aeronautics › Chapter 11 - Particular Airports › Section 55-11-230. Designation of airport environs area; creation of Airport Environs Planning Commission.

(A) An area designated as the airport environs area is created within the district for purposes of assuring land uses compatible with airport operations. The airport environs area consists of all property contained within the area described as follows:
All property consisting of the area described in the Air Installation Compatible Use Zone pursuant to DODINST 4165.57 established by the United States Air Force applicable to runways 4L-22R (11,000 feet) and the proposed parallel runways 4R-22L (8,500 feet) including the CLEAR ZONES, ACCIDENT POTENTIAL ZONE I, and the ACCIDENT POTENTIAL ZONE II. Specifically, the environs includes all property 1,000 feet to each side of the runway centerlines and in a corridor 3,000 feet (1,500 feet either side of the runway centerlines) wide, extending from the runway thresholds along the extended runway centerlines for a distance of 15,000 feet, and shall include the property located between the two corridors; provided, however, that the southwestern boundary of the environs area shall be the middle of Rocky Creek.
(B)(1) There is created the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Environs Planning Commission, the "Airport Environs Planning Commission", consisting of nine voting members, which have the powers enumerated herein, and which must be separately constituted from the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission, as follows:
(a) two members representing and appointed by the City of Greer, one of whom also must be a resident of Greenville County and one of whom also must be a resident of Spartanburg County;
(b) two members representing and appointed by Spartanburg County;
(c) one member representing and appointed by the Town of Duncan;
(d) two members representing and appointed by Greenville County;
(e) all members must be appointed or reappointed biennially by the appointing county or municipality;
(f) two members must be appointed or reappointed biennially by the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District, one from Spartanburg County, and one from Greenville County.
If the members are elected members of the county or municipal governing body or members of the district, each such representative shall serve ex officio and with full voting privileges.
(2) If any new municipality is created where its boundaries are wholly or partially within the airport environs area, or if any existing municipality extends its corporate boundaries into the airport environs area, that municipality becomes entitled to appoint a member of the Airport Environs Planning Commission with a representative appointed as described in item (1)(g) of this subsection, and the membership shall expand accordingly.
(3) The Airport Environs Planning Commission is charged with the responsibility of:
(a) developing a coordinated comprehensive land use plan for the airport environs area in a manner consistent with the process referred to in the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994 contained in Article 3, Chapter 29, Title 6; however, once the Airport Environs Planning Commission has adopted a land use plan, no further action by any other commission or governing body is necessary in order to give effect to the regulations thereby adopted;
(b) updating the land use plan to reflect changes in the airport environs area and the uses of the airport; and
(c) monitoring the administration of and compliance with the plan by the affected counties and municipalities. The commission's actions are to assure that land use within the airport environs area is compatible with noise, health, safety, and welfare considerations arising from the operation of the district. The initial meeting of the Airport Environs Planning Commission must be held within forty-five days of the effective date of this section.
(4) By January 31, 1996, the Airport Environs Planning Commission shall develop a uniform land use plan and uniform building performance standards for the airport environs area, submit them for review and comment to the governing body of each political subdivision represented on the Airport Environs Planning Commission, as well as the South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Federal Aviation Administration, conduct public hearings pursuant to Article 3, Chapter 29, Title 6, on the proposed uniform plan and standards. After receiving comments and conducting hearings, the Airport Environs Planning Commission shall adopt a land use plan and building performance standards to be effective throughout the airport environs area and enforced fully and without amendment by each political subdivision represented on the Airport Environs Planning Commission. The Airport Environs Planning Commission, by majority of all voting members, may extend the January 31, 1996, deadline for a reasonable period of time not to exceed beyond March 31, 1996, for the completion of these tasks. Each political subdivision shall enforce the uniform plan and standards as an "overlay zone", identifying areas subject to regulation which are supplementary to the existing regulations of that political subdivision, or as new or superseding provisions to that political subdivision's ordinances. If there is a conflict between the provisions adopted by the Airport Environs Planning Commission under this section or regulations of a political subdivision applicable to the airport environs area, then the provisions adopted by the Airport Environs Planning Commission under this section shall govern. If a uniform land use plan or uniform building performance standards are not developed by the Airport Environs Planning Commission in the manner provided in this section, any of the entities represented on the Airport Environs Planning Commission may file an action for relief, including mandamus or injunctive relief, in the circuit court for Greenville or Spartanburg County, to require adoption of the plan or standards, or both, as directed by this section. Such an action must be brought within sixty days of the deadline as set forth above.
(5) The Airport Environs Planning Commission shall organize itself, electing one of its members as chairman and one of its members as vice chairman, whose terms must be for two years. It shall appoint a secretary, who may or may not be a member, but who must be a representative or employee of the Airport District. The secretary shall give notice of all meetings to all members of the Airport Environs Planning Commission at least three business days prior to the meeting.
(6) The Airport Environs Planning Commission shall provide for the keeping of minutes of its proceedings which shall be a public record. A majority of the voting members of the Airport Environs Planning Commission shall constitute a quorum. A quorum shall be present before any business is conducted, other than the rescheduling of the meeting. A member must be present to vote. All decisions shall be by majority vote of the members present and voting. The Airport Environs Planning Commission, as it considers appropriate, may utilize committees and subcommittees. The general administrative expenses of the Airport Environs Planning Commission shall be borne by the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District. A budget for such expenses shall be developed by the Airport Environs Planning Commission to include anticipated costs for consultants.
(7) The Airport Environs Planning Commission is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act as contained in Chapter 4, Title 30.
(8) The Airport Environs Planning Commission shall work with the Greenville and Spartanburg County Planning Commissions and the planning commission of each affected municipality in the performance of its duties as outlined in item (4) of this subsection. The costs of the services of consultants and advisors, other than provided for in the budget, rendered to the Airport Environs Planning Commission at the request of a specific member must be borne by that member unless otherwise approved by the Airport Environs Planning Commission.
(9) In developing the uniform land use plan and uniform building standards, the Airport Environs Planning Commission shall specifically address, among other items, the following specific issues:
(a) the providing of record notice to property owners of the fact that their property is within the airport environs area;
(b) density criteria for the airport environs area;
(c) sound abatement permit and building criteria;
(d) incompatible use criteria and definition for the airport environs area;
(e) height restriction criteria;
(f) lighting hazard criteria within the airport environs area;
(g) applicable FAA and state regulations for airport activities and operations;
(h) a method by which landowners may seek variances or exemptions from the plans or standards by executing in recordable form aviation or avigation easements, releases, or other appropriate documentation in a form approved by the Airport Environs Planning Commission;
(i) application and review processes for building permits;
(j) the providing of ongoing notice to the Airport Environs Planning Commission and each of its members of pending zoning or permitting requests and other actions in the affected counties and municipalities to assure that each member has notice and the opportunity to be heard with respect to such actions;
(k) enforcement and penalty provisions, including injunctive relief;
(l) the utilization of fees to be imposed to defray costs for services and attendant expenses involved in the administration of the regulations;
(m) the development of uniform standards for regulating nonconforming uses; and
(n) the uses in the airport environs area and the sub-area based on future projected uses of the airport which are not compatible and should not be permitted, which are basically incompatible and should be discouraged, and which are generally compatible with some limitations or restrictions. Such determination shall take into account the public safety and public welfare findings set forth in Section 1 hereof. Such determinations are to conform to and be consistent with noise and overflight zone-compatible land use recommendations of federal and state authorities, including specifically policies established by the United States Air Force pursuant to DODINST 4165.57 Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (A1CUZ), the uses recommended in the 1993 Greenville-Spartanburg Development Plan adopted by the county planning commissions, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Aviation Division.
(10) Following the adoption of the uniform land use plan and uniform building and performance standards by the Airport Environs Planning Commission, each political subdivision is responsible for the implementation and administration of the uniform provisions within its jurisdiction, including all administrative costs incurred in connection therewith. The district shall pay for any exceptional administrative costs determined by the Airport Environs Planning Commission, and agreed to by the district, to be direct and reasonable costs resulting from any special task required in the administration of the uniform plan and building performance standards. Additionally, the district shall pay for the reasonable administrative expenses involved in the monitoring activities described in item (3)(c) of this subsection. The Airport Environs Planning Commission shall meet at least annually to review the administration of the uniform plan and building performance standards by the member bodies, to consider issues which may require modifications or additions to the uniform provisions, to recommend appropriate studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the objectives of the uniform provisions, to consider future activities of the district and the impact of the same upon the airport environs area, and conduct such other business as may be appropriate. Based upon these activities, the Airport Environs Planning Commission may determine a need for amendments to the uniform provisions. Amendments shall be made in accord with the same uniform provisions on conducting hearings and submitting for review and comments for the initial uniform land use plan and uniform building performance standards.
(11)(a) In connection with the administration of the uniform provisions by any member political subdivision, the Airport Environs Planning Commission as a whole or any of its member bodies individually or collectively, including the district, have standing to appear and support or oppose the proposed action of the particular political subdivision involved and have the same standing to appeal this action as the affected political subdivision or the affected landowner would have under Article 5, Chapter 29, Title 6.
(b) Affected property owners or other aggrieved parties have the same standing to appeal rights with respect to a decision by a member political subdivision pursuant to its administration of the uniform provisions as property owners or aggrieved parties have in accordance with the appeal processes provided in Article 5, Chapter 29, Title 6.
(12) A lawful use which exists on the date of adoption by the Airport Environs Planning Commission of the uniform provisions required by this section and which is inconsistent with the provisions of the uniform land use plan or uniform performance building standards is exempt from the uniform provisions, and any regulation created by these uniform provisions may not require the removal or alteration of any structure that, as it exists when the uniform provisions are adopted, did not conform to that regulation.
(13) All costs, fees, or awards, or any combination of these, arising from or as a result of any action of the Airport Environs Planning Commission or the enforcement of the uniform provisions enacted pursuant to this section in excess of any state or federal funds received to defray such costs, fees, or awards must be borne by the counties in which the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District is located; provided, however, any municipality or county administering the comprehensive land use plan and uniform buildings standards adopted by the Airport Environs Planning Commission is only liable for any costs, fees, or awards arising from their ministerial acts.
(C) The provisions of this section do not apply to dwellings or other buildings which are damaged or destroyed and which are subsequently repaired or rebuilt.
HISTORY: 1995 Act No. 100, Section 2, eff June 12, 1995; 1996 Act No. 265, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, eff April 1, 1996; 2012 Act No. 270, Section 5, eff June 18, 2012.
Effect of Amendment
The 1996 amendment revised subsections (A), (B)(1), (B)(4), (B)(9)(d), (B)(9)(h), and added subsection (C).
The 2012 amendment, in the second paragraph of subsection (A), substituted "4L-22R" for "3L-21R" and substituted "4R-22L" for "3R-21L"; inserted "aviation or" preceding "avigation" in subsection (B)(9)(h); and, made other, nonsubstantive, changes.