Proposal would make it easier to build in city

The City of Gaffney Planning Commission will consider proposals that will make it easier for businesses to build in the city.

The zoning ordinance amendments include changes to front and rear yards setback requirements for neighborhood and office commercial zoning designations, Gaffney Zoning Administrator Tony Lavender said.

For businesses wanting to locate in areas zoned as neighborhood commercial, the front yard setback requirement would decrease from 40 feet to 25 feet and the back yard requirement would drop from 30 to 15 feet under Lavender's proposal.

The front yard requirement would decrease from 40 to 25 feet and the backyard would go from 30 feet to 15, under the proposal for office commercial zoned properties.

There would be no change to the front yard setback for general commercial properties, but the back yard setback would decrease from 30 to 15 feet under Lavender's proposal.

The planning commission also will consider lessening restrictions for corner lots for both commercial and residential zoned properties and easing buffer requirements for commercial properties.

Under the present ordinance, the city requires both fencing and plants as a buffer between commercial and residential properties. But the amendment would allow the business to choose one or the other as a buffer.