By LEE HINNANT

More than two years in the making, Columbus County’s first wide-reaching proposal for regulating rural development is nearly ready for public review and suggestions.

Instead of holding a single, formal public hearing on the proposed subdivision ordinance, commissioners plan to have at least three informal workshops at county high schools in Tabor City, Lake Waccamaw and Cerro Gordo. County Planning Director Stevie Cox is also preparing a brochure outlining key points of the 162-page document. No dates are set but county leaders hope to hold the meetings this spring.

County Commission Chairman Kip Godwin said commissioners wanted residents to have plenty of time to study the proposal and offer comments before holding a formal public hearing, possibly in June.

Cox said commissioners want the ordinance to have some flexibility and have said they would welcome changes if the rules unfairly hamper landowners or developers. The county has a separate mobile home park ordinance, but Cox and the Planning Board intend to consider revisions after finishing the subdivision rules.

Commissioners held four joint sessions with the Planning Board and agreed on many changes to create the current proposal. Planners with the state Division of Community Assistance are now combing through the ordinance, in part to ensure it is consistent and complies with state laws.

Cox said the county faces pressure for residential and commercial development in the south, near Horry County, S.C., and in the east, next to booming Brunswick County. Columbus is the only county in the region that has no minimum development standards.

“This is an opportunity for us to sort of guide the way we’d like to see our county grow,” Cox said. “This is strictly for conventional or stick-built homes and commercial development. It is not a zoning ordinance and the bigger focus is on residential development.”

The proposal sets different requirements for “major” and “minor” subdivisions. Minor subdivisions are essentially commercial residential developments with four or fewer lots that front existing roads. The rules for “major” subdivisions are extensive and include requirements ranging from roads and wells to schools and setbacks.

The proposal includes relatively simple provisions for subdividing land among family members who are not creating a commercial development. It also allows for easy “occasional” creation of new lots that are not part of a larger development plan.

The rules would apply only to rural areas outside the zoning jurisdictions of municipalities.