Citizens groups say they don’t see much citizen input in a draft of the updated Georgetown County land use plan.

A series of speakers at a forum last week told county planners that they fear the update is less restrictive than the current land use plan, which is one of the elements of the comprehensive plan that local governments are mandated by state law to adopt and maintain.

“Instead of heeding citizen input, this draft does the opposite,” said Cindy Person, attorney for Keep It Green Advocacy, which is representing four groups in lawsuits challenging county land use decisions.

The county adopted the current land use element in 2007. It began work in 2018 on the 10-year update. After delays during the pandemic, it halted the process in 2022. Last year, it hired a Columbia firm, Boudreaux, to lead the process. A series of meetings were held around the county last year to get input.