GREENWOOD — Voters overwhelmingly rejected a new Land Management Standards Ordinance at a special town meeting Wednesday.

The vote was 41-137, Town Manager Kim Sparks said Thursday. “That’s the most people we’ve ever had at a town meeting.”

Townspeople also rejected two amendments to the defeated ordinance. The amendments would have created overlay districts with additional regulations for development on Greenwood Road and along ridgelines. The two sections had been removed for a separate vote because they were the most controversial proposals in the document.

The ordinance would have created village, general growth, woodland, and resort development districts in the town, outlined acceptable land uses in each of the districts and stipulated a permitting and appeals process.

The stated purpose of the document was to implement the provisions of the comprehensive plan, to conserve natural resources, to promote public safety and to allow for orderly growth and appropriate land use. It would have replaced the document currently in place, which is less than a page long and focuses on building heights and lot sizes.

Critics of the ordinance argued that it would inhibit landowners’ rights and that protections were already in place through other town regulations. Supporters said the ordinance was necessary to protect the natural appearance of the town, namely its lakes and hills.

In another article, voters accepted a proposal to discontinue 140 feet of Cole Road. The town will continue to maintain 456 feet of the road.

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