June 13, 1962 – April 29, 2026
It is our honor to pay tribute to a man whose service to family and his community changed the landscape of the Charlotte region. He launched his career in commercial real estate at Belk Store Services before joining Childress Klein Properties in 1998 and then spent the next 28 years contributing to the growth, vision, and character of the greater Charlotte area and many other parts of the Southeast, including Apex SouthPark, a transformative redevelopment on Sharon Road.
He grew up in the Montclaire neighborhood and then became the founding board chair of SouthPark Community Partners, an economic development group formed to manage SouthPark’s Municipal Service District.
As we read his obituary, it was this portion that stuck with us:
Close friends and family often joked that Chris was the man who hung the moon — a testament to the immense generosity and leadership he poured into everything he touched. He served on the boards of NAIOP Charlotte, The Sharon, TreesCharlotte, Catawba Lands Conservancy, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (REBIC). He was a dedicated member of the Rotary Club of Charlotte since 2003, where he exemplified the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.” During the pandemic, he turned his back porch into a classroom, teaching neighborhood children civics lessons — a small but telling example of the kind of man he was.
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For those who wish to honor Chris’ memory, here is the information for the memorial service.
Wednesday, May 13
10am Visitation / 11am Service
Carmel Baptist Church / 1145 Pineville-Matthews Road, Matthews, NC 28105
My Take: I met Chris when I first became enjoined with REBIC more than a decade ago. It was the work we did together on Charlotte’s 2040 Plan and Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that put us in close proximity on a regular basis. Chris was often a voice of reason during our regular Thursday morning group Zoom meetings and he really helped steer us in a solid direction towards sustainable prosperity. — He was always thoughtful with his words and deliberate with his actions. Chris eased me into thinking about things a little differently and assisted me in adjusting my perspective during the really crucial moments, when it mattered most. Your stories of Chris may be similar. That’s just who he was. — The community has lost a visionary and we will mourn, but we will also celebrate the lasting legacy he leaves throughout Charlotte and the region as we continue to enjoy the many projects he brought to our community.
RE: Article 20 of the UDO and the Charlotte Tree Ordinance.
Effective May 1, 2026, Urban Forestry will implement a temporary enforcement strategy allowing all customers to delay planting ordinance-required trees/shrubs/plants (tree & zoning requirements) until a time when drought conditions improve and water use restrictions are lifted. Statement below.
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City of Charlotte Urban Forestry – Temporary Planting Flexibility Implemented 5/1/2026
Effective immediately, the City’s Urban Forestry Group will provide delayed planting options for all tree, shrub, and other planting requirements until further notice. This includes all plantings for land development regulations in Article 20 of the Charlotte UDO, the Charlotte Tree Ordinance, tree mitigation requirements, and long-term compliance scenarios. Due to significant drought conditions, along with the temporary need to conserve water resources Urban Forestry is recommending customers delay planting until conditions improve and utilize a Planting Delay Permit. The planting delay does not waive any required plantings but postpones required installation to a later date with more favorable weather conditions and when water usage restrictions have been lifted. Urban Forestry will provide an update and adequate notice informing customers when enforcement of planting requirements returns to standard installation timelines.
Visit Charlotte Water’s drought resources page for additional information
https://www.charlottenc.gov/water/About-Us/Drought-Resources
Tim Porter
Chief Urban Forester – Division Manager
Community Tree Canopy Preservation Division
(704) 622-4829 | [email protected]| charlottenc.gov/planning
My Take: Tim Porter called me last Friday to give me a heads up this was coming and asked me to publicize it to the membership. This is the exact kind of collaboration between local governments and private industry that we have been seeking. If you work for or are an elected official from another part of our region that receives our newsletter and have similar notices to communicate, we can help get the word out. In the meantime, let’s hope for some steady rain in the very near future to get us back on track.
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