This year we moved some impressive initiatives forward, thanks to the wisdom and support of our 2024 Executive Committee. We offer a huge thanks for their time, ideas, and guidance!
Maren Brisson-Kuester, 2024 CHAIR – COO/Broker, Corcoran HM Properties (Canopy)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Alan Banks – Division President, Keystone Custom Homes (HBAGC)
Chris Thomas – Partner – Retail, Childress Klein (NAIOP)
David McGuire – Chief Operating Officer, Roby Family of Companies (HBAGC)
Matt Langston – Principal & Co-Founder, Landworks Design Group (HBAGC)
Allen Dargins – Owner, Realty Resources of the Carolinas, LLC (Canopy)
Peter Gallo – Owner & President, HomeSight Appraisal (Canopy)
Theresa Burnett – Executive Director, NAIOP & CRCBR (NAIOP/CRCBR)
Anne Marie DeCatsye – CEO, Canopy Realtor® Association (Canopy)
Jen Schuster – Executive Officer, Home Builders Association of Greater Charlotte (HBAGC)
Mark Cramer – Lifetime Member
Tom Pearson – Lifetime Member
My Take: Throughout the year, the exchange of ideas and discussions were the genesis of many successful events, and strategies that moved forward our priorities on housing affordability, transportation, membership development, and more in 2024.
I am so appreciative of these folks and the time they have given to support our organization and ultimately, the industry and community through common sense problem solving and patience. Please, take a moment to thank each one of these remarkable leaders for their time and advocacy!
Yesterday Charlotte Water held the first of several stakeholder meetings that will occur over the next couple of years. The largest public utility in the Carolina’s is requesting a modification to its current IBT certificate that would allow water from the Catawba Basin to be used in the Rocky River Basin without a return flow. Charlotte Water’s justification for the request is as follows:
The stakeholder meetings are the preliminary step to developing an environmental impact statement (EIS). Stakeholder roles include the following:
The next meeting will likely be held in spring of 2025. Here are some additional materials that were distributed at yesterday’s event:
My Take: This seems like a pretty “dry” topic, but the outcome of the process will have a direct bearing on how the eastern half of Mecklenburg County develops and grows over the next several decades. The Towns of Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville and all the way down to Matthews and Mint Hill will be affected. We have mentioned this process in a previous edition of our newsletter, but this is definitely a topic you will want to follow as things move forward.
Contained on page 131 of the 132-page bill now known as S.L. 2024-57 was a provision dealing with local government-imposed downzoning. Specifically, the new law requires that any zoning change that decreases the development density of the land, reduces the permitted uses of the land allowed under existing zoning, or creates any kind of non-residential nonconformity would require the written consent of each and every affected property owner. This portion of the new law was effective immediately and applies to local government ordinances adopted on or after December 11, 2024, and any local government ordinances enacting down-zoning of property during the 180-days prior to this date.
My Take: This is a big deal!
Its passage comes as a result of numerous real-world instances where local governments have acted to diminish or eliminate the property rights of taxpaying citizens. This is what happens when frustration mounts and the pendulum swings back the other way. Time will tell as to whether or not this is a teaching moment that results in common sense outcomes or just another salvo launched in the ongoing war between those who develop, produce, and build communities, and those who thrive on imposing control just because they can.
BACK TO LATEST NEWS