Funding Issues Force Closing of LUESA’s North Satellite Office in Huntersville


Due to shrinking budgets and expanding technology, Mecklenburg County’s Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) will close its North office in Huntersville on Nov. 30.

This comes a few weeks after development-related services ended at the LUESA South office in Matthews.

The North Office served Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville, while the South office provided service for Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville. But LUESA says new technology, like its Electronic Plan Management (EPM) system, has reduced the need for satellite offices. Developers can submit plans electronically rather than bringing blueprints and paper forms to a physical office.

Starting December 3, all services previously offered in the LUESA North satellite offices will be relocated to the Hal Marshall Services Center. These services include:

    Land development plan review and permitting for subdivisions and commercial projectsLand development bonds and suretiesResidential building permitsConstruction site inspections such as roadways, driveways, sidewalks and storm drainage infrastructureWater quality regulations including erosion control, stream buffer protection and impervious area limitsZoning compliance and enforcement of the three northern Towns’ zoning ordinances.

LUESA services are primarily funded by fees paid by developers. Dave Canaan, director of LUESA’s Water & Land Resources, says the reduced fee revenue it has seen in recent years has forced the county to make some tough choices, including layoffs and the elimination of the satellite offices. By reallocating funds to technology initiatives, Canaan says the department can improve the efficiency of the plan review process while reducing costs.

Land development and zoning services inside the Charlotte City limits are not affected by these changes.

Source: LUESA

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