Two For Tuesday | August 8, 2023
1. CLT Transportation, Planning, & Development Committee Provides Important UDO Update
During yesterday’s meeting of the Transportation, Planning, and Development Committee, Charlotte Planning Director Alyson Craig provided an update on staff activities related to the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Here’s what we know so far about the next round of proposed text amendments:
- #2023-093 was filed on June 16th, had a public hearing on July 17th, and will be considered for adoption by the full City Council on August 21st. This is a minor change and will ensure that homes built before June 1st, 2023, will be allowed as conforming uses in the OFC (office flex campus) and CG (general commercial) zoning districts.
- Another text amendment (not yet available for public review) was filed at the end of July and would allow multi-family uses in CG (general commercial) and CR (regional commercial) zoning districts. According to staff, it will include elements of #2023-057 which was denied by Council on May 15th, primarily due to confusion over an attached drive through provision.
- One more amendment that has not yet been filed will amend allowed uses in Campus Zoning Districts and may include the addition of a new district. This has been a major point of contention and we welcome the clarification when it comes.
Also discussed was the May 22nd Council Referral regarding duplexes and triplexes in Neighborhood 1 Zoning Districts. Staff is contemplating filing a future text amendment that would allow these units to comprise 70% of proposed developments with the other 30% required to be single-family homes located near the property line adjacent to existing neighborhoods. How these percentages/ratios would be determined – portion of development related to size, number of units, number of structures – has yet to be determined. Expect to see action on this in early fall.
A tree canopy analysis has been underway for some time and the results will be released in September/October with recommendations to follow. Apparently, the findings will include significant details include impact of carbon sequestration, temperature fluctuations, and growth models.
For a look at Alyson Craig’s full presentation click here.
My take: It’s been a little over two months since the UDO became effective and I guess I thought we would be further along on proposed text amendments. The one allowing multi-family in CG and CR is a good step and I’m looking forward to seeing it adopted. I’m also looking forward to seeing it – the actual text amendment that is, that was filed two weeks ago. How long does it take to post a public document online? Apparently more than two weeks.The proposed 70% – 30% duplex, triplex/single family ratio also seems a little arbitrary. I’ll say what I said a while back. If you impose new regulations that constrain development and increase cost and then allow higher density as a trade-off, you can’t then take away the higher density and expect to make a dent in the housing affordability problem. We are a growing city and region. Elected leaders need to stop listening to the loudest voices and make pragmatic decisions.
The tree canopy findings will be interesting. Several years ago City Leaders embarked on a mission to obtain 50% tree canopy coverage by the year 2050. This sounds great but never made a lot of sense to me. When this initiative was launched (the origins of which are still quite murky) we were at about 45% coverage. We’ll see where this goes and weigh in appropriately.
2. Will You Provide Input on Streets and Stormwater Manuals? City Staff Wants to Hear From YOU.
City Staff is seeking feedback on proposed revisions to two important manuals. Details follow:
- Charlotte Streets Manual – Staff is proposing amendments to clarify intent and processes referenced in the UDO. They include:
- Process for amendment and adjustments to street design & type
- Additional infrastructure mitigation options for development
- Process for review/consideration of reduced parking requests (as allowed in UDO Tier 3 zoning districts)
- Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) Design Manual – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services is currently in the process of revising the BMP Design Manual, which will now be called the Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) Design Manual. Please provide any feedback to Gurveer Uppal by close of business on Friday, August 18th.
My take: I know it takes time away from other things, but if you are a design professional or you possess technical expertise, please take a few minutes to review the aforementioned documents. If you have suggestions or recommendations, please provide them as it takes a lot less time to modify these things on the front end prior to implementation.
Rob Nanfelt
Executive Director, REBIC
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