Two For Tuesday, Expanded Edition | May 30, 2023
There’s a Ton Going on With Charlotte Development!
We’re back with our popular “Two for Tuesday PLUS” edition providing education for you about relevant issues. Here’s our list of things YOU should know about:
- CLT Land Development Streamlining Submittal Process – In conjunction with the implementation of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), the department is enhancing the application submittal process. Some highlights include:
- Accela Citizen Access (ACA) will be reduced to 9 record types from 70.
- ACA will now be accepting UDO Administration Applications for Pre-submittal meetings, Appeals, Variances, and Interpretations.
- Fees will be invoiced after all records are assessed in a gateway. For fee estimation, a link on the application will go to the User Fee Section on the CLT Development Center website.
- Charging to the Mecklenburg County account option will be eliminated due to payment options now offered by the CLT Development Center – conventional check, credit card payment, and e-checks.
- NCDOT will be reviewing Plats and Traffic Impact Study records in Accela. Staff is working with NCDOT to streamline the Commercial review process.
PLEASE NOTE: The City’ s submittal portal Accela Citizen Access (ACA) will be “under construction” on Thursday, June 1st thru Sunday, June 4th. ACA will re-open on Monday, June 5th. CLT Development Center
My take: Anything that can be done to smooth out the process and provide more certainty is a positive. We appreciate staff taking the initiative on this. The additional reviews that will come with the new stormwater and tree requirements will be where some delays are inevitable – probably as much as 5 to 7 business days. It will take some time to get this right.
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- Charlotte Water to begin permitting and sanitary sewer allocations within WSACC Service Area – Charlotte Water will begin permitting projects within the Water & Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County (WSACC) Service Area on June 12th, 2023. Please refer to the Charlotte Water website for relevant information. If you have questions, please reach out to Keri Cantrell or Nicholas Stanziale. Other staff are working to prepare administrative needs for the projects under review for the June 12th release date. As such, it is important to direct your inquiries to Keri or Nick.
My take: This is a positive development and comes as the WSACC plant expansion proceeds on schedule. Now, if we can resolve some of the water & sewer issues in Union County, we’d be in great shape. Good news is, we’re working on it!
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services is currently in the process of revising the BMP (Best Management Practices) Design Manual – As part of this process, the new Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) Design Manual is open to public comment for a period of 30 days. A summary and the revised chapters can be found at: Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) Design Manual – City of Charlotte (charlottenc.gov). Please contact Gurveer Uppal by close of business TOMORROW, May 31, 2023 with any comments or questions.
My take: We requested a redline version and did not receive one because a summary had been produced. Turns out the draft proposal appears to contain some incorrect references and needs more work. We’re going to ask for an extension to the comment period.
- CLT Planning Department Launches 2040 Planning Academy – 2040 Planning Academy is a FREE educational program for those interested in learning more about the role planning plays in building communities. The goals of the program are to EDUCATE, EMPOWER & UNITE residents so they can effectively engage in planning efforts across the city. This year’s program will be different than previous years. The program will be FULLY VIRTUAL, FREE, & OPEN TO ALL! The program schedule includes:
- June 13 – History of Planning in Charlotte
- June 27 – Comprehensive Plan & Unified Development Ordinance
- July 11 – Mobility & Transportation
- July 25 – Urban Design & Preservation
My take: Planning Staff appears to be doing more to reach out to members of the community to gain input as the Area Planning process continues. Maybe I’m old school, but in person meetings would be more effective than online sessions. Having said that, many of the planning sessions have been poorly attended to this point. I get it. Apathy reigns. Instead, let’s take this opportunity to get engaged. I would encourage those of you who are Realtors®, especially, to sign up and attend these sessions.
- CLT Council Committees Meet Next Monday – On June 5th, Charlotte City Council Committees will meet as they always do on the first Monday of each month. Next week’s meetings will be of particular interest as the next wave of UDO text amendments will likely be discussed in the Transportation, Planning, & Development Committee. A final resolution on the Eastland Project may also be in the offing in the Economic Development Committee. Check this link later in the week to view the agendas.
My take: After the recent Council discussions that included relitigating the UDO and revisiting the duplex, triplex, and quad issue, the Transportation Committee meeting should be pretty interesting. Just remember, the 2040 Plan and UDO were marketed on the proposition that Charlotte is a grown-up city and will need to densify going forward. Building additional units will ease the supply challenges we face. As a result, we understood some additional costs would be incurred due to new regulations related to stormwater, trees, etc. The tradeoff would be a streamlined development process with higher allowable densities better utilizing existing infrastructure. If Council wants to backtrack on some of the provisions, it should be prepared to unwind some of the regulatory burdens it has imposed, especially on those seeking to do infill development.
You want to build WHAT in my neighborhood? – Council Member James Mitchell, Jr. will host a town hall to discuss various planning and development topics including UDO implementation on June 1, Community Area Planning, understanding the blue “Z” rezoning sign, and community benefits.
Thursday, June 29, 2023 | 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center
Chamber and Room 267
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center
600 E. Fourth St.
Charlotte, NC, 28202
RSVP to Jocella Palmer
My take: We need as many interested parties within the real estate community to turn out to provide the industry perspective and to be prepared for a true exchange of ideas!
What To Do Next?
As Alyson Craig says in her podcast, “Engage early and engage often!” Good advice.
Rob Nanfelt
Executive Director, REBIC
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