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New Charlotte Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendment Filed, More on the Way

New UDO Text Amendment

Last Monday, March 5th, planning staff filed a new text amendment they refer to as a "clean-up" amendment to "provide greater clarity" for users.  Also included are updated definitions, use permissions and prescribed conditions, revised names, and changes to standards.  This amendment incorporates some, but not all of the recommendations suggested through the UDO Change Request Form process REBIC developed last July.  City staff plans to hold informational sessions in April with a hearing anticipated in May and a vote in June.   We'll provide more details on the proposed amendment in next week's edition.          

Changes to Conservation Subdivisions Discussed

During last week's Transportation, Planning, & Development Committee, staff provided a presentation to the committee that mentioned the text amendment referenced above but also described a new proposal aimed at tightening rules for Conservation Developments.  The suggested changes included the following:
  • Require an additional 15% tree save (green area) = 40%
  • Open space cannot be on individual lots
  • Increased minimum dimensions of open space
  • Increased standards for useable open space
  • Add additional perimeter buffer (landscape yard) requirements
  • Require lots to front public streets or open spaces (not private streets or alleys)

This proposal was introduced at Thursday's UDO Advisory Committee meeting where a more comprehensive presentation was provided.  This elicited a rather spirited discussion among committee members both through regular conversation as well as virtual chat.  While a new amendment was slated for introduction this week, it appears that has been pushed back to allow for additional input.     

Duplex/Triplex Issue

During the two meetings before last Thursday's session, the UDO Advisory Committee received presentations on potential changes related to parking and driveway standards for duplexes and triplexes on infill lots as well as the potential for changes in regulations for larger lot subdivisions.  Those meetings occurred on February 15th and February 22nd but no formal proposals have yet been forthcoming. 

Tree Manual Revisions

Comments on the proposed Tree Manual revisions are being accepted through the end of today, March 12th.  Please take a look and submit any recommendations to [email protected]

Area Planning Process

A presentation was also provided to committee members on the Community Area Planning process during last week's Transportation, Planning, & Development Committee.  A new Policy Map was just released a little while ago.  Staff still believes it can complete its work and be ready to request a council vote on the final product by early next year.

[Watch] How CRE Benefits the U.S. Economy

Economic Impacts of Commercial Real Estate

This annual study published by the NAIOP Research Foundation — Economic Impacts of Commercial Real Estate — measures the contribution to GDP, salaries and wages generated, and jobs supported by the development and operations of commercial real estate in the U.S. 

Watch Video

Charlotte City Council Restores Penalties for Inappropriate Public Acts

Last month the Charlotte City Council voted 7-3 to reimpose penalties for individuals conducting certain inappropriate acts in public.  Opponents attempted to couch the changes as an attack on the homeless community while supporters saw them as necessary for public safety for residents and visitors to Uptown businesses.  The final version that was adopted included six of the initial eight ordinances and eliminated those dealing with unauthorized people in parking lots and loitering to engage in drug-related activity due to constitutional concerns raised by the City Attorney.


Charlotte City Council Agenda - February 12, 2024
Proposed Ordinance (strikethrough version)
Proposed Ordinance (clean version)

Video of Public Comments (1:44:40)
Video of Council Deliberations (3:10:50)

Charlotte Urban Forestry's Proposed Tree Manual Revisions Released

Charlotte's Urban Forestry Department has just published proposed changes to the Charlotte Tree Manual.  Some of these updates, which provide additional flexibility for builders and developers are targeted for review and will likely make their way into the regulatory framework already established under the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).  As these updates were just introduced yesterday, we are still in the process of completing our analysis.  Stay tuned for updates! 

Draft Charlotte Tree Manual Proposal
Submit Comments on Draft Tree Manual
(Now until March 12, 2024)

Primary Election Day is Tomorrow. Please. VOTE.

Election polling locations in all counties open tomorrow, Tuesday, March 5th at 6:30 am and close at 7:30 pm.  Following the end of Early Voting, statewide turnout stood at just over a dismal 9%.  Tomorrow you can use your power and make a difference! 

Given all the excuses for not voting, the act of saying, "My vote won't count" is the worst.  Because you go from assuming your voice won't be heard to ENSURING it NEVER will.  Please review our Primary Election Voter Guide and our Leadership Guide, then head out to the polls and vote!
  Additional voter information for each county can be found below:

Mecklenburg County Board of Elections
Iredell County Board of Elections
Cabarrus County Board of Elections
Gaston County Board of Elections
Union County Board of Elections

Call to Action Success – City Council Vote on Public Safety

Charlotte City Council voted 7-3 in favor of reinstating local ordinances linked to disorderly conduct.  Thank you to CRCBR members who sent emails to encourage Council Members to vote in favor – your voice was heard.  The reinstatement of these ordinances is not only imperative for the safety and welfare of our families, employees, customers, and community members but also vital for sustaining the liveliness and prosperity of our city. As representatives of the business community, we stand together in support of measures that foster a secure and inclusive environment for all.

Early Voting Begins Thursday!

The 2024 Primary Election is scheduled for March 5th, but early voting begins this Thursday, February 15th.  See below for information on where and when to vote along with additional resources from each county's Board of Elections.  Don't forget to bring your ID!

Mecklenburg County Voting Sites - Mecklenburg County Board of Elections

Iredell County Voting Sites - Iredell County Board of Elections

Cabarrus County Voting Sites - Cabarrus County Board of Elections

Gaston County Voting Sites - Gaston County Board of Elections

Union County Voting Sites - Union County Board of Elections

Charlotte City Council Committees Discuss Density, Adaptive Reuse Incentives

Yesterday was "First Monday," the day when Charlotte City Council holds its four regular committee meetings.  After all the discussions, they gather together in the evening to give the Council a full review and discuss any other pertinent matters.  Here are some highlights:

Transportation, Planning, & Development
 
Planning Director Alyson Craig provided a presentation containing a staff recommendation in response to a referral made by the City Council earlier last year. It's important to note that the Council adopted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan in 2021 which called for broader allowance of higher-density dwellings throughout the city.  The adoption of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) followed in 2022 and permitted the development of duplexes and triplexes in single-family neighborhoods.  After complaints from some neighborhood groups, who seem to have been deemed by the leadership as having the most influence on a plan already debated by experts, the Council directed staff to develop proposals aimed at slowing and potentially repealing these provisions.  Further discussions will take place at the next two UDO Advisory Committee meetings to be held next week and the week after.

Jobs & Economic Development

Economic Development Director Tracy Dodson provided a presentation on a potential pilot project involving the proposed conversion of one or more buildings in Uptown.  Staff will have additional discussions and come back to the Council with a menu of incentive options that may include tax increment financing, tax increment grants, and other similar related tools.

New Podcast Released! - Douglas Welton, Chair of the Charlotte/Mecklenburg Planning Commission

Originally published on January 30, 2024, by the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition.

Thinking outside the box doesn’t aptly describe the way Douglas Welton, Chair of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission, approaches the idea of change. For him, he doesn’t even see a box.  He sees an open landscape of ideas, opinions, and solutions just waiting to be deconstructed and rebuilt into something new. 

After a fun lighting round that opened some entertaining personal dialog, this episode went deep into the issues Charlotte faces today.  With growth at the forefront, and policymakers searching for the best way to stay ahead of future problems, Douglas believes it will take more than just following old ideas to move us forward. It will take trust between policymakers and developers, and an atmosphere where everyone is free to ask, “why can't we do this a different way?”  

Listen Now

NAIOP Charlotte Elects 2024 Board of Directors at 2023 Annual Meeting

NAIOP Charlotte, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, held its 2023 Annual Meeting: What the Future Holds on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at The Terrace at Cedar Hill, where we elected the 2024 Board of Directors. 

We awarded the 2023 Award of Excellence to Dale Stewart, PE, partner at LandDesign. Dale gives time and energy to NAIOP Charlotte and humbly serves others in the community without concern for recognition or compensation. He champions the commercial real estate industry on a national, state, and/or local level and passionately seeks to be a change agent, even in the face of diversity. 

­The meeting concluded with insights from The Differentiators’ Jim Blaine as he provided a pulse on what’s going on at the federal, state, and local landscape levels and the potential impacts in North Carolina and Charlotte. 

2024 Board of Directors

President - Dan Melvin, LandDesign
President-Elect - Sagar Rathie, Crescent Communities
Secretary - Nick Matus, Bank of America
Treasurer - Bobbi Jo Lazarus, Elliott Davis
Immediate Past President - Steve McClure, The Spectrum Companies
Past President - Welch Liles, Asana Partners
*For a full list of the 2024 NAIOP Board of Directors, visit http://www.naiopclt.org/board-of-directors.









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Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a Huge Economic Driver!

 

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is bracedfor the impact of more than 900,000 travelers over Thanksgiving.  To put that into context, it's nearly the population of the entire City of Charlotte.  Here are a few more interesting facts:

  • Terminal opened May 2, 1982
  • 118,000 daily passengers
  • 21,000 parking spaces
  • 6,000 acres of land
  • 2022 stats - 47,758,605 passengers, 505,589 arrivals & departures, 207,608 tons of cargo
  • 179 nonstop destinations
  • 36 international destinations

For an interesting discussion about the airport as well as the activities of American Airlines, please take a few minutes to listen to the REBIC podcast with Tracy Montross, Regional Director of Government Affairs for American Airlines.  

Listen Now

Capital Markets: Can’t We All Just Get a Loan?

Originally published on October 23, 2023, by Pamela Jew for NAIOP.

High interest rates combined with persistent inflation have created the toughest commercial real estate financing environment since the Global Financial Crisis. Post-pandemic vacancies in commercial real estate and shifts to digital retail and work have added more considerations for prospective buyers and sellers.

At NAIOP’s CRE.Converge conference this week, experts discussed the current landscape of commercial real estate loans throughout different sectors, such as multifamily, retail and office spaces. Edward Griffin, CEO, Griffin Partners, Inc., moderated a conversation with Keith Honig, senior managing director and head of commercial mortgage Lending, Pacific Life Insurance Company; and Al Pontius, national director, office & industrial division, Marcus & Millichap. 

To help illustrate the data, the speakers came equipped with charts to visualize the data from the past few years and the trends across industries and companies. 

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Community Area Planning

Community Area Plans provide community-level guidance for the built environment including land use, design, transportation, and open space within the city's 14 sub-geographies.

These plans complement the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and are an important part of the city’s planning framework which ensures all planning efforts are aligned and aimed at implementing Charlotte’s vision for the future.

Process Overview

The Community Area Planning process includes five phases. The first four phases are scheduled to be completed from 2023 – 2024.

  • Phase 1, Setting the Stage, identified each community’s greatest needs to ensure expected growth benefits everyone. The results of Phase 1 are available in the Community Reports.
  • Phase 2, Creating Great Places, is underway. This phase will ensure future development supports each community’s priorities by reviewing and refining the Place Type designations within the Charlotte Future 2040 Policy Map. Learn more about sharing your voice in Phase 2 below!
  • Phase 3, Supporting the Vision, is scheduled to begin next Spring. Stakeholders will help identify infrastructure projects and supportive programs needed to realize the community’s vision. Be on the look out for information about virtual and in-person workshops beginning in April and ending in June. 
  • Phase 4, Planning for Action, will begin in the Fall 2024. Staff will develop a strategy for putting the plan’s recommendations into action. 
  • Phase 5, Review & Adoption, is scheduled to begin in 2025. 
Learn more about Community Area Planning

 

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CRCBR 30th Anniversary Celebration

Cheers to 30 Years!
October 26 | 3:30pm-5:30pm | Goldie’s

Get ready to celebrate with industry leaders! Celebrate CRCBR’s 30th year as one of the largest and most successful regional commercial real estate associations in the United States! We are serving great food, drinks, games, and live entertainment, with chances to win incredible door prizes. Band and festivities begin at 3:30pm. This event is open to members and non-members.

Registration and Sponsorships

Event registration is open. Congratulate CRCBR or unleash business development opportunities with an event sponsorship! Questions, please email [email protected] 

Register Here

RECAP: Candidate Forum: Primary Election for Charlotte City Council

Last week, members of Charlotte’s real estate community spoke with several Charlotte City Council candidates to learn more about their views and how they see the future of Charlotte. Thank you to our event sponsors: Canopy Realtor® AssociationCharlotte Region Commercial Board of REALTORS®NAIOP CharlotteHome Builders Association of Greater Charlotte, Inc. and the Real Estate & Building Industry Coalition (REBIC).

As a reminder, primary elections are on Tuesday, September 12.

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CLT UDO Change Request Form Introduced: Use it and Become Part of the Solution

Originally published on July 20, 2023, by Rob Nanfelt for REBIC.

Charlotte's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) has been in place for nearly two months.  As was anticipated, we are seeing challenges in the field due to some of the new requirements.  Similarly, language changes have resulted in a lack of clarity and constrained flexibility.  Each of you have an opportunity to play a direct role in assisting us in obtaining some of the necessary changes.  Take advantage of it!

In collaboration with, and at the request of City Staff, REBIC members have developed a UDO Change Request Form to assist Staff and Members of Council with reviewing suggested changes to the ordinance.  Specific examples and recommended language changes submitted along with justification for the requested amendments should result in a more efficient process for obtaining clarity where necessary, and to accelerate the process of administrative as well as legislative relief. 

Complete the Form

Forms should be sent to Laura Harmon with the City of Charlotte Planning Department at [email protected], with carbon copies to [email protected][email protected], and [email protected].

My take:  I don't know how more directly to say this - if we want to fix the problems, in a timely manner, we need to demonstrate the need and reason for those changes.  This tool also provides another layer of accountability and buttresses our needs case to adopt amendments, as rapidly as possible.  When we entered into his new era of the 2040 Plan and UDO, it was frequently mentioned by Members of the Council and Planning Staff that modifications would be necessary and would be considered on an ongoing basis.  This tool will assist in tracking our progress and obtaining a more positive outcome.  Please share this within your network so it may be utilized broadly.  

Have We Forgotten What Leadership Looks Like?

Originally published on July 21, 2023, by Rob Nanfelt for REBIC.

Have We Forgotten What Leadership Looks Like? Let’s Show We Remember, This November.

It’s official. Candidate filing for the 2023 municipal elections in North Carolina has come to an end. I wish I had better news, but it looks like we will still have to choose from some of the same old tired leadership. Sure, there are bright spots but I’m wondering why we’re okay to keep electing people who are ill suited for the job. You’ll know what I mean as you read on.

We all know that many highly accomplished people, who could be good candidates, are busy doing other things. They are not drawn to public service, and we are not reaching out and recruiting them. There are the exceptions like Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs who retired years ago but has found a valuable niche serving the community. But he won’t be doing this forever so new leaders need to be identified, encouraged, supported, and promoted. And we need to start that process, now.

There are those that run because they see elected office as a stepping stone to other, bigger things. And some of them probably don’t care what happens to you after they leave. Although some of today’s solid elected officials started service at the local level and moved up, it was mainly because having already proved themselves leading school boards and cities, they simply wanted to test their mettle by doing other things. Beware of those seeking higher office just for the sake of going higher.

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You want to build WHAT in my neighborhood?

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

CLT Planning Department Launches 2040 Planning Academy

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
Click here for more information
& to register for sessions

CLT Land Development Streamlining Submittal Process

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

Rob Nanfelt, Executive Director of REBIC, 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.