The Transportation, Planning, and Development Committee held its first meeting of the new council term and reviewed its charge and procedures. Members of the Committee, along with Mayor Pro Tem Braxton Winston who also attended, heard several presentations from planning staff that included:
To view the full agenda and video, click the links below:Originally published by Robert Dunphy in the Summer 2022 NAIOP Development Magazine Issue.
The COVID-19 restrictions that began in March 2020 led to business closures and a sharp cutback in personal travel that caused demand for parking to plummet. Except for curbside pickup of retail purchases and carry-out meals, most travelers stayed home and avoided commercial and private parking lots and on-street spaces.
In April 2020, passenger travel on roads declined by 60%, while public transit usage fell by 81%, and air travel slumped by 96%, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. It was not until the spring of 2021 that passenger car travel returned to 2019 levels on average, but with wide variations across the country.
On Nov. 8, Gastonia residents will vote on a $75 million Transportation General Obligation Bond Referendum. The City Council approved the bond referendum at its Aug. 2 meeting.
Proposed projects include:
For more information, visit this link.
Charlotte voters will also have the opportunity to vote on a $226 million bond package that will upgrade and enhance streets, build housing for low-to moderate-income individuals and families, and improve infrastructure in the city's older neighborhoods and emerging high-growth areas.
Do you have questions about all the development you see in CLT? Do you want to know more about how CLT plans for its future? Are you interested in influencing the future of your neighborhood?
The 2040 Planning Academy, formerly the Community Planning Academy, is a free 5-class program aimed at helping residents better understand the role planning plays in building communities. Through group discussions, presentations, and interactive activities, participants will learn when and how they can be involved in planning processes and help influence the future of their community.
The application window is open starting today, Tuesday, June 21, 2022, and will close on Sunday, July 17, 2022, at midnight.
Members from NAIOP’s three chapters in North Carolina traveled to Raleigh last week to advance the priorities of the commercial real estate development industry in meetings with state lawmakers. The top priority for NAIOP of North Carolina, the state alliance of NAIOP chapters, is the passage and enactment of House Bill 291, permit reform legislation sponsored by State Representative Jeff Zenger.
Local building permits are an essential and fundamental requirement for the development and improvement of commercial and residential properties. However, the processes for obtaining these permits can vary by city and county in North Carolina. These variations lead to uncertainties and delays in projects moving forward, which can impact the costs, financing and contractional relationships with contractors and providers of construction equipment and materials.
The enactment of House Bill 291 would bring reforms to the permitting process similar to those advocated by our local chapter in Georgia which were ultimately enacted into law in that state. These reforms to the local permitting process bring more predictability and accountability, reducing uncertainty and unnecessary delays. Core elements of the bill include:
The North Carolina House of Representatives passed House Bill 291 in May of 2021 on bipartisan vote of 79-33, sending the bill to the state Senate. The legislation was eventually sent to the commerce and insurance committee in March for their consideration. Our meetings last week focused on urging Senate leadership and the committee chairs to move this important legislation forward before adjourning for the year as early as the end of June. NAIOP of North Carolina’s advocacy played a key role in HB 291 being scheduled the following day for a hearing before the insurance committee the subsequent week.
originally published by TOBY BURKE for NAIOP National with permission to repost.
Governments at every level are considering polices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both stationary and mobile sources as part of efforts to address climate change. Some of these efforts have centered on initiatives to lowering domestic use on fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas and oil, by moving towards electric vehicles within our transportation system. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector is one of the highest sources of greenhouse gas emissions (29%) followed by electricity (25%).
originally published by REBIC with permission to repost.
Catawba Crossings
The Catawba Crossings Project will evaluate the feasibility of a new roadway between Gaston County and Mecklenburg County. The Project includes two new bridges over the South Fork Catawba River and Catawba River and a new interchange with I-485.
The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) has released for public review and comment a draft of the Comprehensive Transportation Review (CTR) Guidelines.
These guidelines are a key component to implementing the 2040 Plan and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). As stakeholders and partners in the development of the UDO, we value your continued engagement, review, and input.
Why are they important?
originally published by Trey Barrineau for NAIOP National
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain problems have become pervasive. In fact, things are getting so bad that many fear they could imperil the all-important holiday shopping season this year.
Michael Landsburg, chief development officer with NFI Real Estate, said there are currently 70 cargo ships anchored off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. A month ago, there were about 40.
In January 2020, representatives from the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) publicly launched Beyond 77, a project focused on improving travel along the I-77 Corridor from Statesville, N.C. to Rock Hill, S.C. To date, over 19,000 surveys have been completed in an effort to prioritize transportation alternatives for the area. In early April, the third and final public engagement phase kicked off, where participants are asked to weigh in on potential solutions. Residents who live, work or travel through this region are encouraged to participate in the study by visiting Beyond77.com and taking a brief survey.
For those who want to hear directly from the planning team, representatives from the Beyond 77 study will be hosting two Virtual Public Meetings on April 21 and May 13 from noon to 1 p.m.
To learn more about the public meetings and to register, visit Beyond77.com/Register.
Originally published on June 5, 2020 by Shawn Moura, Ph.D.
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated social and economic changes that were underway before the outbreak, while also leading consumers, workers and employers to adopt new preferences and behaviors. Collectively, these changes will require that commercial real estate firms adopt new approaches to design, customer relations and business operations to be successful in the future. Christopher Lee, founder and CEO of CEL & Associates, offered his predictions for how the outbreak will reshape demand for commercial real estate in the U.S. and outlined steps that firms can take to remain competitive during a recent NAIOP webinar.
Lee observed that the commercial real estate market is currently about halfway through a downturn. Although the Federal Reserve’s intervention in credit markets and fiscal stimulus measures have mitigated some of the outbreak’s effects on the economy, “all of that is going to burn off fairly soon unless another economic stimulus comes forward.” Substantial economic uncertainty and fears about the coronavirus have paralyzed decision-making in most markets. Buyers are concerned about the pandemic’s effects on building revenues and expenses as well as potential liabilities from infections, and some may no longer be able to secure favorable financing for an acquisition. Sellers are uncertain whether they should sell now or wait out the pandemic, and are unsure whether they will have good options for investing the proceeds of a sale.
Posted on August 21, 2019
By Mark L. Elliott, David C. Kirk and Jenna E. Lee
Shared parking paired with technology offers solutions for changes in building usage.Providing parking for commercial properties has always been a challenge for developers, but it’s even more so today. Why?
First, no one really knows where parking needs and requirements are heading, especially for commercial office space. On one hand, there is the densification of work space, which has seen the square footage per employee decrease. According to research from Cushman & Wakefield, the national average in 2018 was 194 square feet per employee, which is down 8.3 percent from 2009. That suggests more parking is needed for office users and their buildings, which now have more people working in the same amount of space.
Posted on July 19, 2019
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing last week on the need for a multiyear reauthorization of highway transportation infrastructure programs. Expanded infrastructure investment, for surface transportation and for broader infrastructure needs, is one of NAIOP’s 2019 legislative priority issues.
While the issue is often described as an area where bipartisan cooperation is possible, Congress is divided on how to pay for any new programs, and the Trump administration has not submitted a detailed legislative proposal to Congress.
The Senate committee hearing is a first step in moving legislation reauthorizing highway programs. “It is our shared goal to advance a bill out of committee this summer,” Republican committee chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) said. “In our legislation, we must reduce the time it takes for federal permitting, we need to lower paperwork burdens on states, and we need to incorporate innovative construction approaches and other technologies.”
Posted on April 23, 2019
The Charlotte City Council unanimously approved a new Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Ordinance, which sets standards for commercial and residential development in the city’s light rail corridor.
REBIC and our members worked closely with City planning staff on the ordinance over the past 18 months, and we are generally pleased with the final product. Many of our suggestions — from changes in maximum parking ratios to additional development incentives — were included in the final draft adopted by Council last week. Our only remaining significant concern remains the 130′ building height limitation, which can only be exceeded through the use of a bonus point system that encourages affordable housing investments, energy efficient construction, or the contribution of offsite infrastructure.
While we support each of these policy goals, we believe City Council should do everything possible to encourage density in our transit corridors, and not restrict itself from considering economic development opportunities that would otherwise be limited by the building height caps in each TOD district.
Posted on April 12, 2019
The Charlotte City Council will vote next Monday night on the new Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Ordinance, following a unanimous recommendation of approval today by the Council’s Transportation & Planning Committee.
REBIC and our members have been closely engaged in the process of drafting the new TOD ordinance over the past 18 months, and the City planning staff, have incorporated many of our suggestions into the ordinance — from changes in maximum parking ratios to reduced open space requirements. And while we are pleased with many aspects of the TOD, we remain concerned that its limitations on building height could negatively impact economic development in Charlotte’s transit corridors.
The ordinance currently caps base height at a maximum of 130’ in the TOD-UC district, its most dense, and offers developers additional height in exchange for bonus points that advance other City objectives, like affordable housing, transportation improvements or energy efficiency. While we support each of these policy goals, we believe City Council should do everything possible to encourage density in our transit corridors, and not restrict itself from considering economic development opportunities that would otherwise be limited by the building height caps in each TOD district.
Posted on February 26, 2019
The Charlotte Planning Department late last week released a revised draft of its proposed Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Ordinance, ahead of a March 18th public hearing.
REBIC is in the process of reviewing the ordinance, which is available for download HERE. We strongly encourage any developers considering projects in the City's transit corridors to look through the draft and provide us with any feedback you may have.
Some of the changes in the new draft include:
Posted on February 12, 2019
The Charlotte planning department has postponed a public hearing for its new Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zoning ordinance from February 25th to March 18th, as it revises the proposal to incorporate feedback from REBIC and other stakeholder groups.
While the updated draft isn’t scheduled to be released until the week of February 18th, it is expected to include an expanded menu of incentives to encourage developers to include affordable housing, make infrastructure investments, or participate in the City’s Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprises (MWSBE) program. The current draft only offers developers an opportunity to increase their building height, which REBIC cautioned could be of limited value to developers. In a letter to City staff last month, we encouraged the inclusion of incentives that would provide variances on building length, building articulation, or required open space.
Other elements of the TOD ordinance that raised concerns include:
Posted on July 13, 2018
A recent report by MetLife states that the expansion of ridesharing, autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles will result in “highly accessible, highly efficient and comparatively inexpensive transportation” over the next decade. Researchers believe that alternative transportation, including ridesharing, will partially substitute public transportation in some areas of the U.S. and complement it in other areas, while also bringing transit access to areas not served by public transportation. The report concludes that the greater acceptance of ridesharing will lead to an increase in value for development sites with good access to uncongested roadways but limited access to public transportation.
Posted on June 14, 2018
Trucking moves about 70 percent of freight in the United States. The boom in e-commerce transactions has increased volume, which requires speed and accuracy in freight shipping. However, according to a C3 Solutions white paper, Leveling Up: Navigating the New Trucking Landscape, the trucking market has been at 100 percent capacity since 2004, resulting in driver shortages and rejected orders. Additionally, new regulations that address driver and food safety have further constrained delivery times. The report encourages trucking companies to seek solutions by diversifying their workforce (the industry is 94 percent male), and advises shippers to reduce driver time spent at drop-off facilities, use technology for better scheduling, and maintain good relationships with carriers. The researchers state autonomous or semi-autonomous trucks will help alleviate shortages, but implementation is still years away. The report concludes: “While the capacity crisis may be unprecedented, there are many operational improvements you can make to ease the pain it is causing your business. Making changes to adapt to the new [trucking] landscape should not be seen as an 'if', but rather a 'when'."
