Crucial vote on big Charlotte growth plan has been delayed as opposition builds
A Charlotte City Council vote on a plan to shape development in the city for the next two decades has been postponed amid growing opposition, according to an email from Mayor Vi Lyles obtained by the Observer.
Charlotte City Council was set to vote on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan in late April. But in recent weeks, neighborhood leaders, advocates and developers alike have voiced concerns with the proposal.
The delay comes as City Council prepares for a public hearing on the plan on Monday. In an interview, Lyles said there is no set date for a vote now.
In an email to City Council members Sunday, Lyles suggested that council committees review the issues discussed with the plan and anything else that comes up at the public forum or in other sessions.
In the interview, Lyles said the committees would then make recommendations before the full council by June 30, and council members would provide input.
“I had conversations with many community groups, many special interest groups, and they all said we need more time, the council said we need more time,” Lyles said.
Some of the controversy about the plan centers on a provision that potentially could lead to increased density on single-family lots. That proposal suggests allowing duplexes, triplexes and in some cases quadraplexes on single-family lots in an effort to increase the diversity of housing types in neighborhoods.
Others are concerned about gentrification and whether communities will have a say in development. And developers have argued that some of the plan’s proposals are illegal, and are pushing for an economic impact study.
2040 hearing set for Monday
In the email sent to City Council Sunday, Lyles outlined a strategy for council members to conduct additional public engagement, suggesting they hold weekly virtual meetings to hear from the public during the process.
The 2040 plan outlines big-picture goals for how the city should grow, but it does not set policy.
The city is also working on a separate document, called the Unified Development Ordinance, that will update and consolidate zoning and other rules that impact development.
One of the ideas in the 2040 plan is to have “10-minute” neighborhoods, where residents could access essential goods and services, such as a grocery store within a 10-minute walk, bike ride or transit trip.
That goal is one of the topics Lyles outlined in the email that she said have come up the most in discussions around the plan. Other issues cited by the mayor center around single-family zoning options, displacement policies, having resident participation in development and processes to resolve conflicting policies.
More topics may be added to the list after the public hearing, she said.
“Over the past year, this council has leaned into some of the most challenging and most critical work this body has done in many, many years,” she said in the email.
“I know that we will once again come together to address this important work and create a vision to ensure that our city grows in a way that helps lift all our residents.”
This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 4:38 PM.
