Charlotte picks familiar name for planning director to guide growth at a crucial time
Charlotte has a new planning director. In title, at least.
Alyson Craig has worn the interim planning director title for more than a year since the previous director, Taiwo Jaiyeoba, took a job leading the city of Greensboro.
Craig has shed the interim tag, the city of Charlotte announced Wednesday.
The role is a critical one for Charlotte as it navigates managing the substantial amount of growth across the city, following the vision laid out in the narrowly-adopted 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Craig led the adoption of the Unified Development Ordinance, the development rule book which sets that long-term vision into reality. The UDO was rolled out under Jaiyeoba but a City Council vote happened while Craig was interim director last August.
The UDO will go into effect June 1. The UDO, along with the comprehensive plan, will guide Charlotte’s growth and act as the primary regulatory tools for new development on everything from tree protection to stormwater to sidewalks. The city hasn’t had an updated comprehensive plan since 1975.
“Alyson has been a tremendous asset to the organization since joining the city,” Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones said in a statement. Jones said he looks forward to working with Craig for years to come
More on Alyson Craig’s background
Craig joined the city in 2018 as the planning, design and development deputy director. She previously served as director of the Master of Science in Real Estate program at UNC Charlotte.
She also worked for Grubb Properties, a major developer. She was a development and acquisition associate to identify potential office, apartment and mixed-use deals.
Craig has a bachelor’s degree in biology from UNC Chapel Hill. She also has a master’s in real estate from UNC Charlotte and a master’s in sustainable development and conservation ecology from the University of Georgia.
