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Record of Proceedings

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting - March 25, 2024

City Council — Monday, March 25, 2024
BodyCharlotte, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 25, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:15:07

Original source
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0:16

Ariel Smith, lead city clerk.

0:18

Good evening.

0:19

I'm Victoria Watlington, you're a Charlotte City Council Member at large.

0:23

Good evening, I'm Renee Johnson, and I'm honored to represent District 4.

0:29

Good evening, I'm Marjorie Molina.

0:30

I represent the East Side, District 5.

0:33

Good evening, Jane Smith Large.

0:40

Good evening, Dante Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem, District 1.

0:43

Good evening, Vi Laues Mayor.

0:46

Marcus Jones, City Manager.

0:47

Malcolm Graham District 2.

0:49

Ed Drigs, District 7.

0:50

All right.

0:51

Patrick Baker, City Attorney.

0:53

Thank you very much.

0:54

We have consent items 22 through 41 that can be considered in one motion, unless there is someone on the council that would like to have a separate vote for any one of the items between 22 and 41.

1:07

Is there anyone that would like to have a separate vote?

1:11

Hearing none, um may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda?

1:15

Items 22 through 41.

1:17

So moved.

1:19

We have a motion and a second.

1:21

Any discussion?

1:22

Hearing no discussion, all in favor, please raise your hand.

1:26

All right, thank you very much.

1:28

Um, so now I'd like to turn it over to the city manager for the overview of our discussion for this afternoon.

1:36

So thank you, Mayor, members of council.

1:38

Tonight we have as an agenda item an update on the residential development in the UDO, and we have Alison Craig that will provide that uh update, as well as we have a closed session item, Mayor, a real estate matter.

2:00

All right.

2:02

Uh good evening, uh mayor, manager, and members of council.

2:06

Um, I'm here tonight to talk to you about um an update to the UDO, kind of what we've been seeing.

2:12

Um the way I'm gonna lay out the presentation this evening is first setting the stage.

2:17

Um, where are we now?

2:19

Um, of course, when we are talking about evaluating how we're doing the UDO, the the most important thing is to point back to our comprehensive plan goals.

2:27

Then I want to talk a little bit about what we're seeing in terms of um submittals.

2:32

Um, we're about nine to ten months after the UDO has gone into effect.

2:36

And then I want to talk a little bit about market trends.

2:38

Of course, um the market doesn't solely drive our decisions, but it is an important thing to understand when we're planning for the future.

2:47

And then I want to give a brief update about um an update to uh from the transportation planning and development um committee referral.

2:55

Um that was a referral from last summer, um, and talk about an upcoming text amendment that we will be filing tonight related to conservation and development, and then discuss some other recommendations that uh I will be making this evening that we'll discuss more in committee.

3:13

So, first starting with Charlotte's vision, of course.

3:16

Um, the comprehensive plan is born from many years of community engagement, talking about what we wanted to see in our future.

3:26

And as a reminder, the UDO is a tool that implements the comprehensive plan, and so we continue to evaluate what we're seeing to make sure that we are aligned with our comprehensive plan goals.

3:37

Um, and so and then recognizing that while we have these goals in place, there are different ways in which we can implement these goals.

3:45

So I want to highlight two from the comprehensive plan uh tonight.

3:49

First is goal number two, neighborhood diversity inclusion, that Charlotte will strive to have a diversity of housing options by increasing the presence of missing um middle density housing.

3:59

And number three is housing access for all.

4:02

Charlotte will ensure opportunities for residents of all income to access affordable housing.

4:07

So I think we can all agree that these are two very important goals to the city of Charlotte.

4:13

But I think over time, and we've we've been talking about the comprehensive plan and the UDO, and even seeing what we've been receiving in site plans, is how exactly um do we implement these goals?

4:24

And we may not always be on the same page about that.

4:28

So I want to stop for a moment and just highlight what we're seeing.

4:32

So we are really seeing a limited number of new infill duplexes and triplexes.

4:38

When we talked about these goals in the comprehensive plan, this was a source of many, many conversations, concerns that we will see um rapid change in our communities and and wanting to make sure that we are not introducing change too fast, particularly in neighborhoods that are vulnerable to displacement.

5:00

So we implemented controls in the UDO that helped to regulate height and sort of driveway cuts to help manage these changes.

5:07

And a result we haven't really seen a lot.

5:09

We've seen about 140 duplexes, about a hundred, I'm sorry, about 140 duplexes and about 20 triplexes since the UDO went into effect.

5:19

Right now, if you look out in the skyline, there is a ton of apartment activity, there's a ton of construction going, it is booming for sure right now.

5:28

But what I want to make sure you are aware of is that there's not a lot in the pipeline that's coming after that.

5:35

It is a very challenging construct uh cost market, so the construction costs are very high, and frankly, the lenders are not lending on these types of projects right now.

5:47

I'm expecting that this will be the conditions for at least another year, if not two years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use and Development█████████████████████████████████████37%
Procedural████████████████16%
Affordable Housing████████████12%
Public Engagement██████6%
Public Private Partnership██████6%
Transportation Planning█████5%
International Relations████4%
Animal Welfare███3%
Airport Operations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting - March 25, 2024

The Charlotte City Council held its regular business meeting on March 25, 2024, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The meeting included an action review (5:00 PM) and the formal business meeting (6:30 PM). Key topics included an update on residential development in the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), a public hearing on an alley closure, the approval of funding for Spectrum Center improvements and a practice facility, the sale of city-owned land for affordable housing, and a public forum with comments on various issues. The council unanimously approved the consent agenda and took several other votes.

Consent Calendar

  • Council approved the consent agenda items 22 through 41 in one motion. Notable items included:
    • Contract with FMRT Group, LLC for Police Psychological Services and Fit for Duty Evaluations (estimated annual expenditure $200,000).
    • Unit price contract with General Traffic Equipment Corporation for Pedestrian Signal Housing Components (estimated annual $150,000).
    • Contract Amendment #2 with Excel Truck Group for Freightliner Parts and Services, increasing the contract by $1,500,000 to a new total of $2,000,000.
    • Transitional workforce labor contract with the Center for Employment Opportunities for Solid Waste Services (estimated annual $533,334).
    • Storm Water Educational Campaign contract amendment with The Agency Marketing Group, increasing total contract value to $842,700.
    • Interlocal agreement with Mecklenburg County for sanitary sewer relocations (city cost $456,000).
    • Contract with EDM Technology for CATS Magnetic Transit Passes Printing Services (estimated annual $250,000).
    • Contracts for airport air filtration products ($285,000 annual), ground power unit parts ($350,000 annual), and a five-year lease with Xtreme Aviation.
    • Approval of INLIVIAN's request to issue $31,000,000 in multi-family housing revenue bonds for Poplar Grove Apartments rehabilitation.
    • Setting public hearings for April 22, 2024, for the Kelly Woods voluntary annexation and the Parkwood Avenue Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church historic landmark designation.
    • Resolution authorizing property tax refunds totaling $1,313,459.42.
    • Multiple property transactions, including the acquisition of 5500 Wilkinson Boulevard ($1,500,000), condemnation for Kings Branch Stream and Sewer Improvements, and acquisitions for Ideal Way, Rea Road Widening, Spring Valley Road, and Thermal Culverts projects.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rev. James Barnett (Stop the Killing Crusade): Urged faith community involvement to reduce murder rate; invited council to “Unity in the Community” event on April 21.
  • Tim Rhodes (Novant Health Charlotte Marathon): Thanked city for support; noted economic impact of ~$2 million and donation of $138,000 to local charities.
  • Ann Gross and Mindy Sattell (Friends of Feral Felines): Requested dedicated city funding for trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs; cited 292 cats processed since January.
  • Kelsey Joseph: Called for making Animal Care and Control an independent department and increasing its budget.
  • Tanika Nicholson: Urged funding for transitional housing for young women aged 18-25.
  • Stephanie Loss (Stillbury Acres): Raised concerns about lack of notice for rezoning petition 2023-112, possible rezoning of historic cemetery and church to commercial/industrial.
  • Dr. Nosfaj Hadi (Palestinian American physician): Urged ceasefire resolution; shared personal loss of nephew.
  • Mitch Balog (Jewish constituent): Urged ceasefire resolution; called situation in Gaza a genocide.
  • Jenna Awad (Palestinian American): Demanded ceasefire resolution; criticized city's indifference.
  • Selma Ernie (student): Urged ceasefire resolution; cited Locke's social contract.
  • Preston Hagman (Airport Community Roundtable): Noted delay in Part 150 noise study; discussed noise abatement efforts.

Public Hearing: Alley Closure between Scott Avenue and Fountain View Street

  • Gina Calais (Twin Oaks Shopping Center owner): Opposed abandonment, citing need for delivery truck access (18-wheeler deliveries from Cisco 4x/week); requested denial or delay.
  • Celia Calais (granddaughter of property founder): Argued procedural notification requirements under NCGS 160A-299 were not fully met; requested deferral.
  • Rich Fennell (attorney for Calais family): Said alley is vital; current plan would block truck access; noted traffic counts.
  • Greg Watkins (resident of Fountain View): Opposed abandonment; noted residents were told connectivity would remain.
  • Patrick Fitzgerald (1320 Fillmore Condos board): Opposed plan; concerned about cut-through traffic and accident risk.
  • Gary Clayson (1315 East Condo board): Opposed; asked for realignment of alley.
  • Ellen Citerella (DCA land use committee chair): Urged all parties to work together; noted notification failures.
  • Colin Brown (petitioner SunCap): Presented visuals; proposed new 24-foot easement; expressed willingness to continue conversations.
  • Council action: Moved to continue the public hearing to the April 22, 2024 business meeting to allow further negotiation.

Discussion: Update on Residential Development in the UDO

  • Staff (Alyson Craig) presented an update on UDO implementation, noting a limited number of infill duplexes/triplexes (~140 duplexes, ~20 triplexes), and that about 90% of by-right subdivisions use conservation development option with duplexes/triplexes.
  • The presentation highlighted market trends: increase in apartment permits (2018-2023), decline in single-family permits, and rise in townhome permits; average new single-family home price ~$554,000 vs. townhome ~$418,000.
  • Staff proposed a text amendment to close loopholes in conservation development: increase required tree save from 25% to 40%, increase minimum project size from 2 to 5 acres, add perimeter buffer requirements, and require lots to front public streets or open space. This will be filed for a public hearing on April 15, with council action expected May 20.
  • Additional recommendations: create a new “compact development” option to allow smaller lot sizes near transit/activity centers or for affordable projects; and “right-size housing diversity” by limiting triplexes to corner lots in N1-A through N1-D, and allowing townhomes in N1-E and N1-F.
  • Council members expressed concerns about uncertainty, the need for community engagement, and the balance between development and infrastructure. Councilmember Bokhari opposed changes, calling for consistency and infrastructure investment. Councilmember Graham emphasized the need for certainty and warned against changing rules mid-game.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Alley closure (item 8): Public hearing continued to April 22, 2024 business meeting.
  • Alverton Area Voluntary Annexation (item 9): Approved unanimously; adopted ordinance effective March 25, 2024.
  • Certificates of Participation sale (item 11): Approved unanimously (authorizing up to $137,000,000).
  • Sale of city-owned land for West Sugar Creek Redevelopment (item 12): Approved unanimously; 4.32 acres to Prosperity Hidden Valley, LLC for $1 for affordable townhomes (minimum 39 units, 80% AMI).
  • Spectrum Center Agreement Revision (item 13): Approved with one opposing vote (Councilmember Johnson); total city investment reallocated to $245M for arena and $30M for practice facility; new Hornets ownership will fund additional costs ($70-100M).
  • Nominations to advisory boards: Accepted for candidates with six or more nominations; others to come back at next business meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Ariel Smith, lead city clerk. Good evening. I'm Victoria Watlington, you're a Charlotte City Council Member at large. Good evening, I'm Renee Johnson, and I'm honored to represent District 4. Good evening, I'm Marjorie Molina. I represent the East Side, District 5. Good evening, Jane Smith Large. Good evening, Dante Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem, District 1. Good evening, Vi Laues Mayor. Marcus Jones, City Manager. Malcolm Graham District 2. Ed Drigs, District 7. All right. Patrick Baker, City Attorney. Thank you very much. We have consent items 22 through 41 that can be considered in one motion, unless there is someone on the council that would like to have a separate vote for any one of the items between 22 and 41. Is there anyone that would like to have a separate vote? Hearing none, um may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Items 22 through 41. So moved. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion? Hearing no discussion, all in favor, please raise your hand. All right, thank you very much. Um, so now I'd like to turn it over to the city manager for the overview of our discussion for this afternoon. So thank you, Mayor, members of council. Tonight we have as an agenda item an update on the residential development in the UDO, and we have Alison Craig that will provide that uh update, as well as we have a closed session item, Mayor, a real estate matter. All right. Uh good evening, uh mayor, manager, and members of council. Um, I'm here tonight to talk to you about um an update to the UDO, kind of what we've been seeing. Um the way I'm gonna lay out the presentation this evening is first setting the stage. Um, where are we now? Um, of course, when we are talking about evaluating how we're doing the UDO, the the most important thing is to point back to our comprehensive plan goals. Then I want to talk a little bit about what we're seeing in terms of um submittals. Um, we're about nine to ten months after the UDO has gone into effect. And then I want to talk a little bit about market trends. Of course, um the market doesn't solely drive our decisions, but it is an important thing to understand when we're planning for the future. And then I want to give a brief update about um an update to uh from the transportation planning and development um committee referral. Um that was a referral from last summer, um, and talk about an upcoming text amendment that we will be filing tonight related to conservation and development, and then discuss some other recommendations that uh I will be making this evening that we'll discuss more in committee. So, first starting with Charlotte's vision, of course. Um, the comprehensive plan is born from many years of community engagement, talking about what we wanted to see in our future. And as a reminder, the UDO is a tool that implements the comprehensive plan, and so we continue to evaluate what we're seeing to make sure that we are aligned with our comprehensive plan goals. Um, and so and then recognizing that while we have these goals in place, there are different ways in which we can implement these goals. So I want to highlight two from the comprehensive plan uh tonight. First is goal number two, neighborhood diversity inclusion, that Charlotte will strive to have a diversity of housing options by increasing the presence of missing um middle density housing. And number three is housing access for all. Charlotte will ensure opportunities for residents of all income to access affordable housing. So I think we can all agree that these are two very important goals to the city of Charlotte. But I think over time, and we've we've been talking about the comprehensive plan and the UDO, and even seeing what we've been receiving in site plans, is how exactly um do we implement these goals? And we may not always be on the same page about that.

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