Charlotte City Council Zoning Meeting - November 18, 2024

The Charlotte City Council held a zoning meeting on November 18, 2024, in the Council Chamber of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. The meeting began at 5:00 PM, with an initial deviation to recess into a closed session before resuming hearings. The agenda included consent items, deferred petitions, decision items, and public hearings on rezoning petitions. Key topics included affordable housing, traffic mitigation, community opposition, and the balance of residential and commercial uses in activity centers. Several petitions were approved unanimously, one was deferred, and public hearings were held for multiple rezoning requests.

Consent Calendar

• Consent Agenda (Items 3-10): Approved unanimously except items 4 and 10, which were pulled by Councilmember Johnson for separate discussion.
  • Items approved: 2024-045 (Drakeford Communities), 2024-075 (Arbo, LLC), 2024-080 (Diallo Mamdou Korka), 2024-081 (Caldwell Development, LLC), 2024-085 (AAAA Holdings, LLC), 2024-086 (Peak Sports Holdings, LLC).
  • Item 4 (2024-049) – Shreeji Hospitality of University, LLC: Pulled by Councilmember Johnson. She verified with staff that the petitioner confirmed no long-term occupants in the motel, ensuring no displacement. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 10 (2024-092) – Lucern Capital Partners: Pulled by Councilmember Johnson. She expressed support for a proposed child care center in the university research park. Approved unanimously.

Deferrals

• Decisions deferred to December 16, 2024: Items 11 (2023-023), 12 (2023-038), 13 (2023-039), 14 (2024-077), and 20 (2024-059) were all deferred by request of the petitioners. Approved unanimously.
• Hearings deferred to December 16, 2024: Items 21 (2024-047), 22 (2024-098), and 26 (2024-088) were deferred. Approved unanimously.
• Item 16 (2024-083) – City of Charlotte: Councilmember Anderson moved to defer this petition to next month to allow the city to provide answers to questions raised during the public hearing regarding the Belmont and Villa Heights communities. The motion passed unanimously.

Decision Items (Non-Consent)

• Item 15 (2024-082) – City of Charlotte (Animal Shelter): Motion to approve. Councilmember Brown spoke in support, noting community engagement and the need for a new animal shelter to alleviate overcrowding. She also expressed a personal desire to separate the animal shelter from CMPD. Approved unanimously.
• Item 17 (2020-071) – 3G Investments and Developments: Staff noted minor changes after the zoning committee (hours of operation and alternative streetscapes). Council voted unanimously not to send the petition back to the committee. Councilmember Bokhari commended the petitioner for working with the community. Approved unanimously.
• Item 18 (2022-224) – SRL Central Avenue Properties: Motion to approve. Councilmember Anderson noted strong neighborhood engagement and support. Approved unanimously.
• Item 19 (2023-165) – Central Avenue Multifamily LLC: Staff noted changes after the zoning committee (traffic signal warrant analysis, parking, bike lanes). Council voted unanimously not to send back. Extensive discussion followed.
  • Councilmember Anderson (district representative) highlighted community benefits: a completed traffic study, CDOT-approved signal installation funded by the petitioner, increased parking minimums by 20%, and a 75% increase in commercial space. Letters of support from the Elizabeth Community Association, Plaza Midwood Merchants Association, and adjacent property owners.
  • Councilmember Mayfield opposed, citing concerns from residents about cumulative impacts, traffic, and vague language on the traffic signal. She also noted the narrow streets and lack of guarantee for the signal.
  • Staff clarified that the signal warrant analysis is complete, CDOT approved it, and the petitioner is committed to funding installation. The conditional notes reflect this.
  • Vote: Approved 10-1 (Councilmember Mayfield opposed).
• Item 23 (2024-121) – Text Amendment (UDO Cleanup): This hearing was opened. Staff presented changes across 23 of 39 articles to improve functionality, clarify definitions, and adjust use permissions. Councilmembers Driggs, Ajmera, and Molina expressed concerns about not having seen the full details and requested a committee referral for deeper review. The public hearing was closed without a vote; the item will go to the Transportation, Planning, and Environment Committee for further discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Petition 2024-072 – Drakeford Company (Harvest Hill Drive area):
  • Carolyn Reinhardt (resident of Johnette Drive) and Paul Taylor (resident of Harvest Hill area) spoke in opposition. They cited traffic congestion on narrow streets (Johnette Drive as narrow as 17 feet), emergency vehicle access, stormwater runoff concerns, and the cumulative density impact. Reinhardt requested a separate rezoning for Johnette Drive.
  • The petitioner (Drakeford Communities) noted modifications: disconnecting Johnette Drive from the main development (now a cul-de-sac with 6 lots), limiting density to single-family or duplex, and committing two affordable units if the city-owned parcel is acquired. Councilmember Molina acknowledged more work is needed; the hearing was closed without a vote.
• Petition 2024-101 – EB Arrow Crystal Real Estate (JW Clay Boulevard):
  • Pam Isaacs (resident of Lakeshore Village) spoke in opposition, expressing concern about the cumulative loss of retail and commercial space in the university area, diminishing walkability. She noted that the development was originally presented as a live-work-play community but is becoming primarily residential. The petitioner (Brett Seward) stated a minimum of 10,000 square feet of commercial space would remain. Councilmember Johnson requested a meeting; the hearing was closed without a vote.

Discussion Items

• Text Amendment (2024-121): Councilmembers Driggs, Ajmera, and Molina requested a deeper committee review due to the scope of changes. Staff agreed to present to the Transportation, Planning, and Environment Committee.
• Traffic Signal for Central Avenue (2023-165): Clarification that a traffic warrant analysis was completed, and CDOT approved installation of a traffic signal at the petitioner’s expense. Councilmember Mayfield raised concerns about the conditional language being vague; staff confirmed the commitment is in the notes.
• Community Notification: Councilmembers Brown and Johnson raised the issue of expanding notification to renters and increasing the radius beyond 300 feet. Staff noted current UDO notifications exceed state law; the matter will be revisited during strategic planning.

Key Outcomes

• Approved unanimously: Consent items (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), deferrals, items 15, 17, 18, 24 (2024-002), 27 (2024-089), 28 (2024-095), 29 (2024-097), 30 (2024-100).
• Approved 10-1: Item 19 (2023-165).
• Deferred: Item 16 (2024-083) to December 16, 2024.
• Public hearings closed without vote (more work needed): Items 24 (2024-072) and 31 (2024-101). Item 23 (text amendment) referred to committee.
• Next steps: The text amendment will go to the Transportation, Planning, and Environment Committee. Councilmember Johnson will meet with the petitioner for 2024-101. Councilmember Molina will continue working with the Drakeford project and neighborhood.