OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Charlotte Zoning Meeting: January 20, 2026 – Deferrals, Decisions, and Hearings

City Council — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyCharlotte, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:56:27

Transcript — Verbatim
1:25

Good evening, everybody.

1:26

Good evening.

1:27

Good evening.

1:27

Good evening.

1:31

Excuse me.

1:32

I don't think I was supposed to speak to you.

1:34

Can I give us to you?

1:35

Welcome.

1:36

I would like to call this January 20th, 26th zoning meeting of the Charlotte City Council to order.

1:43

My name is Ed Driggs.

1:45

I am the District 7 Council Member and also Chair of the Transportation Planning and Development Committee, in which capacity I'm sitting here tonight.

1:54

I will begin with introductions, commencing with Councilmember Johnson.

1:58

Good evening.

1:58

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

2:02

Good evening.

2:03

I'm JD Masuera Adias, proudly representing the East Side District 5.

2:07

Good evening, Luana Mayfield, Council Member at Large.

2:10

Good evening, Kimberly Owens speaking for District Six.

2:13

Good evening, everyone.

2:19

Allison Craig, Deputy City Manager.

2:21

Dante Anderson, District 1.

2:24

Joy Mayo, District 3.

2:26

Good evening.

2:26

I'm Victoria Watlington.

2:28

I have the pleasure of serving you as a member at large.

2:36

So we will begin our meeting with an invocation.

2:40

Expressions and inspiration, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:43

The invocation by the council members intended to solemnize our proceedings.

2:47

We celebrate the religious diversity of our community, including those without a religious faith.

2:52

Tonight, Councilmember Owens will give our invocation.

2:56

Thank you, Councilmember Driggs.

2:58

Um, for those of you who who know me particularly well or were privy to the night I was sworn in, you may have noted that I'm a I I have a firm adherence to separation of church and state, and consequently I was sworn in on this copy of our Constitution of the United States rather than a Bible.

3:16

I will say that in light of that, I had had some questioning.

4:07

So the other three that I will have this year will be informed by my belief that we are greater for the diversity of our faith expression.

4:16

So tonight's I will bring forward uh just a couple of thoughts that are in the vein of of my particular belief system.

4:24

Um we had wonderful expressions of uh Martin Luther King's teachings, and so I think I would be remiss not to to quote as as we solemnize our our discussions here tonight.

4:39

Uh something that that I have heard multiple times over the last weekend and that was always one of my favorite quotes, which is the time is always right to do what is right.

4:48

And that has been deeply resonant with me as I assume this position representing District Six.

4:53

I take that to heart, and uh again, I wanted to lift that up in light of of the timing of um of this first meeting after Martin Luther King's observance.

5:02

And then secondarily, and this one I I don't mean to be cheeky about it, but I will say that it's one that I've always held deeply uh close to my heart, as do my children, which is in uh in the Spider-Man movies.

5:15

Uncle Ben of all people leaves us as he's dying at at Spider-Man's at Spider-Man's feet.

5:22

He says, with great power comes great responsibility.

5:26

And I look at where we are as a country, I look at where we are as a citizenry, and um we all have power, and with that power, be it our powers of privilege, be it our powers of wisdom, be it our powers of experience, be it just our powers of proximity to situations that we can address.

5:43

I would ask that we all yield that responsibility.

5:46

And then finally, I would call uh sadly for a moment of silence for one of Charlotte's residents who was taken from us uh way too soon.

5:57

And I speak of uh Lance Sotello, who happened to be a friend and a classmate of Councilmember Mazara Arias.

6:08

And I I would ask that we observe a moment of silence in his honor.

6:13

He was um member of our community and um very active and a positive force for our community.

6:20

They will be dearly missed by all, and I thank them for their presence, their commitment, and their spirit.

6:26

And now I would call for a quick moment of silence.

6:42

I thank all of you for this moment of silence.

6:45

I ask you to bring into your heart the faith expression, the internal or external power that soothes and motivates you.

6:52

I ask you to bring that into this session and um with that.

6:55

Thank you.

6:56

Thank you, Council Member.

6:57

Please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

7:00

I pledge by the United States of America and individual liberty and justice for all.

7:17

And now before we go on to the explanation of the zoning process, planning director Monica Holmes is asked to speak to council.

7:24

Hi, yes, uh, thank you.

7:26

I just want to make sure we just hand it out and gave you all uh copies of flyers for our upcoming community area plan workshops.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use and Development█████████████████████████████████████████████60%
Transportation Planning██████8%
Affordable Housing█████6%
Community Engagement████5%
Procedural███4%
Transportation Safety███4%
Environmental Protection██3%
Public Engagement██3%
Historic Preservation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Charlotte Zoning Meeting: January 20, 2026 – Deferrals, Decisions, and Hearings

The January 20, 2026, Charlotte City Council Zoning Meeting, chaired by Council Member Ed Driggs (District 7), began with an invocation and pledge of allegiance, followed by planning director Monica Holmes promoting upcoming community area plan workshops. The meeting addressed deferrals, consent agenda items, decisions on individual petitions, and public hearings. A total of 33 agenda items were processed, with multiple deferrals to February 16, 2026. Key discussions centered on housing density, traffic safety, affordable housing, and the new staff analysis incorporating adopted area plans.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 3, 4, and 7 were approved unanimously without pull or comment. These met criteria: no public opposition at hearing, staff and zoning committee recommended approval, and no changes after committee recommendation.
  • Item 5 (Petition 2025-107, Morris Holdings LLC): Approved unanimously. Council Member Johnson noted support from the Dorida Community Association and that roads are wider in that area of Mallard Creek.
  • Item 6 (Petition 2025-XXX): Approved unanimously. Council Member Masuera Arias raised concerns about traffic and transit improvements; CDOT confirmed the amendment reduces trips and previous commitments carry forward.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Petition 2025-126 (Crosland Southeast) – Senior Affordable Housing:
    • Bridget Grant (petitioner): Presented a proposal for 164 units (144 senior affordable, 20 townhomes) at 80% AMI for 30+ years. Emphasized senior housing reduces traffic impacts and the need for affordable housing.
    • Tim Citema (Crosland Southeast): Cited soaring median home income requirements (from $55,000 in 2005 to $146,000 in 2025) to justify the project. Noted the site is within a Qualified Census Tract, which facilitates LIHTC funding.
    • Maureen Mahood (opponent, Verndale resident): Opposed based on form and scale (four-story buildings abutting single-story homes) and traffic safety on the High Injury Network. Said the proposal is rental-only, not homeownership.
    • David Barron (opponent, Willora Lake Road resident): Raised density/scale, safety/infrastructure, and green space concerns. Expressed feeling the decision was pre-determined.
  • Petition 2025-094 (TAPCO Properties) – Townhomes:
    • John Floyd (petitioner): Presented 195 townhome units, emphasizing connectivity improvements and a $100,000 contribution to the ARIA HOA for road maintenance.
    • Jessica Carranza (opponent, Culvert Park resident): Cited traffic congestion on Mallard Creek Road, safety concerns, and insufficient traffic improvements.
    • Alexandra Tischione (opponent, ARIA at the Park): Concerned about density (10 du/ac vs. ARIA's lower density), traffic (1,325 daily trips), and strain on private roads and amenities.
    • Garland Green (opponent): General concerns about traffic congestion and high approval rate of petitions (98% in 2025).

Discussion Items

  • New Staff Analysis & Area Plan Transition: Planning staff outlined a revamped staff analysis with expanded context, place types, and consistency statements tied to adopted community area plans. Petitions within adopted plans now reference area plan goals, not solely the 2040 Policy Map. Council Member Johnson requested an update on the website to help residents find their area plan; staff confirmed it's live at CLTFuture2040.com.
  • Petition 2024-090 (Charter Properties): Approved after a vote not to return to zoning committee. Changes clarified affordable housing good-faith efforts (two HTF cycles in one year; if unsuccessful, obligation ends) and a $10,000 contribution for traffic calming on Galloway Road. Council Member Johnson highlighted work on an African American cemetery and community support.
  • Petition 2025-070 (Prosperity Alliance): Deferred earlier due to absence of District Council Member Graham, but later reconsidered and approved after confirmation of his support. The 30.37-acre site is west of Beatty's Ford Road.
  • Petition 2025-088 (Northway Homes LLC): Full discussion on downzoning from 28 multifamily units to 10–11 single-family detached homes. Neighbors raised concerns about stormwater run-off and neighborhood character. Petitioner committed to N1D conditional with single-family only. Council discussed stormwater triggers (12% threshold for on-site mitigation) and state restrictions on design aesthetics. No final vote; deferred for further community discussion.
  • Petition 2025-004 (Atrium Health): Approved. Example of a petition within an adopted area plan (South Inter). The 3.14-acre site at East Morehead Street will have 390 multifamily units (20% affordable at 80% AMI for 30 years) and 10,000 sq ft of ground-floor commercial. Building heights step down from 129 ft to 35 ft near single-family homes. Council noted strong community engagement.
  • Petition 2025-125 (Crosland Southeast): Approved. A 6.6-acre site near Sharon Amity Road for 164 units (144 senior affordable). Changes after zoning committee included eliminating one access point.

Key Outcomes

  • Deferrals Approved (Unanimous): Items 8, 9, 12, 14, 17, 18, and 23 deferred to February 16, 2026.
  • Consent Agenda Items (3, 4, 7): Approved unanimously.
  • Item 5 (2025-107): Approved unanimously.
  • Item 6 (2025-XXX): Approved unanimously.
  • Item 10 (2024-090): Approved; not sent back to zoning committee.
  • Item 13 (2025-070): Initially deferred, then reconsidered and approved after Council Member Graham's support was confirmed.
  • Item 15 (2025-098): Approved; not sent back to zoning committee.
  • Item 16 (2025-108): Approved.
  • Item 19 (2025-126): Public hearing closed; forwarded to zoning committee.
  • Item 21 (2025-085): Public hearing closed; staff opposed expansion of industrial uses near residential.
  • Item 22 (2025-004): Public hearing closed; forwarded to zoning committee.
  • Item 24 (2025-088): Public hearing closed; deferred for further discussion.
  • Item 25 (2025-091): Approved.
  • Item 26 (2025-096): Approved.
  • Item 27 (2025-102): Approved.
  • Item 28 (2025-111): Approved.
  • Item 29 (2025-112): Approved.
  • Item 30 (2025-113): Approved.
  • Item 31 (2025-115): Approved.
  • Item 32 (2025-116): Approved.
  • Item 33 (2025-119): Public hearing closed; forwarded to zoning committee.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. Excuse me. I don't think I was supposed to speak to you. Can I give us to you? Welcome. I would like to call this January 20th, 26th zoning meeting of the Charlotte City Council to order. My name is Ed Driggs. I am the District 7 Council Member and also Chair of the Transportation Planning and Development Committee, in which capacity I'm sitting here tonight. I will begin with introductions, commencing with Councilmember Johnson. Good evening. I'm Renee Johnson, and I'm honored to represent District 4. Good evening. I'm JD Masuera Adias, proudly representing the East Side District 5. Good evening, Luana Mayfield, Council Member at Large. Good evening, Kimberly Owens speaking for District Six. Good evening, everyone. Allison Craig, Deputy City Manager. Dante Anderson, District 1. Joy Mayo, District 3. Good evening. I'm Victoria Watlington. I have the pleasure of serving you as a member at large. So we will begin our meeting with an invocation. Expressions and inspiration, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The invocation by the council members intended to solemnize our proceedings. We celebrate the religious diversity of our community, including those without a religious faith. Tonight, Councilmember Owens will give our invocation. Thank you, Councilmember Driggs. Um, for those of you who who know me particularly well or were privy to the night I was sworn in, you may have noted that I'm a I I have a firm adherence to separation of church and state, and consequently I was sworn in on this copy of our Constitution of the United States rather than a Bible. I will say that in light of that, I had had some questioning. So the other three that I will have this year will be informed by my belief that we are greater for the diversity of our faith expression. So tonight's I will bring forward uh just a couple of thoughts that are in the vein of of my particular belief system. Um we had wonderful expressions of uh Martin Luther King's teachings, and so I think I would be remiss not to to quote as as we solemnize our our discussions here tonight. Uh something that that I have heard multiple times over the last weekend and that was always one of my favorite quotes, which is the time is always right to do what is right. And that has been deeply resonant with me as I assume this position representing District Six. I take that to heart, and uh again, I wanted to lift that up in light of of the timing of um of this first meeting after Martin Luther King's observance. And then secondarily, and this one I I don't mean to be cheeky about it, but I will say that it's one that I've always held deeply uh close to my heart, as do my children, which is in uh in the Spider-Man movies. Uncle Ben of all people leaves us as he's dying at at Spider-Man's at Spider-Man's feet. He says, with great power comes great responsibility. And I look at where we are as a country, I look at where we are as a citizenry, and um we all have power, and with that power, be it our powers of privilege, be it our powers of wisdom, be it our powers of experience, be it just our powers of proximity to situations that we can address. I would ask that we all yield that responsibility. And then finally, I would call uh sadly for a moment of silence for one of Charlotte's residents who was taken from us uh way too soon. And I speak of uh Lance Sotello, who happened to be a friend and a classmate of Councilmember Mazara Arias. And I I would ask that we observe a moment of silence in his honor. He was um member of our community and um very active and a positive force for our community. They will be dearly missed by all, and I thank them for their presence, their commitment, and their spirit. And now I would call for a quick moment of silence.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com