How Multifamily Housing Gets Approved in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte's 2023 Unified Development Ordinance set new permitted building types for its Neighborhood 1 districts and created four Transit Oriented Development districts along the city's rapid transit corridors, including Blue Line light rail stations. For sites that need a zoning change, the city follows a petition process that includes a community meeting for conditional petitions, Planning Commission review, and a City Council public hearing and vote.

Neighborhood 1 districts: duplexes and triplexes

Charlotte's Unified Development Ordinance, effective June 1, 2023, replaced the city's legacy single family districts with six Neighborhood 1 districts: N1-A, N1-B, N1-C, N1-D, N1-E and N1-F. In N1-A through N1-E, the UDO text states that single family, duplex and triplex dwellings are allowed for development on every lot in the district, subject to each district's dimensional standards (UDO Section 4.1). A quadraplex is allowed on a lot with arterial street frontage when the development includes an affordable housing unit within the building (UDO Section 4.1). N1-F allows every building type permitted in N1-A through N1-E, plus small scale multi-family buildings, and is intended for use along arterials.

• Minimum residential lot area: 10,000 square feet in N1-A, 8,000 in N1-B, 6,000 in N1-C, 3,500 in N1-D, and 3,000 in N1-E and N1-F (UDO Table 4-1).
• Maximum residential building height: 48 feet in N1-A, N1-B and N1-F, and 40 feet in N1-C, N1-D and N1-E (UDO Table 4-3).
• In N1-A through N1-D, a development that sets aside affordable units for households at 80 percent of Area Median Income or below may build to the next district's standards under the voluntary mixed income option (UDO Section 4.5.B).

Transit Oriented Development along the rapid transit corridors

The UDO creates four Transit Oriented Development districts in Article 13: TOD-TR (Transit Transition), TOD-CC (Transit Community Center), TOD-NC (Transit Neighborhood Center) and TOD-UC (Transit Urban Center). Each district applies within a walking distance of an existing or funded rapid transit station, including Blue Line light rail stations, or of a streetcar stop; the walking distance ranges from a quarter mile to one mile depending on the district and the transit type (UDO Section 13.1). TOD-UC sites sit closest to the highest intensity stations and permit the greatest heights and the least required parking. TOD-TR applies farther from Uptown and holds the lowest heights of the four districts.

• TOD-TR: maximum building height 50 feet, 75 feet with a bonus (UDO Table 13-2).
• TOD-CC: maximum building height 90 feet, 130 feet with a bonus.
• TOD-NC: maximum building height 75 feet, 100 feet with a bonus.
• TOD-UC: maximum building height 130 feet, 300 feet with a bonus, and no maximum within a quarter mile walking distance of a rapid transit station.

The rezoning petition process

Multifamily sites that need a zoning change in Charlotte follow the petition process administered by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department. Most multifamily petitions seek conditional zoning, which requires a petitioner to hold a community meeting and file a written report with the City Clerk and the Planning Department at least ten days before the public hearing, or the case is deferred. City Council holds rezoning public hearings monthly, typically on the third Monday, with the Planning Commission's Zoning Committee in attendance. The Zoning Committee delivers its recommendation to City Council at a public meeting held the fourth Wednesday of the same month, and City Council renders its decision at the following month's rezoning meeting.

• A pre-application meeting with Planning Department staff, recommended before filing.
• An application and filing fee submitted to the Planning Department.
• A community meeting and written report, required for conditional zoning petitions.
• A City Council public hearing, held the third Monday of the month.
• A Zoning Committee recommendation, delivered the fourth Wednesday of the same month.
• A City Council decision, rendered at the following month's rezoning meeting.

Questions

Are duplexes and triplexes allowed in every Charlotte neighborhood?

Only within the Neighborhood 1 zoning districts, N1-A through N1-F. The UDO states that single family, duplex and triplex dwellings are allowed for development on every lot in N1-A through N1-E, subject to each district's lot and height standards (UDO Section 4.1).

How close to a rapid transit station does a site need to be for TOD zoning?

It depends on the district. TOD-CC and TOD-UC generally apply within a half mile walking distance of an existing rapid transit station, while TOD-TR and TOD-NC can extend to a one mile walking distance of an existing station (UDO Section 13.1).

How long does a rezoning petition take in Charlotte?

The city has not published a fixed total timeline. City Council holds rezoning hearings monthly, the Zoning Committee recommends at a public meeting the fourth Wednesday of the same month, and City Council decides at the following month's rezoning meeting, placing the hearing to decision span at about five to six weeks before any pre-filing steps are counted.

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