Charlotte city council’s UDO vote was big news (Sustain Charlotte statement)
Charlotte City Council passed the Unified Development Ordinance in a 6-4 vote on Aug. 22. The UDO is a crucial tool in implementing the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
The ordinance updates zoning rules and guides how our city will grow in the coming decades, with new guidance for housing, parking, and the tree canopy, among other things. Sustain Charlotte had urged City Council to pass the UDO.
One of the most important components of the UDO is a change that allows for more housing in Charlotte. Now, duplexes and triplexes can be built in neighborhoods that previously had only been zoned for single-family homes.
“Today, where there’s one family living on one lot, (this), could give the potential to have two to three to four times the families to be able to live in that same square footage,” our urban design specialist, Eric Zaverl, told WBTV at the City Council meeting. The vote was major news in Charlotte.
The Charlotte Observer, WFAE, the Charlotte Business Journal, and South Charlotte Weekly all featured our stance, along with a quote from Meg Fencil, our director of impact and engagement.
“Allowing duplexes and triplexes in areas that have traditionally been reserved only for single-family homes will increase Charlotte’s housing supply,” Meg said. “Hopefully, this will lead to a broader range of housing prices, help more families live in the city, and increase neighborhood diversity.”