Citing challenges with driveways and parking, Charlotte planners say they want to place new limits on triplexes in neighborhoods
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A slide from Monday’s City Council meeting outlining the proposed change.
by Tony Mecia
Charlotte’s planning staff is recommending that the construction of triplexes in most single-family neighborhoods be limited to corner lots, following some concerns from residents about new triplexes being planned near their houses.
The Ledger reported in February that some residents in south Charlotte are worried about triplexes being built in their neighborhoods, which has been allowed since last summer under city rules as part of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
In a presentation to the City Council on Monday, planning director Alyson Craig said building triplexes inside existing neighborhoods can create problems with parking and driveways.
“Triplexes can be challenging, because there is a challenge between maintaining the pedestrian environment but also recognizing that there are cars and driveways and driveway cuts, and it is really hard to have both of those,” she said. “The thinking is it’s better to have triplexes on a corner, where you can have driveways on two different street frontages to really space that out.”
The proposed changes could draw criticism that the city is watering down its new development rules, which took effect last June and are designed to encourage more construction of housing to help relieve rising housing prices.
Controversial provision: When housing development changes were debated in 2021, the change allowing duplexes and triplexes in single-family neighborhoods was one of the most controversial provisions of the UDO. It passed on a 6-5 vote.
After hearing Monday’s presentation, council members seemed to have few objections to the recommendations.
Council member Malcolm Graham, who voted in favor of the UDO, said the council needs to balance the reality that the new development rules would always have changes and require improvements with the need to create certainty among developers and residents.
“I’m concerned that starting tomorrow, we will get a lot of phone calls, because of the uncertainty with what people can do and what they can’t do,” he said. But he said he’s a “team player” and that he’ll “go along with it.”
The change to the development rules would affect most neighborhoods, according to a map of zoning districts presented Monday. It would allow triplexes only on corners in N1 zoning districts, which is the designation of most single-family neighborhoods:
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The Ledger’s article in February gave an example of a triplex under construction on Topping Place, near the Barclay Downs neighborhood close to SouthPark Mall. The lot was bought for $825,000 in August 2023, and three units could each sell for $1M or more. The president of the nearby homeowners association said: “Neighbors are concerned. … There are more questions than there are answers right now.”
The same company building the triplex on Topping Place, Aspen City Homes, is building at least seven other triplexes in Charlotte neighborhoods, city records show.
Craig said Monday that 20 triplexes are being built under UDO rules.
City staff and the council will work on the language of the revised rules in the coming months, with a City Council vote expected in July.
What does this mean for the Rea Road Gillespie Project and RK Investments Rezoning Request RZP 2022-121?
At this point it is hard to say. Clearly Charlotte City Council recognized that having a UDO that gave developers a by-right option that was possibly worse than rezoning was "uncomfortable".
It may also may mean that the "by-right" option becomes a hands down clear choice compared to RK Investments proposal since it could cut the number of buildable units under by-right by one third.
It also means that RK Investments better come up with a last minute proposal that has substantial changes as Ed Driggs promised or any chance of "compromise" is dead on arrival.
Chip Starr
Note Charlotte Ledger needs our support join the effort here.
14 comments:
That is a pretty interesting development. Does it help the cause? Doesn't seem like it hurts.
Doubtful it will change anything unfortunately. I guess we will see.
Looks like RK and Ed Driggs by-right would be worse argument just died in the ER.
But this developer is too dumb to withdraw his petition. Wonder what Driggs cut is?
That certainly makes by-right the obvious choice. Anyone object?
No way Charlotte City Council has suddenly had awaking?
Why is Ed Driggs still supporting these rezoning requests?
I read the changes proposed and looked at the slides (go to City website). Unfortunately, it does not go far enough. They could still nuke most of the trees with a by-right and it does not make this single-family only, just eliminates some of the triplex stuff. I worry about what that will look like honestly. Word is that the pond goes away if they lose the zoning too. I hate to see that go and all that water goes into Fourmile with zero detention if it goes. I wish they would have sold it to the County, but since something is going to happen, the most important thing to me is the trees on Rea. I do not want to see it from Rea, whatever it is.
By right means no voluntary developer funded improvements.
By right means only 6 acres of trees will be saved.
REZONING CODIFIES PROTECTIONS INCLUDING MASSIVE WOODED BUFFERS.
SUPPORT the zoning to save trees and wildlife.
YES - I object to by right clear cutting and grading with no protections!
I wonder who objected in 1985 to Piper Glen being planned before I-485 was built?
I heard they planned 1000 apartments that were never built after the S&L collapse and Resolution Trust Corporation debacle.
No one objected to apartments in 1985 because no one was stupid enough to propose jamming ugly apartment buildings into a rolling 1,000 acre farm.
I sense panic on team RK
You ain't building that garbage in my backyard!
Always surprised at the number of people who can't wait til they start making the place trashy.
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