What is “Zoning”?
Every parcel of land within the City of Charlotte has an assigned zoning district. Each zoning district has a specific set of zoning regulations (rules) that determine how parcels of land may be used, including the size and location of buildings. In Charlotte, the UDO includes zoning regulations designed to implement the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
What is my zoning now that the UDO is effective?
The UDO zoning districts that were applied on June 1, 2023, can be found in this linked map. This map also shows the previous zoning under the old zoning ordinance.
What is “Rezoning?”
When a property owner wants to use their property in a way that isn’t allowed by their current zoning district regulations, they can apply to change to their zoning district. Changing a property’s zoning district is commonly referred to as a rezoning. For more information on rezoning, please see the Charlotte Rezoning website.
What is conventional zoning?
Conventional zoning districts are zoning districts in which the development and use of the property is subject to ordinance standards as written, with no additional conditions.
What is conditional zoning?
Conditional zoning districts are zoning districts in which the development and use of the property is subject to ordinance standards as well as any additional rules and conditions agreed upon through a formal rezoning process, approved by the City Council.
What is the Alignment Rezoning project (ARZ)?
The UDO establishes new zoning districts based on the Place Types per the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The alignment rezoning process will evaluate post-translated zoning designations for consistency with Place Types designations. Additional zoning changes may be recommended where the translated zoning districts do not currently align with and meet the intent of the 2040 Policy Map. Through this process staff will assess if there are areas that need refinement, an essential step to ensuring the zoning regulations implement the policy (2040 Policy Map).
The ultimate goal of the Alignment Rezoning project is to put development standards into place to achieve the vision of the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and associated 2040 Policy Map. This additional process is needed to specifically review and match zoning districts to the Council-adopted 2040 Policy Map, the result of which will be an updated Charlotte Official Zoning Map, which tells you what can be built, where it can be built, and how it can be built.
Aligning zoning districts to the 2040 Policy Map:
- Removes outdated regulatory limitations and
- Provides regulations to meet the vision established in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Why is Alignment Rezoning necessary if my property was rezoned with the UDO?
Existing conventional zoning districts translated to the new UDO zoning districts on June 1, 2023 – this is not considered a rezoning but updating existing zoning to be consistent with the newly-adopted UDO zoning districts.
A separate step is needed to specifically review and match those zoning districts to the Council-adopted 2040 Policy Map. Aligning zoning districts to the 2040 Policy Map:
- Removes outdated regulations,
- Offers clarity and guidance for new development, and
- Requires that development is designed to meet the vision established in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
What is the 2040 Policy Map and how does it affect my zoning?
The City’s Council adopted the 2040 Policy Map is a companion to the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The Policy Map is a translation of the Plan’s place-based policies to specific geographies within the City informing the type and intensity of development that is appropriate. This map will be used in multiple decision-making processes such as future zoning decisions and capital investments. This map will be used to determine where zoning changes are needed to align with the community’s vision for Charlotte’s growth.
How does ARZ work with Community Area Planning (CAP)?
Community Area Planning (CAP) and Alignment Rezoning (ARZ) are companion efforts and play an important role in providing for growth and change in Charlotte. These two efforts will work together to match zoning regulations with the community’s recommendations for future development. While these efforts both play an important role in providing for growth in Charlotte, they are two separate processes with different project scopes and expected outcomes.
Engagement is vital to the success of both the CAP and ARZ processes. There will be separate opportunities for the community to provide input which will ultimately revise the Policy Map and Official Zoning Map. During 2023, the alignment rezoning project will support the Community Area Planning efforts as they engage with the community.
What is the timeline/schedule for the ARZ project? What is the expected outcome?
Staff will be engaging the community and making alignment rezoning recommendations for conventional zoning in 2024 and 2025. Additionally, staff will follow a similar process to review conditional zoning districts during 2025 and 2026. The review of conditional zoning will be more detailed and complex because there are site-specific, Council-approved conditions.
How do I get involved/engage with the ARZ project? How can I provide comments?
Please visit www.charlotteudo.org to learn more about the Alignment Rezoning project, including opportunities for engagement.
