Charlotte's TOD Alignment Rezoning Initiative
“The 2019 TOD Alignment Rezoning Initiative will rezone over 1,900 parcels on the Blue Line light rail corridor that have a recommended future land use of transit oriented development in an adopted transit station area plan.”
What is The TOD alignment rezoning initiative?
Charlotte City Council over the years has adopted station area plans for parcels surrounding the LYNX Blue Line light rail. These plans recommend land use and zoning districts for all the properties surrounding the LYNX stations. These properties will need to be rezoned in order for them to be consistent with the type of development the station area plans are encouraging to take place. The City of Charlotte believe that the rezoning changes will result in greater development and predictability for property owners as well as community members in general.
The alignment rezoning initiative aims to ensure that properties located in transit station areas have the zoning designation of Transit Oriented Development, otherwise known as TOD. The City of Charlotte’s goal is to build transit station areas that are high-intensity, urban neighborhoods where people are able to live, work, shop, and dine, as well as take part in recreational activities. These areas would have a strong network of streets, sidewalks, and bicycle paths that offer access to the transit stations. In order to fulfill these goals, the zoning of many properties along the Blue Line light rail corridor need to change to a Transit Oriented Development zoning district.
How many areas will be rezoned?
In determining what zoning district is best for each parcel, a set of criteria was developed by Charlotte Planning. There are no sites that will be considered for TOD Alignment Rezoning if it does not have an adopted future land use along the Blue Line light rail alignment.
There are almost 2,000 separate parcels that are proposed for rezoning which equates to over 2,200 acres. These parcels will be rezoned to the new TOD district that is most appropriate for that property’s location. There are four TOD zoning options. These TOD changes provide flexibility in uses by creating broader use categories and it creates more development entitlements, less process and more predictability.
TOD Urban Center (TOD-UC)
TOD Community Center (TOD-CC)
TOD Neighborhood Center (TOD-NC)
TOD Transitional (TOD-TR)
When will these changes take place?
The rezoning changes are currently scheduled to take place in October 2019 after a September public hearing. The alignment process is being done in a transparent and public manner – this includes informational meetings, discussions with property owners, neighborhoods, and any other interested parties.
To find out whether or not your property is included in the TOD Alignment Rezoning you can follow this link then type in your street address into the online map to locate your parcel. If your property is included in this TOD rezoning, there will be a corresponding color aligning with the zoning district that is recommended.
The hope of the TOD Alignment Rezoning Initiative is that there will be diversity in housing choices and access to daily services, rehabilitation and reuse of structures that contribute to the identity of neighborhoods, and support of public investment in transit infrastructure.
Content Authored By: Kristina Beek
CLT Public Relations can assist landowners who are voluntarily or involuntary transitioning their property to a TOD zoning. We provide landowners with Land-Use Advocacy, Property Analysis and Development Evaluation.