Community Goals (1 of 2)

Emphasis needs to be put on the fact that these are medium-density and not high-density/high-rise developments. Growth of the city is inevitable and the only way to slow the increase in housing costs and "San Francisco effect" is to provide more housing now! Prevention of increased density leads to more development farther away, which will, in turn, increase congestion more than dense development close to the city core will. Medium-density development paired with improved public transportation will lead to a revitalization of neighborhoods and reduced congestion, as it will allow people to live near their jobs and, hopefully, decrease the dependency on cars that this city sees through walkable, transit-oriented development. All of this can be realized through medium-density (NOT necessarily high-density) development. We cannot lose this factor of the 2040 plan, it is essential to all other parts!

This goal should be reworked to acknowledge that there are no efforts to improve bus transit services in most of the county that would allow existing neighborhoods to become a 10-minute transit ride from essential needs. Accomplishing the goal by creating neighborhood nodes would negate Goal 9 Retain our Indentity.

Need to add more parks

There must be a component of this development that is affordable workforce housing. Without that we will end up with South End everywhere there is transit. (Blue lining instead of red lining!) And a similar outcome - pushing people with less income to the fringes of our community.

How will this be monitored and implemented, since existing regulations are not enforced?

Higher density will have unintended consequences if left to developers. Schools will face additional overcrowding. Traffic arteries will become even more overloaded. The character of existing neighborhoods, both high and lower income will be negatively affected. Without a regulatory agency there will not be an increase in affordable units. Ten years ago we estimated that by 2025 all buildable land would be developed. Our density will be similar to the SF bay area with a continued escalation of housing prices and a shrinking of inventory for sale.

Earlier in the overview of the 2040 Plan, it states that "through the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing and increasing the number of affordable and workforce housing through new construction." Affordable is relative here as many can not afford the "affordable housing" that is currently available. Also how will the Housing Authority be involved to ensure that the livability of dwellings are being kept...livable.

I do think this is vital as Charlotte grows, but have seen examples where visually glaring structures have been added that wreck the entire feel of a neighborhood. Zoning and the 2040 Plan go hand in hand. Given Charlotte's history of developer-driven growth, I believe there needs to be protections built in so expanding housing options can be welcomed, and not feared.

In a recent community meeting, one city council member tried to raise the alarm that single home neighborhoods could be transformed into patchwork quilts of different density types under this new plan. However, o n the board about Place Types, it sounded like there would still be different zoning for different neighborhood types (ie: 1, 2, 3, nodes, etc) and the entire city would not be painted in one brush stroke to mixed use. What describes to current plan most accurately? Will there still be specific building guidelines based on location?