Charlotte’s Unified Development Ordinance takes big steps to promote housing affordability, sustainability, connectivity, and quality urbanism in one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

It also takes strategic, incremental steps toward bold change as the City evolves. 

Camiros worked with the City of Charlotte to create a new, place-based Unified Development Ordinance. Working with staff and an Ordinance Advisory Committee, the new UDO will help implement the place types of the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan, as well as standards that will help grow the City in a sustainable and equitable manner.

Due to intense development pressures on the City, the ability to control development around current and future transit corridors was an immediate concern. Therefore, as part of the process, Camiros worked with the City to draft and adopt a series of Transit-Oriented Development Districts. Using a form-based approach, four districts were created to address the different levels of development intensity occurring - ranging from those in proximity to single-family neighborhoods to Uptown, the City’s central business district. These districts were comprehensive, addressing the form of development, a flexible use structure, and how development should address the public right-of-way and walkability.

With such rapid growth, a major issue facing the Charlotte is the shortage of affordable housing, made even more difficult since inclusionary zoning is prohibited by the State of North Carolina. Understanding that affordable housing is needed city-wide but also provides particular value when located on transit corridors, a bonus provision was crafted where the provision of affordable units allows for more height. Additionally, taking direction from the City’s Comprehensive Plan, all residential districts allow for duplex and triplex development, with provisions for quadraplexes in certain circumstances.

The districts within the UDO are organized around the place types established within the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Each set of districts is assigned to a place type category are tailored to specifically reflect the form and character of development. Form-based controls for development within the district are coupled with standards around right-of-way design, connectivity, and public realm design. The use structure is flexible, allowing for a diverse mix of housing types and commercial uses throughout the majority of the City.