Community Area Plans provide more detailed guidance for the built environment including land use, design, transportation, and infrastructure.
These plans complement the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and are an important part of the city’s planning framework which ensures all planning efforts are aligned and aimed at implementing Charlotte’s vision for the future.
Watch to learn more about the Community Area Planning process, the next step in implementing the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Mira este video para obtener más información sobre el proceso de planificación de áreas (or zonas) comunitaria, el siguiente paso en la implementación del Plan de Desarrollo de 2040 de la Ciudad de Charlotte.
Community Area Planning began in January 2023. The goal is to complete a draft plan for each geography within two years. The schedule below outlines the general timing for plan development and is intended to be executed in 2023 and 2024. For exact meeting dates please visit the Get Involved section.
Phase 1: Set The Stage – Identify a community’s priorities for action by evaluating the area’s Equity Metrics which are essential to ensuring each community plays a role in creating an equitable city for all. Equity Metrics are defined by the Comprehensive Plan’s Equitable Growth Framework (EGF) as an area’s Access to Housing Opportunities, Job Opportunities, Essential Goods & Services, and Environmental Impacts.
Phase 2: Create Great Places – Ensure future development supports a community’s priorities by matching the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) zoning designations with recommendations for future growth as defined by Place Types (per the Charlotte Future 2040 Policy Map).
Phase 3: Support The Vision – Recommend projects and programs to support a community’s priorities. Potential projects may include needed infrastructure improvements as well as potential public/private partnerships. Program recommendations will identify the need for supporting city & county services.
Phase 4: Plan For Action – Develop an implementation strategy to address a community’s priorities. The implementation strategy will outline specific short- and long-term steps that can be taken by public and private entities bodies so the desired future in the plan may be realized.
Phase 5: Review & Adoption – Request for adoption of Community Area Plans by City Council.
Following the adoption of The Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan in June 2021, Charlotte City Council adopted the Charlotte Future 2040 Policy Map on March 28, 2022, as the first major Implementation item. Thank you to all who participated and provided your input into these efforts. We look forward to your continued participation during the Community Area Planning process.
Community Area Planning will build upon the public engagement efforts from both the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and Policy Map by carrying forward the input and voices shared during those processes. Community Area Planning will also use a similar range of virtual and in-person tools to engage community members and ensure this process is robust and inclusive.
Sign up for updates about Community Area Planning to receive information about future engagement opportunities.
1. Attend a Workshop –Join us in fall 2024 to provide input on projects & programs to support community priorities.
2. Check out the Community Area Planning Workbook – This resource is the first opportunity for Charlotte neighborhoods to get involved and shape the outcomes of the Community Area Planning process. The Workbook includes exercises to help facilitate conversations among one or several neighborhoods and identify valuable resources in their community. The input collected will help confirm issues and opportunities in each community, refine citywide mapping guidance, and identify needed projects and programs. Neighborhoods may complete one, two, or all of the workbook activities.
3. Explore the Community Area Planning Ambassador Toolkit – Help spread the word with the Community Area Planning Ambassador Toolkit! Use the provided templates for print, E-mail, social media, and other tools to share information on the Community Area Planning Process with the click of a button!
4. Read your Community Report – The first step in developing the Community Area Plans is to understand:
• Who lives, works, and plays in the community today?
• What growth is expected for the community by 2040?
• What are the community’s greatest needs to ensure the expected growth benefits everyone?
The reports help answer these important questions and set the stage for the 2023 Community Workshops.
The map above shows the engagement completed to date as part of the Community Area Planning process. This includes Community Meetings, Monthly Office Hours, and Other Meetings.
