.
. WSC
. WSC SHORT AND THE TOUGH QUESTIOS GET ASKED AND ANSWERED.
THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE ON
FLASH POINT.
I'M BEN THOMPSON.
A MASTER PLAN FOR THE CITY OF
CHARLOTTE CAME TO A BIT OF A
SCREECHING HALT THIS WEEK.
CHARLOTTE 20 40 COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN IS IS YEARS IN THE MAKING
NOW THE PLAN MAPS OUT
DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENTS MADE IN
THE QUEEN CITY OVER THE NEXT
TWO DECADES.
IT AIMS TO MAKE IT MORE
EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE,
CONNECTED, INNOVATIVE, MAKES A
BETTER PLACE TO LIVE FOR
EVERYBODY AND WOULD SHAPE THE
FUTURE OF PLACES WE LIVE.
WE WORK SHOP AND WE PLAY.
MANY US CITIES HAVE PLANS LIKE
THIS ONE.
CHARLOTTE HAS NOT HAD A
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SINCE
NINETEEN SEVENTY FIVE SO WE'RE
OVERDUE FOR ONE.
HOWEVER THIS WEEK A NEW SETBACK
IN APPROVING THE FULL PLAN CITY
COUNCIL MEMBERS CONCERNED OVER
PART OF THE PLAN THAT WOULD
ALLOW DUPLEXES AND TRIPLEX IS
IN AREAS WHERE SINGLE FAMILY
HOUSING IS ALLOWED.
CHARLES HUNTER SIGNS SHOWS US
WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE.
WELL, THIS WOULD IMPACT THE
TYPES OF HOMES THAT COULD BE
BUILT RIGHT IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
IF COUNCIL GOES THROUGH WITH
THIS, THEY WOULD GET RID OF
SINGLE FAMILY ONLY ZONING.
IT MEANS MORE DUPLEXES AND
TRIPLEX IS COULD BE BUILT RIGHT
NEXT DOOR TO YOU IN A GROWING
CITY LEADERS ARE TRYING TO PLAN
WHAT CHARLOTTE WILL ONE DAY
LOOK LIKE.
IT WILL CHANGE THE CITY THAT
OUR CHILDREN GROW UP IN A KEY
TO IT THE RULE BOOK FOR
BUILDING HOMES ABOUT 84 PERCENT
OF THE RESIDENTIAL LAND IN
CHARLOTTE IS ZONED FOR ONLY
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES.
THE CITY WANTS TO CHANGE THAT
GETTING RID OF SINGLE FAMILY
ONLY ZONING.
THE CHANGES WOULD ALLOW MORE
PEOPLE TO LIVE IN THE CITY BY
ALLOWING DUPLEXES, TRIPLEX AND
COMPLEXES TO BE BUILT IN SINGLE
FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS.
DILWORTH MYERS PARK ELIZABETH
TO NAME A FEW.
THERE IS A BELIEF THAT THAT
WILL HELP LOWER THINGS LIKE
SEGREGATION AND THE COST OF
HOUSING.
ELI PORTILLO, THE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR AT THE UNC CHARLOTTE
URBAN INSTITUTE, SAYS THESE
TYPES OF CHANGES ARE OFTEN
CONTROVERSIAL NEARBY RESIDENTS
OFTEN HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT
TRAFFIC PROPERTY VALUES THE
EFFECT ON NEIGHBORHOOD
CHARACTER.
RIGHT NOW THERE ARE ONLY 1600
MULTIFAMILY HOMES IN THE CITY,
A THIRD OF WHICH WERE BUILT IN
THE NINETEEN FIFTIES.
COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ALREADY
SKEPTICAL AND WORRIED THE
PUBLIC DOESN'T KNOW SINGLE
FAMILY ZONING IS AT RISK.
SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD IS
AN AMERICAN TRADITION.
THERE ARE CONCERNS WITH THE
SINGLE FAMILY AND THE DENSITY
PIECE IF WE'RE SETTING OUR
SIGHTS ON SINGLE FAMILY
NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE GOALS OF
BREAKING THEM UP AND MAKING
THEM INCLUDE OTHER TYPES OF
HOUSING THAT IS SOMETHING THAT
IS VERY SERIOUS.
COUNCIL MEMBERS OVERWHELMINGLY
SAY RIGHT LET'S
GET STARTED.
JOINS US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE
PLAN THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE'S
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND
DIRECTOR OF PLANNING TAIWO
JOJOBA TIWA WE SHOULD SAY HERE
PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THIS BUT
BUT CITIES DON'T JUST
ORGANICALLY HAPPEN.
THEY TAKE A LOT OF PLANNING BY
BY PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF FOR
EVERYTHING TO COME TOGETHER.
IT SEEMED LIKE IT JUST
ORGANICALLY HAPPENED.
EXPLAIN WHAT IS THIS WHAT'S THE
POINT OF THIS CHARLOTTE TWENTY
FOUR FORTY PLAN TO BEGIN WITH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH BEN.
THE POINT IS THIS IN ORDER FOR
US TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHERE
WE'RE GOING, WE'VE HAVING TO
GET THERE RIGHT AND SO
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN C
ESSENTIALLY ARE NOT FOR STAFF.
THEY HELP US TO GUIDE OUR
GROWTH AND YOU KNOW WHERE WE'RE
HOW WE'RE GOING TO GROW AND
WHERE WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP.
NOT ONLY THAT BUT IT ALSO HELPS
PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN AROUND THEM AND AS
PEOPLE MOVE INTO CHARLOTTE, AS
PEOPLE MOVE AROUND FROM HOME TO
WALK, PIPELINE ESPECIALLY LAYS
OUT THE BIG PICTURE AS TO HOW
DO ALL THOSE THINGS COME
TOGETHER BUT IT CANNOT HAPPEN
WITHOUT COMMUNITY INPUT.
AND SO THAT'S JUST ESSENTIALLY
WHAT A LOT OF COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TOGETHER
TO NOT ENGAGE FOR BUT ALSO MAKE
SURE THAT YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH
TRENDS RIGHT NOW AND THINGS
THAT YOU ANTICIPATE MAY HAPPEN
IN THE FUTURE.
THERE'S A LOT TO THIS PLAN.
YES.
ONE THING THAT SORT OF GOT SOME
OF THE ATTENTION OF CITY
COUNCIL MEMBERS AND I SPOKE TO
THE MEDIA THIS PAST WEEK WAS
THE IDEA THAT THAT SINGLE
FAMILY HOUSING HERE IN
CHARLOTTE COULD BE AT LEAST
REASONED OR CHANGED TO INCLUDE
DUPLEXES AND TRY LEXY'S AND
THEN YOU COULD HAVE QUADRO
FLEXES ON SOME MAJOR STREETS.
I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD.
PUT PEOPLE'S FEAR TO EASE THE
CITY'S NOT GOING TO COME AND
SWITCH OVER THEIR SINGLE FAMILY
LOT TOMORROW.
EXPLAIN THE BIG PICTURE HERE IN
L.A. SPEAK IT'S OF ZONING AND
ESSENTIALLY WHAT PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN SAYING STUDIED IS GOING TO
ELIMINATE OR ABOLISH SINGLE
FAMILY ZONING.
THAT IS A MYTH THAT'S BEEN PUT
OUT THERE BY SOME PEOPLE BUT I
WANT TO BE CRYSTAL CLEAR WHEN I
SAY WE ARE NOT ELIMINATE OR
ABOLISHING SINGLE FAMILY
ZONING, SOME PEOPLE MAY CALL IT
THAT.
THE FACT IS THAT YOU ARE STILL
ABLE TO BUILD SINGLE FAMILY
HOUSING IN ANY PART OF THE
CITY.
IN FACT, NOWHERE IN A
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOCUMENT
DOES IT SAY THAT UNFORTUNATELY
AS IN FALSE NARRATIVE
SURROUNDING THAT, HOWEVER, I
ENCOURAGE OUR RESIDENTS TO READ
AND DOCUMENT THERE WILL BE MORE
THINGS THAT PEOPLE WILL AGREE
BECAUSE A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE
INTO CREATING A SHELTER FOR THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BY OUR
COMMUNITY AND OURSELVES.
IT'S A PARTNERSHIP.
WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WE KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR
FUTURE.
LET'S PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
SO ABOUT THREE HUNDRED AND
EIGHTY FIVE THOUSAND MORE
PEOPLE WILL BE ADDED TO THE
POPULATION OF CHARLOTTE ANOTHER
TWENTY YEARS.
TWENTY FOUR YEARS THAT TAKES US
TO ABOUT TWO MILLION PEOPLE.
THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NEED
TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE.
CHARLOTTE IS NUMBER ONE IN THE
COUNTRY FOR ATTRACTING BABY
BOOMERS.
WELL, THE TOP FIVE IN THE
COUNTRY FOR MILLENNIALS IN A
CITY WHERE 80 PERCENT OF OUR
LAND AREA IS CURRENTLY ZONED
EXCUSE FOR SINGLE FAMILY
DEVELOPMENT, A SIXTY SEVEN
PERCENT ARE PROTECTED BY AGE OR
A HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION.
DEED RESTRICTIONS YOU WOULDN'T
SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING
EXCLUSIVELY IS NOT SUSTAINABLE
.
IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHERE
WE HAVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
SITUATION IN OUR CITY TODAY.
EVERY MARKET PROJECTION WE HAVE
SEEN HAS SHOWN THAT SINGLE
FAMILY HOUSING IS NOT GOING TO
FOR THE FUTURE WHEN YOU COMPARE
THEM TO COSHED SINGLE FAMILY
HOMES LIKE TOWNHOMES, DUPLEXES
AND IN SOME INSTANCES LEXIE'S.
AND THAT'S WHY WOW
OTHER HOUSING PRODUCTS IN OUR
CITY THROUGHOUT OUR CITY.
LET ME LET ME JUMP IN JUST REAL
QUICKLY BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE
PEOPLE FEAR WHAT THEY DON'T
KNOW AND IF THEY CAN VISUALIZE
SOMETHING THEN IT MIGHT MAKE IT
EASIER THE WAY YOU ARE
DESCRIBING IT OR THE WAY I'VE
READ IT COMPARE IT TO SAY SOME
OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND
UPTOWN IF YOU HAVE ELIZABETH OR
PARTS OF DILWORTH OR POSSIBLY
WHERE YOU HAVE A LOT OF MIXED
SORT OF YOU DO HAVE DUPLEXES
THERE OR TRIPLEX IS THERE AND
THEN YOU HAVE A FEW HOUSES HERE
AND IT'S I MEAN THOSE
NEIGHBORHOODS ARE VERY, VERY
NICE NEIGHBORHOODS.
IS THAT SORT OF WHAT IT WOULD
LOOK LIKE?
THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK
LIKE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, EVERY
ENGAGEMENT WHERE THAT WILL
ENGAGE PEOPLE IN CHARLOTTE WITH
CHARLOTTE OR IN EAST CHARLOTTE
YOU DEAL WITH SOME OF THESE
WERE THE THINGS THAT THEY WERE
SAYING WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO
AGE AND STAY IN PLACE WHERE
YOU HAVE A MIX OF HOUSING
PRODUCTS OR SOMEBODY WHO WANTS
TO DOWNSIZE FROM A 3000 SQUARE
HOME TO A 700 SQUARE FOOT
TOWNHOUSE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO
THAT WITHOUT LOSING THEIR
RELATIONSHIPS, THOSE TYPES OF
THINGS THAT WE ARE.
SO YES, IT'S SOMETHING WE
ALREADY HAVE TODAY.
HOWEVER, WE'RE LIMITED TO WHERE
WE CAN DO THAT ON A LOT FOR THE
MOST PART AND THERE'S ONLY SO
MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH KIND OF
LOCKS AND SO ALLOWING IT
THROUGUT THE CITY ESSENTIALLY
CREATE MANY NEIGHBORHOODS THAT
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT LIKE
IN DILWORTH OR LIKE ELISABET
WHERE YOU HAVE TRANSFIXES WHERE
YOU HAVE TOWNHOMES WE HAVE A
LOT OF THAT IN MY HOUSE AS WELL
BY THE WAY.
SO YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT
EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND IT DOES
NOT NECESSARILY MEAN HIGHER
DENSITY.
WHAT IT DOES IS IT MEANS
DIVERSITY OF HOUSING TYPES AND
IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEANS
THAT DEVELOPERS HAVE CARTE
BLANCHE, YOU KNOW, APPROVER TO
DO IT ANYWHERE BECAUSE A LOT
STILL HAS TO GO INTO MAKING IT
HAPPEN.
BUT WE DO HAVE IT TODAY.
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE HAVE MORE OF IT IN OUR PARTS
OF OUR CITY HERE.
LET ME GET YOUR RESPONSE TO
THIS REAL QUICK AND WE'VE GOT
TO KEEP QUIET BECAUSE WE'VE RUN
OUT OF TIME.
IF YOU KEEP IT, KEEP IT LIKE
TWENTY SECONDS.
WAS THERE ENOUGH PUBLIC INPUT
IN THIS?
I KNOW THAT'S BEEN A CRITICISM.
I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN VIRTUAL
MEETINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
INVITED TO.
BUT CONSIDERING WE'RE IN A
PANDEMIC, SHOULD THERE HAVE
BEEN MORE PUBLIC INPUT?
SO WE SPENT TWENTY NINETEEN
PART OF TWENTY EIGHT IN PUBLIC
PROCESS PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC
IN TWENTY TWENTY AND THERE'S A
LOT OF OTHER PLANS BEING
ADOPTED HERE AS WELL.
SO WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO
HAVE BEEN DOING IT.
I BELIEVE THAT WE'VE ENGAGED A
LOT OF ELEVEN THOUSAND PEOPLE
ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC
AND OVER HALF A MILLION PEOPLE
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS THAT
WE'VE INTERACTED WITH.
SO I DON'T DOUBT THAT WE SHOULD
CONTINUE TO ENGAGE MORE AND
MORE.
I DON'T THINK IT IS NOT THE END
OF ENGAGEMENT AS WELL.
AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO
THIS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS
AND WEEKS.
TOWEL JOB TITLE YOU HAVE A
REALLY IMPORTANT JOB AND A
DIFFICULT JOB AND A BUSY JOB AS