Planning and Zoning laws in the Queen City are a complicated issue and were developed over a lot of time with standardization. That’s what the Unified Development Ordinance or UDO aims to change. There are many areas of the UDO that homeowners in Charlotte contested, but City Council on Monday the 22nd voted 6-4 to adopt the ordinance. Here’s what it means for Lake Wylie folks who have a Charlotte address.
The item that got the most pushback from residents is the change in zoning to allow multi-family development in areas typically set aside for single-family only housing. It means that a parcel that used to have just one house could be developed to have many different families living all together adding urban density and preventing suburban sprawl. Many residents are concerned about the ruling changing the character of neighborhoods and inviting more gentrification. This change in zoning would not affect anyone who lives in a neighborhood with an Homeowners Association as the rules of the HOA will still apply regardless of what City Council does.
Other major parts of the UDO involve parking minimums and rules for cars, electric vehicles and bikes. These are not too much of an issue the further out from the city center you are, but do come into play if you live close to a transit station. The ordinance also spells out how many charging stations and bike parking spots you need to have for mixed-use developments.
Residents will also have more ways to help preserve the historical nature of neighborhoods. This is meant to help stop gentrification from erasing our city’s history.
The UDO also sets rules for tree removal. In order to remove a heritage tree, one native to the area and of a specific size, you will need a permit and will have to plant a tree to replace it and possibly pay a fee. This measure is to help protect our tree canopy and keep areas of open space despite denser development.
To learn more about this issue or to talk about buying or selling a home in the Lake Wylie area, call us at 803-831-8588. You can view current listings and create custom searches on our website here.
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