It became readily apparent during the development of the Plan that detailed mapping at the neighborhood and community level would not be equitable and inclusive if conducted on a citywide scale. Thus, a first step in the implementation of the Equitable Growth Framework and the Comprehensive Plan will include mapping of Place Types and then developing Community Area Plans for the entire city.

Place Type Testing

In March 2020, the Comprehensive Plan planning team met with City and County interdepartmental staff for a focus area planning, design and visualization process to test the Place Type palette included in the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. This was held in early March of 2020, just before the COVID-19 Stay Home Order, and included a report-out session to share the work at the conclusion of the work session.

The primary goals for the work sessions were to:

• Discuss real world application of Place Types and more significant Place Type change over time;
• Confirm feasibility of preliminary Place Type parameters and other aspirational characteristics;
• Identify types of projects necessary for more common Place Type changes expected across the community;
• Discuss policy implications of Place Type change and necessary public improvements;
• Test and refine our approach to 5-year community investment program (CIP) in the Comprehensive Plan; and
• Initial brainstorm of CIP project evaluation criteria.

  The deep dive work sessions resulted in the following:

• Adjustments to Place Type definitions and aspirational characteristics included in the Comprehensive Plan;
• Plan view diagramming and 3D visualization graphics for all Place Types using real world examples in Charlotte. Location identifiers were removed to avoid land speculation, but important prototypical features of the community are highlighted in the graphics;
• An approach to Place Type adjacencies and patterns to inform recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan and to help guide Future Place Type mapping;
• Place Type Mapping Guidance and Approach documented in the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Strategy. The final column summarizes input from the Plan’s Ambassadors and Strategic Advisors/Stakeholder group; and
• Concise set of detailed recommendations for the focus area to help understand the policy implications of the change (existing to aspirational) and investments needed to make them viable places to live, work and play.

Future Place Type Mapping

A first step in implementing the Comprehensive Plan will be using the palette of Place Types in Charlotte’s Place Typology to map the desired future of the community.

Mapping Geographies

Establishing geographies for the mapping of Future Place Types and for Community Area Planning should consider geographic size, as well as existing and future populations. An initial attempt at establishing Community Areas for the City divided Charlotte’s planning area into a set of 15 smaller geographies. These draft Community Areas should be used as a starting point to further refine the boundaries (and potentially the number of geographies) using the following considerations.

• Allow existing and projected population to drive the size of areas, but avoid creating areas that are too large. Future Place Type Mapping should be conducted at the Community Area Planning Geography or subgeography. For larger Community Areas, it may be beneficial to further divide the area into two or three smaller geographies to 1) make the geography more manageable and 2) increase the likelihood that community members are familiar with most or all of the area they are being asked to help map.
• Consider existing neighborhood and district boundaries and avoid dividing an area that generally identifies with one another into two or more Community Areas.
• Limit the use of highways, major thoroughfares and major natural features as boundaries. This practice often leads to an existing asset or potential barrier getting less attention in the planning process. Barriers can become even greater divides and opportunities may be overlooked. Also, the Community Area process can help facilitate discussion, coordination and connectivity between neighborhoods and districts that are rarely engaged in the same conversations.
• Engage community members and neighborhood representatives in the exercise of refining and finalizing Community Area boundaries.

Future Place Type Mapping

Future Place Type Mapping should be conducted at the Community Area Planning Geography or subgeography. Using a defined methodology and the Place Type guidance provided within this section, staff should create an initial starting map of Future Place Types. Inputs into the initial starting map should include direction provided in previously adopted plans, existing zoning, and development plans and entitlements. The community should be educated about the Comprehensive Plan and the Place Type palette before being asked to respond to and revise the starting Future Place Type Map. A community process with in-person and online opportunities to provide meaningful input and feedback should be organized and conducted for each mapping geography (Community Area Planning geography or subgeography). Community members should be provided with adequate time to review various iterations of the Future Place Type Map, as well as the final Public Review Draft map. After the initial Future Place Type Map is adopted as an amendment to the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan, any future changes should be incorporated into the appropriate Community Area Plan or an amendment to that plan.

Key Steps in the Future Place Type Mapping Process

Key steps in the Future Place Type Mapping process include:

• Confirm and/or refine the Community Area geographies (and sub-geographies as applicable)
• Develop a starting data set of Future Place Types that reflects future land use and development expectations and desires articulated in adopted plans and approved entitlements
• Establish a process that is inclusive of residents, employees and business and property owners in the given Community Area or Community Area sub-geography
• Educate community members about the vision and key direction articulated in the Comprehensive Plan
• Educate community members about the ten Place Types in Charlotte and how the Future Place Type Mapping exercise will help to inform 1) the mapping of the Unified Development Ordinance’s new zoning districts and 2) follow on community area planning
• Share and build upon the Place Type priorities identified by the community, Ambassadors and Strategic Advisors for the Community Area in the Comprehensive Plan effort
• Review, revise and refine Future Place Type maps generated from the starting data set created by staff
• Facilitate conversations between Community Areas (and sub-geographies as applicable) to ensure that the Future Place Types mapped at the boundaries are complementary and that access to places in adjacent areas is considered in mapping new places
• Compile a citywide Future Place Types map and data set
• Provide an opportunity for the entire community to review and comment on the compiled citywide Future Place Types map
• Adopt the Future Place Types map as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan

Mapping Guidance by Place Type

The following table summarizes mapping guidance for use by staff and the community in mapping Future Place Types. It includes general mapping guidance developed throughout Place Typology and Comprehensive Plan development, preferred adjacencies and adjacencies that should include major transitions or buffers. For many of the Place Types, the General Mapping Guidance column also includes input from the Plan Ambassadors and Strategic Advisors (ASAs) regarding priority geographies for each Place Type. The ASA members identified priority Place Types using the Equity Metrics from the Equitable Growth Framework, existing conditions, and community input from earlier phases of the project. The final column of the table outlines specific considerations for each Place Type when it is located in the Uptown area. The increased density, walkability, and activity in Uptown lead to exceptions or differences in how the Place Types are applied there.

Community Area Planning

The Benefits of a Community Area
Planning Approach

Community Area Plans are intended to provide a more coordinated, efficient and effective structure for neighborhood planning. A neighborhood-based approach to more detailed planning of Charlotte presents logistical challenges related to the number of plans that would be required. This a Community Area Planning approach establishes an achievable approach to 100% coverage of the community, facilitates conversations between neighborhoods, and allows major barriers that often serve as neighborhood boundaries to be addressed in the planning process. Existing and future neighborhood planning will be integrated into the planning for Community Areas. Neighborhoods and districts will become integral sub-geographies of these sub-areas. And existing neighborhood and community plans should be respected and recommendations carried forward, as appropriate, as they are integrated into the Community Area Plans.

The Community Area Planning Process

Community Area Plans should protect and enhance Charlotte’s neighborhoods. They are plans intended to provide detailed strategies for places, transportation, infrastructure and community facilities and amenities. These plans should catalog and celebrate community character and develop and enhance places through the designation of Place Types and community assets. As described in the previous section, the city’s corridors often serve as focal places within and between neighborhoods. The Community Area Plans should drive the creation of place along these corridors and focus on the scale and design of public spaces.

The Community Area Plans should integrate previous neighborhood plans and community plans. The purpose of the Community Area Plans is to develop actionable strategies for the city’s neighborhoods at a manageable and implementable scale. In addition, developing a single plan that represents multiple neighborhoods is a more effective way to elevate neighborhood-level issues for consideration of policy changes and funding priorities. These plans can also serve to protect specific communities within or adjacent to larger Community and Regional Activity Centers.

The planning process for Community Area Plans will generally range from nine to twelve months and should include a robust community engagement strategy. They should be updated approximately every 10-12 years. Criteria for determining prioritization will take into account the Community Area’s proximity to regional centers; degree of change reflected in Future Place Type mapping; Equity Metrics; existence and age of existing subarea plans; new large scale development planned, underway or recently completed; new large scale infrastructure planned, underway or completed; and amount and type of public investments recently made in the Community Area.

The Key Components of a Community Area Plan

The following provides the major plan components and steps for a Community Area Plan.

Project Team and Initiation

• Organize Planning Team and Key Stakeholders
• Refine boundary of the Community Plan Area with Planning Team
• Develop community engagement strategy
• Review and confirm community engagement strategy with Planning Team

  Community Area Vision and Goals

• Interpret the Comprehensive Plan’s Vision Elements and Goals for the Community Area
• Identify additional unique goals for the Community Area

  Detailed Place Type Review and Focus Area Planning

• Review adopted Future Place Type mapping
• Identify community focus areas
• Identify neighborhood opportunities and public benefits for focus areas
• Identify more detailed land use guidance (as applicable)
• Identify transition and buffer strategies for applicable Place Types and focus areas

  Infrastructure and Amenities

• Identify neighborhood assets and amenities
• Develop list of desired assets and amenities
• Identify planned and needed infrastructure improvements
• Coordination with project partners in infrastructure improvement identification, design and implementation

  Implementation

• Key Investments
• Prioritization of needed improvements
• Phasing strategy and CIP coordination

Prioritization of Community Plan Areas

While establishing 15 Community Plan Area geographies will help to ensure that neighborhood level and place specific planning can occur within a timely manner, it will likely be impossible to initiate all 15 planning processes at once. Prioritization criteria should be established to better understand each area and establish groupings for phased implementation of the Community Plan Area planning processes.

Potential criteria include:

• Age of Existing Plan Guidance (District and Community Plans)
• Coverage of Existing Guidance (District and Community Plans)
• Rate and Direction of Population Change
• Rate and Direction of Employment Change
• Access to Amenities, Goods and Services Equity Metric
• Access to Housing Opportunity Equity Metric
• Access to Employment Opportunity Equity Metric
• Environmental Justice Equity Metric
• Populations Vulnerable to Displacement Equity Metric
• Market Readiness/Pressure
• Presence of Major Planned or Current Development/Redevelopment
• Presence of Major Public Infrastructure Investment
• Development Capacity
• Degree of Future Place Type Change (comparison of Existing Place Type Map to Future Place Type Map)

It is often helpful to look at both ends of the spectrum for several prioritization criteria. One potential example is market readiness. A neighborhood that has little development and/or investment activity may suffer from a lack of housing diversity, a lack of access to nearby or quality amenities, etc. Initiating a Community Area Plan for this the area that includes this neighborhood may help to 1) ignite some market interest and 2) allow the community to plan ahead and prepare for potential gentrification and displacement. On the other hand, a neighborhood that is market ready to the extent that it is experiencing rapid transactions and investments is likely experiencing dramatic increases in land values, property values and rents and change in mobility, culture and character. Initiating a Community Area Plan for this area can help to provide more detailed guidance for future development, identify infrastructure to support recent and impending growth, and help to ensure that public benefits are communicated and achieved.

Community Area Toolkit

The Community Area Planning approach sets out a framework to provide an area plan for every area in Charlotte within the next 5 to 10 years, with multiple areas of the city undergoing a planning process at a time. As the new planning approach makes its way around Charlotte, Community Areas that want to get a head start on the planning process can lay the groundwork by taking advantage of one or more tools that will help them establish valuable resources to guide planning and decision making.

These tools provide ways to connect to existing community resources as well as self-guided activities, some of which are intended for groups or organizations. None of the activities are required for a successful planning process and completing the activities does not mean a Community Area planning process will be scheduled sooner. The activities will help individual and groups to think about and document the Community Area’s unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. This can help residents begin to identify, articulate and research ideas before planning begins.

Existing and potential tools include:

• Connect with your City Council representative/s;
• Identify key stakeholders, including residents, businesses, employees, students and others in the Community Area;
• Develop a facility and/or venue inventory;
• Perform a sidewalk inventory to determine the presence, character and conditions of sidewalks in the Community Area;
• Identify and map public and private art installations throughout Community Area;
• Complete or collect a photo inventory of public spaces throughout the Community Area;
• Participate in one or more Housing & Neighborhood Services Training Programs;
• Apply for a Neighborhood Matching Grant or other City grant program;
• Organize one or more neighborhood clean-ups throughout the Community Area;
• Document important and/or unique architectural and design characteristics in the Community Area;
• Identify and map potential opportunity sites or areas;
• Participate in the City’s Planning Academy;
• Collect an oral and/or visual history of the Community Area; and
• Conduct a safety audit of a particular corridor, center or other subarea within the Community Area

Updates to Community Area Plans

Depending on staffing availability and capacity, it is feasible to complete the Community Area Plans for all 15 geographies within approximately three to five years from when they are initiated. With that said, it may take five to ten years to complete all of the plans depending on the length of individual planning processes and resources available. It is important to note that Community Area Plans should not be initiated until Future Place Type Mapping is completed for all parts of the City. Once adopted, Community Area Plans should be updated every seven to ten years. Prioritization criteria should be updated annually for all Community Area Plans. The order of updates can be adjusted and the timeline for initiating an update can be accelerated if there are significant changes in one or more prioritization criteria.

Case Study: SA Tomorrow Regional Centers

The City of San Antonio’s Comprehensive Plan, SA Tomorrow, identified 13 regional activity centers. These Centers are a major building block of the plan and were designed to organize the economic geography of the community and to provide direction and vision for the City’s major employment and activity hubs. The centers were identified based on the presence of major economic, civic, and cultural assets (e.g. large employers, major education institutions, cultural attractions/facilities) and the existing density of employment. Three regional center types were identified including Activity Centers (e.g. downtown), Logistics/Service Centers (e.g. airport area), and special purpose centers (e.g. military bases). Each type identifies the desired mixture of uses and the associated land use strategy. The City has worked to organize its economic development tax incentive policies and affordable housing policies to focus efforts and resources towards the Centers. A set of seven elements needed in a regional center were identified to guide planning efforts in these areas: anchor institutions, enhanced urban planning/design, area identify/brand, partner organizations, enhanced mobility network, capital investments in to place-making and community amenities, and funding/incentive tools.

Image source: https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2019/12/06/city-council-approves-downtown-development-plan.html