Unified Development Ordinance

[KJHburg]

^^ Atlanta grew the same way with many creeks rolling hills etc and only a grid system near downtown Midtown.

Phoenix on the other hand is a much newer city with flat valley landscape easy to do there with minimal turns and curves.  Dittos for most western cities but not all. 

[kermit]

^ I also have the sense that Charlotte never had the realization that it was going to grow substantially until the 1970s — so no one saw a need for planning for growth (e.g. the pervasiveness of the ‘trifling place’ narrative). By the time folks realized growth was happening, it was too late.

Meanwhile Western cities were getting built within the context of manifest destiny — so they were much better prepared to welcome new arrivals painlessly (until they all got overwhelmed about 25 years ago).

 

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by kermit

[Richhamleigh, DC]

I would like to see in-fill development incentivized, i.e. lower tax rates and/or fees for new development and revitalization.  The justification is the fiscal savings.  Compact development is fiscally conservative, maximizing the use of existing infrastructure, including roads.   

[kermit]

^ raising the gas tax (so it merely pays for 100% of construction and maintenance) is the first and easiest step. It would require, roughly a 25-30 cent increase in the federal tax with an inflation index, not sure about state tax rate (but the budget is not going well at NCDOT).

We need to treat driving like smoking and price it according to its direct and secondhand effects. Like smoking, driving creates many public health issues that impose costs on society — its time to make drivers pay for those.

Edited July 30, 2020 by kermit

[videtur quam contuor]

As a child of the Midwest I am deeply afected by the Northwest Ordinance and the Land Ordinance of 1785 and 1787. It is imprinted on my psyche. This was junior school high material for us. Surveys of the NW territory into townships, squares, sections, quarter sections, and on. Everything on meridians and azimuths. Surveyors as conquerors of the land. Those of us who came of age in the former NW territory likely recall arriving in a different place and being astonished at the randomness of fields, farms, roads, districts and all variations therein which seemed to be at the whim of an animal track. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Ordinance_of_1785

This subjugation of the land to rigorous measurement, reproducible to the farthest reaches of the continent, affected nearly all of the country west of the Appalachians. Today one may drive in the countryside of Illinois, Indiana and other areas and follow minor roads as they go straight to a 90º turn then straight until another like turn. City blocks that are that: Exact rectangles. Another part of Jefferson's genius which was not visited on us here in the Carolinas.

Edited July 29, 2020 by tarhoosier

[kermit]

 

[Madison Parkitect]

Man, showing all those cities as the same size really affects the perception of the data.

[CLT>]

Also interesting that their mapping methods don't capture the majority of new multifamily development in Charlotte. I agree with the premise of the article and conclusions but their data visualization leaves a lot to be desired.

[kermit]

4 hours ago, CLT> said:

but their data visualization leaves a lot to be desired.

Always happens when you have non-geographers doing spatial visualizations. The Beruit blast radii on other cities yesterday was an even worse example of this (none of those cut and pasters have ever heard of map projections, so the circles were roughly twice as big as they should have been when applied to New York and London)

These types of errors are incredibly common with data ‘science’ types.

[steps off soapbox]

Edited August 6, 2020 by kermit

[kermit]

More evidence on the fiscally unsustainable nature of sprawl, this time a metastudy. I am sure Taiwo knows these numbers but the rest of the city needs to be aware of them as well.

Quote

Compact development costs, on average, 38 percent less in up-front infrastructure than "conventional suburban development" for things like roads, sewers and water lines. It costs 10 percent less in ongoing service delivery by reducing the distances law enforcement or garbage trucks must travel to serve residents (well-connected street grids cut down on this travel time, too). And compact development produces on average about 10 times more tax revenue per acre.

https://t.co/5i4H2rNceg

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by kermit

[kermit]

From the flagship journal in Planning: It’s Time to End Single Family Zoning

 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by kermit

[kermit]

We are falling behind...

 

 

[kermit]

This is pretty uncool (its still just a complaint, so not yet proven)

Quote

The latest ethics complaint against Bokhari, filed this weekend with the city clerk, uses identical language as the rezoning accusations involving Ajmera. Brandon Forbes, a Charlotte resident and attorney, said he realized that Bokhari — like Ajmera — had a pattern of leveraging zoning decisions to garner campaign contributions.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article245001615.html#storylink=cpy

 

[CLT>]

6 minutes ago, kermit said:

This is pretty uncool (its still just a complaint, so not yet proven)

 

This is how every city council member--both Republican and Democratic-- for the last 30 years has gotten elected... Pandora's Box has been opened. 

[navigator319]

Use this as an opportunity to push through 4 year terms and make the job full time.  

[Spartan]

On 8/12/2020 at 1:40 PM, kermit said:

We are falling behind...

 

 

stay tuned...

[joenc]

15 hours ago, Spartan said:

stay tuned...

Would the state allow Charlotte to do something like this?

[Spartan]

I haven't heard anything to the contrary. 

[kermit]

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the tweet, but it feels right to me. We certainly are not seeing any widespread anti-sprawl efforts in Charlotte (just disconnected pockets here and there).  I know Houston housing costs are relatively low, but can anyone here offer some perspective on housing prices in the more walkable portions of Houston relative to the remainder of the city?

While I am sure that the UDO will be a big improvement over our current zoning, I get the feeling that it will do little to reduce our 'disconnected pockets, here and there' problem.

[InTheYear2000]

1 hour ago, kermit said:

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the tweet, but it feels right to me. We certainly are not seeing any widespread anti-sprawl efforts in Charlotte (just disconnected pockets here and there).  I know Houston housing costs are relatively low, but can anyone here offer some perspective on housing prices in the more walkable portions of Houston relative to the remainder of the city?

While I am sure that the UDO will be a big improvement over our current zoning, I get the feeling that it will do little to reduce our 'disconnected pockets, here and there' problem.

I have had some business related dealings in Houston and have family that currently live there. All of the walk-able or "15 minute neighborhoods" I am aware of are exceptionally expensive. My favorite Neighborhood in the vein of adaptive reuse and pedestrian minded development is The Heights and the Zillow index on that place is over 450k.

[kermit]

3 minutes ago, InTheYear2000 said:

The Heights and the Zillow index on that place is over 450k.

Honestly that is a bargain relative to walkable Charlotte (Dilworth, Sedgefield and Villa Heights anyway, I think most other intown hoods as well)

Edited September 10, 2020 by kermit

[InTheYear2000]

1 minute ago, kermit said:

Honestly that is a bargain relative to walkable Charlotte

for reference the Zillow index for 28205 is 296K.

[kermit]

36 minutes ago, InTheYear2000 said:

for reference the Zillow index for 28205 is 296K.

I am stunned!

Edited September 10, 2020 by kermit

[JHart]

5 minutes ago, kermit said:

stunned!

28205 goes all the way to Sharon Amity Rd. though and that index includes value of homes, not just for sale

[CaptainJilliams]

3 hours ago, kermit said:

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the tweet, but it feels right to me. We certainly are not seeing any widespread anti-sprawl efforts in Charlotte (just disconnected pockets here and there).  I know Houston housing costs are relatively low, but can anyone here offer some perspective on housing prices in the more walkable portions of Houston relative to the remainder of the city?

While I am sure that the UDO will be a big improvement over our current zoning, I get the feeling that it will do little to reduce our 'disconnected pockets, here and there' problem.

I'm a current resident of Houston, and there is definitely some truth to the tweet. I can think of several neighborhoods (The Heights, Buffalo Bayou Park, Montrose) that are taking the initiative to make areas more walkable. But this walk-ability comes in pockets, meaning you can get around specific neighborhoods on foot or reach a park, but if you try to reach a different neighborhood you are still going to need a car. Our public transit system isn't really up to par either. It doesn't help that highways cut up the neighborhoods, but there have been proposas, including a highway cap park to connect Downtown to EADO (East Downtown), that will definitely improve walk-ability. 

 

In terms of housing prices, I would say the more walkable areas will still average around 450k-550k for town homes and even more for single family lots. Compared to other major cities I would say that's relatively more affordable, especially considering the fact you are in close proximity to downtown. 

 

But as a city, Houston is definitely still sprawling, and it doesn't look like that will stop anytime soon!

Edited September 10, 2020 by CaptainJilliams