Area Planning

The City of Charlotte Long Range Planning Division is responsible for collaborating with the community to develop plans and policies that will influence how Charlotte grows and changes over time. The division has three core functions: engage, plan and implement. 

The division recently engaged more than 500,000 residents in the development and adoption of the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan & Map*. This plan represents the diversity of our city and sets a clear direction for how we want to grow as an inclusive and equitable city.

Now that the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan & Map are adopted, the Long Range Planning Division will work to implement the plan's vision by developing community area plans that provide more detailed strategies and recommendations for growth and development.

*Consistent with North Carolina state statutes, when the Charlotte City Council approves a rezoning that is not consistent with the adopted land use map, the rezoning updates the adopted land use.

The Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan will replace previously adopted plans because it provides both citywide and modernized guidance for development, infrastructure, transportation, and other quality of life factors. Recommendations from these plans that are not included in the comprehensive plan can be revaluated in the community area planning process. Plans adopted prior to the comprehensive plan are archived below.

Types of Plans:

Centers, Corridors & Wedges Growth Framework

Centers, Corridors & Wedges (CCW) is the overarching policy for organizing and guiding development. The document identifies three general land development categories:

  1. Centers - areas of economic activity, typically concentrations of compact development.
  2. Corridors - accessible and well connected areas characterized by a diversity of places.
  3. Wedges - primarily low density housing, with limited moderate density housing and supporting services.

Click here to view Centers, Corridors and Wedges (Adopted 2010)(PDF, 4MB)

General Development Policies

General Development Policies build upon the CCW framework and provide guidance for community-wide issues such as location, intensity and form of development.

Click here to view General Development Policies
(Adopted 2007)(PDF, 6MB)

District Plans

District Plans include parcel specific land use recommendations and cover Charlotte's entire planning jurisdiction.

Consistent with North Carolina state statutes, when the Charlotte City Council approves a rezoning that is not consistent with the adopted land use plan, that rezoning updates the adopted land use.

Click on the links below to view a district plan:

Community Plans

Community Plans are developed for smaller geographies and can include various types of plans such as Strategic Plans or Transit Station Area Plans. Community plans provide more detailed recommendations for issues such as density and design.

Consistent with North Carolina state statutes, when the Charlotte City Council approves a rezoning that is not consistent with the adopted land use plan, that rezoning updates the adopted land use.

All Plans are available by clicking here.

For more information regarding long range planning, contact;
Planning, Design & Development
600 East Fourth Street (8th Floor)
Charlotte, NC 28202
Phone: (704)-336-2205

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