When duplexes creep in, who speaks for the single-family lot next door?
In a 6-3 vote, council allowed more density, and more headaches.
At Monday night’s zoning meeting, Charlotte City Council approved two rezonings in District 5 that—depending on your viewpoint—either gently modernized the city’s development code or opened the door to unchecked lot-splitting under the guise of “precedent.”
Petitions 2024-134 and 2024-136, both in East Charlotte, changed zoning designations from N1A (single-family) to N1C (which allows duplex and triplex development on subdivided lots). The changes, backed by District 5 Council Member Marjorie Molina, passed on a 6–3 vote.
And with that, the fight over “precedent” in Charlotte zoning policy was no longer theoretical.
“There’s already four [duplexes] on the street,” Molina said, explaining her vote. “They’ve already been made into smaller lots and they’re single-family—not density as far as multi-level units.”
That argument—that since some density had been approved, more should be expected—was too much for several of Molina’s colleagues, who said this kind of development is happening without adequate public input, policy safeguards, or transparency.
“Once we say yes that first time, then that’s going to be possible, regardless,” warned Council Member LaWana Mayfield. “There’s a challenge if there is an expectation that everything that comes before us should automatically be a yes.”
The 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) it birthed, were designed to offer predictability and fairness in how Charlotte grows. But in practice, many council members now say the policy tools they passed in 2021 aren’t keeping up with development pressure—or public understanding.
“Zoning is not an easy thing to understand,” Molina acknowledged. “For the average neighbor that’s going to work every day… when they see that yellow Z, they don’t always understand what it means.”
That disconnect played out in real-time. The public comment record for both petitions showed no strong opposition. But as Mayfield, Johnson, and others pointed out, that silence may be more about who saw the notice than who agreed with the plan.
“We’ve got to be careful in approving petitions that displace our residents and reduce the quality of life,” said District 4’s Renee Johnson. “We say we want to protect and support aging in place. But here we are.”
Staff noted that triplexes could, in theory, be built on the same parcels today without council approval—if lot sizes, parking standards, and setbacks aligned. But what troubled many was not the technical permissibility. It was what comes next.
Council Member Ed Driggs summed it up with his usual dry pragmatism:
“This is a zoning night. This is not a policy night.”
Translation: the vote is based on existing law, not whether council now regrets parts of it.
But even as Item 8 passed, the council agreed—at least in tone—that a policy referral may be needed to reevaluate how and where N1C rezonings happen.
It won’t come soon enough. A fourth similar petition is already in the pipeline.
☕️ Signature
Jack Beckett
Senior Writer, The Charlotte Mercury
I write with one hand, hold a Basecamp Blend in the other, and argue with my zoning board inbox in between. This story, like most of my good ideas, was caffeinated by Summit Coffee and their tireless mission to keep Queen City writers over-caffeinated and under-rested. Check out their flagship café in Davidson or the next pop-up wherever runners, musicians, or zoning attorneys gather.
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