What Council Is Being Asked To Do Tonight
City Council is scheduled to consider adoption of three planning items tied to the Charlotte Future 2040 program:
- Community Area Plans (CAPs) Volume I — Program Guide
- Community Area Plans (CAPs) Volume II — CAP Policy
- Revised Future 2040 Policy Map
The request is to adopt the two CAP volumes and the Revised Policy Map. Staff listed for the item: Monica Holmes, Kathy Cornett, and Catherine Mahoney with the Planning, Design, and Development Department.
How We Got Here: Timeline and Process
According to the agenda packet:
- April 3, 2025 — City released 14 draft Community Area Plans and a Revised Future 2040 Policy Map for public review and comment.
- The CAPs are the second major implementation step of the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan (Council adopted June 2021), following the original Policy Map.
- Phase 2 (spring–fall 2023) — Focused on refining the Policy Map for each plan area’s needs; a Revised Policy Map was posted for comment March–June 2024, then a second revised draft was posted September–November 2024.
- Phase 3 (spring–fall 2024) — Identified infrastructure projects and existing programs that support growth.
- Phase 4 (fall 2024) — Compiled the process into 14 draft documents.
- Staff briefings: April 7, 2025 (Transportation, Planning and Development Committee), April 14, 2025 (Planning Commission), April 28, 2025 (Council business meeting).
- Public hearing on plans and Revised Policy Map: May 12, 2025.
- June 9, 2025 — Staff updated Council on engagement: 491,000 people reached and 2,520 comments received across the process.
- June 17, 2025 — Planning Committee of the Planning Commission unanimously recommended adoption (7–0), with proposed changes.
- July 14–15, 2025 — Staff hosted two public webinars at Council’s request.
- August 4, 2025 — Staff presented final proposed changes to the Transportation, Planning and Development Committee.
- The Revised Policy Map and project materials are hosted on the Charlotte Future 2040 site.
What Documents Are Attached for Council
The agenda lists the following attachments for the item:
- Community Area Plan Proposed Changes for Final Documents
- Community Area Plan Volume I — Program Guide
- Community Area Plan Volume II — Policy (14 individual CAPs, one per geography)
- Appendix
- Ordinances for each CAP geography and one ordinance for the Revised Policy Map
The 14 geographic CAP titles shown in the packet include combinations of East/North/Northeast/South/Southwest/West with Inner/Middle/Outer variants.
What Tonight’s Vote Does (and the Context It Sits In)
- Action requested: adopt Volume I (Program Guide), Volume II (Policy), and the Revised Policy Map.
- Context: these CAPs are designed as the next implementation stage of the adopted 2040 Comprehensive Plan, using a multi-year engagement and refinement process that included a Planning Commission committee recommendation to adopt.
Where to Read More
- Full item detail and attachments: City Council Business Meeting Agenda, Sept. 22, 2025.
- Project background, maps, and FAQs: Charlotte Future 2040 website.
About the Author
Jack Beckett files before the coffee gets cold. On good days, the mug is full and the footnotes behave. On great days, the barista spells “Beckett” right and the agenda attachments load on the first click.
What to Read Next at The Charlotte Mercury
Start at cltmercury.com. For daily civic meat and potatoes, head to News. If you live for the sausage-making, the votes, and the process, hang out in Politics. And if your idea of cardio is ballot research, our election hub “Poll Dance 2025” has you covered with guides, calendars, and candidate dossiers: Poll Dance 2025. You can always message us on X or Twitter or, as we call it, Twix: @QueenCityExp.
The Fine Print
Creative Commons License
© 2025 The Charlotte Mercury / Strolling Ballantyne
This article, “Charlotte Future 2040: Council Set to Vote on Community Area Plans and Revised Policy Map,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“Charlotte Future 2040: Council Set to Vote on Community Area Plans and Revised Policy Map”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)