Church Street Corridor Plan

Project Overview

The City of Concord is conducting a study of the Church Street Corridor to establish a community vision and path to achieve that vision.

For this study, the corridor has been divided into three distinct sections:

Area A - from Hwy 29 to Winecoff Avenue
Area B - from Winecoff Avenue to Buffalo Avenue
Area C - from Buffalo Avenue to Killarney Avenue

The remaining portion of Church Street, from Killarney Avenue to Corban Avenue, adheres to the previously adopted recommendations of the Downtown Master Plan.

Project Study Area

2030 Land Use Plan - Future Land Use Categories

The Future Land Use Category along Church Street from Hwy 29 to Brookwood Avenue is designated Commercial. In contrast, the remaining portion from Brookwood Avenue to Killarney Avenue is designated Mixed-Use Activity Center.

Mixed-Use Activity Center (MUAC) Future Land Use category identifies areas that serve a broader economic, entertainment, and community activities as compared to mixed-use neighborhoods. Buildings are situated on small blocks, with streets designated to encourage pedestrian activity. Buildings in the core of the mixed-use center may be three or more stories tall. Residential units or office space may be found above storefronts. Parking is satisfied by using on-street parking, structured parking, and shared rear-lot parking strategies. Structured parking should be encouraged to be incorporated into the principal structure.

A large-scale mixed-use activity center may be surrounded by one or more neighborhoods that encourage active living, with a comprehensive and interconnected network of walkable streets.

Commercial (C) Future Land Use category includes a mix of commercial land use types. While these areas continue to support additional commercial development and redevelopment, much of the new commercial development should be concentrated within the Mixed-Use Activity Centers and Village Centers.

Church Street History

The City of Concord was established in 1796 on a 26-acre tract of land lying on the ridge near the old Indian Trading Path and to the west of Three Mile Branch. Concord expanded northwest in the late 1830s with the construction of the first cotton mill at the intersection of Union Street and Buffalo Avenue, now known as Locke Mill. Around the same time, Concord Methodist Church (Central UMC) was built on what is now Church Street, giving the street its name. As the City grew, so did development along Church Street, predominantly during the mid-1900s. Much of this development can still be seen today with commercial businesses along Church Street and residential homes surrounding the corridor.

What is a Corridor Plan?

A corridor plan is a strategic planning document that guides the long-term development of a linear area, such as a major thoroughfare, by coordinating land use, transportation, and environmental planning. The corridor planning process begins with collecting data and taking inventory of the existing conditions of the corridor. Working with stakeholders and the community, a vision is crafted, setting goals for the corridor plan along with finalizing the data collection. Based on the data and community input, design alternatives are developed and vetted by the stakeholders in the community. For those alternatives, a set of recommendations is selected to go forward for adoption by City Council. Once a corridor plan is adopted, implementation can begin and take the form of updates to city policy documents and ordinances, capital improvements project funding and construction, and/or additional studies.