(-TOD) Revisions (TC-2-23)
(-TOD) Revisions (TC-2-23)
TC-2-23 (-TOD) Revisions:
BIG PICTURE:
This text change amends the Transit Overlay District (-TOD) to 1) remove the prohibition on single family homes and duplexes 2) limit how large commercial uses can be within apartment buildings 3) clarify that the -TOD provisions control over Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) requirements, including maximum building height. In addition, this text change revises multiple sections to improve readability. Read the full TC-2-23 draft ordinance.
Background information:
On October 5, 2021, the City Council adopted text change TC-17A-20, which revised the City’s Transit Overlay district or -TOD. This text change was borne out of the Equitable Development Around Transit (EDAT) planning process which focused on land use and housing surrounding the city’s future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors. The intent of EDAT was to consider the extent of growth around transit routes and how to ensure that growth occurs equitably.
To achieve these goals, TC-17A-20 instituted the following changes to the UDO:
· Increased density and reduced dimensional standards in R-4, R-6 and R-10
· Enhanced design standards for required outdoor amenity areas
· Enhanced street frontage requirements
· An affordability height bonus in mixed-use districts
· Increased property size threshold for tree conservation areas
· Prohibition on low-density residential and auto-oriented uses
· Exemption from certain neighborhood transition buffer requirements
· Allowance for certain limited uses in RX- and OX- to be larger than otherwise permitted; and
· Special permissions for non-conforming structures and uses
Since the adoption of the -TOD provisions, staff has proceeded with mapping the overlay district, which has now been applied to the Western corridor, and is in process of being applied to the New Bern/Edenton corridors. Through the engagement process along New Bern/Edenton, staff has identified multiple components that warranted further revision and clarification.
Proposed Text Change:
· Remove single- and two-unit living from the list of prohibited uses. This would allow for the construction and expansion of single-family homes and duplexes.
· Limit non-residential uses within apartment buildings to 10K square feet in size. This would primarily affect the Residential Mixed-use district. In other locations, commercial uses could be larger, however, they would have to be located in a mixed-use or general building which carry stricter design guidelines.
· Clarify that the height allowances of the -TOD supersede Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD) requirements, even if not in direct conflict. This would allow projects to utilize the affordability height bonus in stories even if the NCOD only prescribes a maximum building height in feet.
· Revise associated sections to improve readability.
Public Meeting Schedule:
This text change is scheduled for the Planning Commission meeting in June. The Commission may act on that date or refer to their Text Change Committee for further discussion. We will be collecting comments here through June 1, 2023. Comments after this date should be submitted directly to Keegan McDonald via email.