Projects

Charlotte Streets Map

The City is developing a "Streets Map" to help implement Charlotte's newly adopted Transit-Oriented Development Zoning Districts. The Streets Map currently shows the arterial, collector, and (on-street) XCLT network along with the expected cross-section for each street in the Blue Line transit station areas. It reflects Charlotte's adopted policies for context-based "complete" streets and will create predictability and clarity for how these streets will look and function moving forward.

Review the Streets Map online by visiting Charlotte Streets Map. The online version of the Streets Map includes all the cross-section components for each street segment within the Transit-Oriented Development Zoning Districts.

Next Steps

We have collected feedback and comments throughout the summer and fall. Next steps include:

The Streets Map will be open for public comment at the October 14, 2019 City Council Business Meeting.

The full Council will consider adopting The Streets Map at the October 28, 2019 City Council Business Meeting.

Materials

Materials presented at recent meetings for the Streets Map are provided below.

Provide Input

Review and provide input on the Charlotte Streets Map at one of our upcoming meetings (more information below) or online by visiting Charlotte Streets Map.The online version of the Streets Map includes all the cross-section components for each street and provides the opportunity to comment on as many streets or street segments as you like.

Materials

As the development of the Charlotte Streets Map continues, we will share presentations, meeting materials, and other documents on this section of the website. Please check back to view, download, and share as more information is added.

Materials for recent and upcoming meetings are provided below.

Upcoming Meetings:

Charlotte City Council Business Meeting
Monday, October 14, 2019
Public Forum begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Council Business Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Meeting Chamber accessible from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center Lobby
600 East 4th Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

Streets Map FAQs

What is the Streets Map?

The Streets Map is a map of Charlotte's arterial street network that indicates the expected cross-section for each street. It reflects Charlotte's adopted transportation policies for "complete" streets, and is intended to create predictability and clarity for how Charlotte's streets will look and function moving forward. The online version of the Streets Map includes all the cross-section components for each street.

How will the Streets Map be used?

The Streets Map shows how each street should evolve to meet the travel and public realm needs of current and emerging neighborhoods and commercial areas. It will be used in three specific ways to achieve this:

It will form the basis for capital improvement projects undertaken by the City and its partners.

By including the number of feet from the center line to the edge of the street (back of the curb in TOD), it will indicate the expected "curb line" location for development projects, providing predictability and ensuring that the cross-section supports land use and development changes.

It will help to define the "frontages" described in the new TOD zoning districts, which in turn affects certain design expectations for development along that frontage type, such as setbacks.

How will this affect me?

I'm a property owner

This will have little to no effect on you if you are not planning to develop or make significant changes to your property. It is simply a tool for describing how the street should be designed if a process that would change the street were to occur. For example, the Streets Map describes the type of street cross-section the City would want to build if a project were to be designed, but this would have no effect unless there is an identified capital project along your street. In those cases, the City works with property owners to implement the best project given any constraints that exist. Over time, the intent is that projects will be implemented with less disruption and better results.

I'm a developer

If you're developing a project, the Streets Map sets the street centerline to back of curb dimension for all arterials. The Streets Map also sets the street's classification, which in turn defines the frontage type. The TOD ordinance uses frontage type for certain design dimensions, including setbacks. Using the streets map will ensure that the street will provide the necessary travel options to allow the high-density, highly walkable and bikeable neighborhoods that support transit.

Will it take more space for my development?

In most cases, the new TOD ordinance, in conjunction with the Streets Map, will result in more buildable area than the existing zoning. In many areas of proposed TOD, the established build-to line is further from the existing street centerline than it will be when the properties are rezoned and the Streets Map cross-section and ordinance frontage requirements are applied. In all cases, properties with suburban zoning (O, I, MF), will have less setback and more buildable area.

I'm a Charlotte resident, business owner, or employee who uses a street on the map

This will have no effect on you if there is not a capital project that changes the street or if there is no development or redevelopment along the street. However, the intent of the Streets Map is to create a clear and predictable expectation for how our streets will evolve as these incremental processes do occur. This means that:

If there's a capital project, the City or its partners will reconstruct the street to match the Streets Map cross-section as closely as possible (given existing constraints).

If there is redevelopment occurring along the street, you might see the curbs shift to accommodate the expected new cross-section (this is most noticeable when on-street parking or a full turn lane is added). If the curb doesn't move, you might notice new sidewalks and building locations that will match the emerging street cross-section as more development comes on line.

What are the benefits to me?

If these processes occur along the street, it means that the future street is more likely to include beneficial features such as:

Opportunities for motorists to turn safely;
More and safer crossing opportunities for pedestrians or transit riders;
Better sidewalks and buffers from traffic for pedestrians and adjacent land uses;
A safer and more comfortable bicycle facility, benefiting cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists; and
Street trees for shade and buffer, which benefits everyone using the street.

Why is the Streets Map necessary?

The Streets Map is a way to implement transportation policies in a transparent and predictable way. By clarifying a street’s cross-section and measuring the future curb line in a consistent way, we can provide quicker answers as development occurs and help create the streets that will support more travel options, highly livable neighborhoods, higher density environments, and the functional, high-quality public realm that Charlotteans have asked for.

What types of streets are included on the map?

The Streets Map includes:

"Arterial" streets, which are streets that typically carry higher traffic volumes over longer distances (such as South Blvd or 36^th St), but should be designed to match the context of the neighborhoods and land uses along them.
Collector streets, which carry slightly lower volumes over shorter distances (such as Yancey or Tom Hunter) but provide access and connections for multiple developments and/or land uses.

The Streets Map does not include:

Interstates and freeways.

Most "local streets", which provide direct access to specific land uses and are typically built entirely through the land development process (as part of a new subdivision, for example). But

It does include any local streets that form part of the alignment for the Cross-Charlotte Trail (XCLT). Those local streets are shown as "XCLT Greenway on-street," because most of the XCLT follows creeks.

Why does this map only include streets around the Blue Line? What about the rest of Charlotte?

The City just updated its Transit Oriented Development (TOD) zoning districts to regulate growth around the Blue Line station areas (and other future transit lines). Adopted in April, the TOD update includes references to a Streets Map to regulate the streets supporting TOD development by defining frontages and future curb line location. The Streets Map will eventually cover all of Charlotte, but it's first necessary to define the map for the Blue Line areas, to complement the new ordinance and the TOD development occurring around the Blue Line stations. The citywide Streets Map will be developed as part of the Charlotte Future (Comprehensive) Plan, with the goal of supporting future changes to the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances for the rest of the city.

What do the street descriptions on the legend mean?

The street descriptions are the design classification and the number of lanes for each portion of street. The design classification (Main Street, Avenue, Boulevard, and Parkway) comes from the Urban Street Design Guidelines (USDG) and the Transportation Action Plan (TAP), which are Charlotte's adopted policies about how we plan and design a "complete street" network. Complete streets are streets that serve pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, and motorists. The classifications represent the spectrum of arterial streets that combine to create a complete network.

The "+" on some of the street descriptions refers to the need to provide center space in addition to travel lanes. So, "4+" doesn't mean "4 or more lanes", it means "4 lanes and center space". This center space is a critical component of a complete street because it provides the space for important safety elements like turn lanes and pedestrian crossing islands to allow a refuge midway across a street. These are particularly important design elements where there are likely to be few safe crossing and turning opportunities and where there are many destinations nearby. The center space also provides additional opportunities for green space and street trees. Street trees support Charlotte's tree canopy goals, help with traffic calming, and provide for a shadier/cooler environment in an urban setting (such as TOD) where other ways to maintain or provide tree canopy are limited.

How are bike facilities included in the Streets Map?

The legend for the Streets Map does not specifically call out a bicycle facility (e.g. a bike lane), but that doesn’t mean there are no bike facilities defined for the streets. As part of developing the Streets Map, a bicycle facility map was also developed. That map reflects and clarifies policy guidance from Charlotte Bikes (adopted in 2017) to define the appropriate type of bike facility for each street. This information has been rolled into the cross-section for each street included on the streets map. So, even if the legend doesn’t mention the bike facility, the underlying cross-section and curb line information does include the recommended bike facility. The on-line version of the Streets Map includes information about the entire cross-section, including the specified bike facility category.

Why aren’t all specific bike facilities shown on the cross-sections?

The Streets Map incorporates several different categories of bicycle facilities, based on the policy guidance provided in Charlotte Bikes (adopted 2017). The intent of the Streets Map is, in part, to define the space required for the complete street elements. There are some bike facilities that require more or less space than others, which is important to describe on the Streets Map. There are also some categories of bike facilities that require the same amount of space, but might be designed slightly differently on the actual street. The categories included on the Streets Map, along with the space provided in the cross-section, are:

Shared lanes – 0’ in the Streets Map cross-section, because speeds and volumes are low enough that bicyclists share the space with motor vehicles.

Bike lanes – 5’ in the Streets Map cross-section (each side) to provide a designated facility.

Buffered/separated bike lane – 8’ in the Streets Map cross-section (each side) to provide additional buffer between bikes and motor vehicles. This 8’ can include several configurations, which is decided based on specific characteristics of the street and the adjacent context.

Shared-use path – 12’, to allow for a completely separated facility in certain contexts, and which is shared with pedestrians. Because this is always behind the curb, the Streets Map indicates the facility type, but the dimension is included in the TOD Ordinance streetscape standards.