Retail Goods and Commercial Development in the City of Charlotte
In the City of Charlotte, retail goods establishments and commercial shopping centers are permitted by right in all primary commercial, center, and transit-oriented development districts, including the CG, CR, NC, CAC, RAC, UC, UE, and TOD districts. In residential neighborhoods zoned N1 or N2, retail uses are strictly limited to "Neighborhood Commercial Establishments," which are generally restricted to existing nonresidential structures or small-scale new construction on corner lots. Campus and office districts such as IC, OFC, and OG allow retail only as a conditional secondary use, typically requiring placement on the ground floor of multi-story buildings.
Primary Districts Permitting Retail and Shopping Centers
The City of Charlotte Unified Development Ordinance identifies several tiers of districts where retail is a primary intended use.
Commercial and Employment Districts
- CG General Commercial Zoning District: Intended for general commercial development at key intersections or along arterial streets, with standards that acknowledge auto-orientation while encouraging pedestrian improvements [Section 6.1.A].
- CR Regional Commercial Zoning District: Designated for large-scale or regionally significant commercial uses, including "coordinated clusters" commonly known as shopping centers [Section 6.1.B].
- IMU Innovation Mixed-Use Zoning District: Supports transitioning industrial areas by allowing a mix of artisan industrial and commercial uses [Section 9.1].
- ML-1 and ML-2 Manufacturing and Logistics Zoning Districts: While primarily industrial, these districts allow retail goods establishments by right to accommodate the needs of area workers [Section 8.1.A, Table 15-1].
Centers and Transit-Oriented Districts
- NC Neighborhood Center Zoning District: Provides for a mix of commercial and service uses within walking distance of residential areas, supporting both vertical and horizontal mixed-use development [Section 10.1].
- CAC-1 and CAC-2 Community Activity Center Zoning Districts: Designed for a moderate-intensity mix of retail, restaurant, and office uses in a walkable environment [Section 11.1].
- RAC, UE, and UC Regional Activity Center Districts: These include the Regional Activity Center (RAC), Uptown Edge (UE), and Uptown Core (UC) districts, which accommodate the City of Charlotte's most intense retail and mixed-use environments [Section 12.1].
- TOD-UC, TOD-NC, TOD-CC, and TOD-TR Transit Oriented Development Districts: These districts allow retail by right, with intensities ranging from the high-density Urban Center (UC) to the moderate-intensity Transition (TR) district [Section 13.1].
Retail Restrictions in Residential and Campus Districts
In less intensive areas of the City of Charlotte, retail is permitted only under specific "Prescribed Conditions" (PC).
Neighborhood 1 and Neighborhood 2 Districts
Retail is permitted in N1-A through N1-F and N2-A through N2-C only as a Neighborhood Commercial Establishment. The following restrictions apply:
- Existing Structures: Retail is allowed within structures that were originally constructed for nonresidential use or had a nonresidential use as of June 1, 2023. These structures cannot be expanded [Section 15.4.III.1].
- Ground Floor Use: In the Neighborhood 2 District, new retail is permitted on the ground floor of multi-family stacked dwellings [Section 15.4.III.2].
- New Freestanding Retail: In the Neighborhood 2 District, new freestanding retail buildings are permitted only on corner lots, limited to 9,000 square feet and a maximum height of 48 feet [Section 15.4.III.3].
- Alcohol Sales: The sale of alcohol is strictly prohibited in Neighborhood Commercial Establishments within any Neighborhood 1 Zoning District [Section 15.4.III.5.h].
Campus and Office Districts
In the IC-1, IC-2 (Institutional Campus), OFC (Office Flex), and OG (General Office) districts, retail goods establishments must comply with the following:
- Retail must be located on the ground floor of a multi-story building [Section 15.4.XXX.1].
- In the OFC and OG districts, retail uses are limited to 40% of the building's ground floor area [Section 15.4.XXX.2].
Technical Standards for Retail Development
Off-Street Vehicle Parking Requirements
The City of Charlotte uses a tiered system to determine the number of required parking spaces for a Retail Goods Establishment based on the zoning district's location and intensity.
| Tier | Applicable Zoning Districts | Minimum Requirement | Maximum Allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | N1, N2-A, ML, IC-1, OFC, OG | 1 space per 750sf GFA | None |
| Tier 2 | N2-B, N2-C, IMU, IC-2, RC, NC, CAC-1, CG, CR | 1 space per 1,000sf GFA | 1 space per 250sf GFA |
| Tier 3 | CAC-2, TODs, RAC, UC, UE | None* | 1 space per 250sf GFA |
*Note: A minimum of 1 space per 250sf GFA is required in Tier 3 if the retail use is within 400 feet of a Neighborhood 1 Place Type [Table 19-1].
Open Space Requirements
Developments exceeding 1,000 square feet in the City of Charlotte must provide on-site open space according to the following standards:
| District Category | Minimum On-Site Open Space | Public Access Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial (CG, CR) | 5% of site area | 50% must be public open space [Table 6-7] |
| Centers (NC, CAC) | 10% of site area | 50% for commercial; 25% for mixed-use [Table 10-8, 11-8] |
| Uptown/Regional (RAC, UC, UE) | 10% of site area | 50% for commercial; 25% for mixed-use [Table 12-8] |
| Transit Oriented (TOD) | 5% to 10% of site area | 50% for commercial; 25% for mixed-use [Table 13-8] |
Sections Cited
- Article 2. Rules of Construction, Abbreviations, & Definitions
- Section 6.1 Purpose (Commercial Zoning Districts)
- Table 6-7: Minimum Required Open Space (Commercial)
- Section 8.1 Purpose (Manufacturing and Logistics)
- Section 9.1 Purpose (Innovation Mixed-Use)
- Table 9-8: Minimum Required Open Space (IMU)
- Section 10.1 Purpose (Neighborhood Center)
- Table 10-8: Minimum Required Open Space (NC)
- Section 11.1 Purpose (Community Activity Center)
- Table 11-8: Minimum Required Open Space (CAC)
- Section 12.1 Purpose (Regional Activity Center)
- Table 12-8: Minimum Required Open Space (RAC, UE, UC)
- Section 13.1 Purpose and Applicability (TOD)
- Table 13-8: Minimum Required Open Space (TOD)
- Table 15-1: Use Matrix
- Section 15.4.III Neighborhood Commercial Establishment
- Section 15.4.XXX Retail Goods Establishment
- Table 19-1: Vehicle Parking Requirements
- Section 22.6 Standards for Signs Exempt from a Permit