During last night's meeting, the Charlotte City Council held a hearing on four text amendments related to the soon-to-be-implemented Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).  Since these were introduced several weeks ago, REBIC representatives met with Planning Staff and suggested revisions to the proposed amendments, some of which were accepted, and some were not.  This is the first round of changes that will likely be made over the course of the next couple of years.   Here are the details:

• Text Amendment to the Charlotte Tree Ordinance - (1) Adds new requirements for collected civil penalties to only be used to further the purpose, intent, enforcement, spirit, and requirements of the Charlotte Tree Ordinance with regard to the use of collected funds; (2) Corrects numerical and roman numeral sequencing in Articles; and (3) Deletes two unintentional words in one sentence.  
• Text Amendment 2023-056 - Amends the UDO for the use Landfill, Land Clearing, and Insert Debris (LCID) by (1) deleting it as a use permitted with prescribed conditions in all zoning districts except ML-2; (2) modifying the use in the ML-2 zoning district as a use requiring a conditional zoning that complies with the prescribed conditions; (3) increasing the distance between an operational portion of an LCID landfill to 50 feet from any property line; (4) adding a requirement that the actual fill area shall be located at least 300 feet from any Neighborhood 1 or Neighborhood 2 Place Type or an existing residential structure in any other place type; (5) deleting collector streets as a permitted primary vehicular access; (6) adding limited hours and days of operation for the use; (7) adding a requirement for a geomembrane liner and leachate collection system subject to state standards that is equal to or exceeds the state criteria for municipal solid waste landfill units; (8) adding a requirement that the use shall comply with the state groundwater well and surface water requirements for a municipal solid waste landfill; and (9) deleting the requirement for a zoning permit for the use. 
• Text Amendment 2023-057 - Amends the UDO to allow Multi-Family Attached and Multi-Family Stacked development in the CG and CR zoning districts under certain conditions and to modify the prescribed conditions for the principal use of Drive-Through Establishment and the accessory use of Accessory Drive-Through (formerly Drive-Through Facility) to limit their use in Centers Place Types.
• Text Amendment 2023-058 - This is a broad "clean up" amendment that corrects errors in the adopted ordinance and will improve functionality.  This is the first of many such amendments that will be proposed over time.  Click this link for a Summary Memo that describes the proposed language changes.  

Community Area Planning (CAP) started its spring workshops on March 28th with the West Middle geography. Workshops will be held in 14 geographies throughout the city. Each area will have a virtual, evening, and weekend workshop option. Spring/Fall workshops are part of the two-year CAP project, and the next step in implementing the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Community Area Planning builds upon the vision and goals in the Comprehensive Plan. It provides more detailed guidance for development, infrastructure, transportation, and other quality-of-life factors for each part of the city.

Not sure which workshop to attend?

Click here to discover your
Community Area Planning Geography!

Ready to register?

Click here to sign up for a workshop in your area!

Last Thursday the Charlotte City Council held a Budget Workshop as it works toward a May/June approval of the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget set to begin on July 1st.  To view the full meeting, click this link.  Additional inks to presentations provided can be found following here: 

• Revaluation Update Presentation 
• Revaluation Impacts
• CATS FY 2024 Budget Outlook
• CATS One-Pager
• Charlotte Water FY 2024 Budget Presentation
• Charlotte Water One-Pager
• March 9th Budget Workshop Follow Up

Erin Shaw is slated to become the newest member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission as she received seven recommendations during last night's Council meeting earning her an automatic appointment.  Erin is a Managing Director with Beacon Partners, a REBIC Member, serves on the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of REALTORS®, a participant in the Urban Land Institute National Development Council, and is a member of NAIOP.  She will add a wealth of experience to the commission.  

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Originally published on April 10, 2023 by Miles Haladay for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

America faces a multipronged real estate crisis. We have a stubborn residential housing shortage, high office vacancy rates, and flight from many downtown hubs that is killing off businesses servicing those areas. In West Coast cities like San Francisco, it’s been dubbed the “donut effect,” with workers moving farther away from the urban core.

We need to build 3.8 million more housing units in the United States to keep up with household formation rates – and we’re very behind. Construction rates need to double from now to 2030 to bring us up to speed. Climate change only raises the stakes: to stave off the worst-case climate scenario and double construction output in the next seven years, we need to slash per-project emissions by at least 70%.

Converting office towers into housing could solve multiple problems at once: increase available housing; revitalize downtowns and their property tax base; all while attracting populations to city centers where green living is easier.

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In a move that is definitely backward motion, that will create uncertainty, and potentially threaten the economic vitality of an important part of our region, the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Mooresville adopted a resolution establishing a working group to study the legal requirements of imposing a growth moratorium. 

To view the meeting (total time under one hour) please use this link.  We will be following this development closely.  Click here to view the current Mooresville Comprehensive Plan.  As a reminder, municipal elections occur later this year with filing commencing on July 7th and ending on July 21st.  In closing, this kind of activity is the reason we ALL NEED to be educated and get involved. If you're reading this, your next move should be making sure your own cities and towns aren't moving in this direction.  Help them understand. Use your knowledge!  

Originally published on April 5, 2023, by Leona Savoie for NAIOP Newsletter.

The Canadian government enacted legislation on Jan. 1, 2023, that disrupted commercial and residential real estate development across the country. The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadian Act (the “Act”)  was originally intended to be a demand-side solution to make housing more affordable for Canadians by prohibiting residential purchases by non-Canadians over the next two years. However, the regulations under the Act, released only a week before enactment, unintentionally halted commercial investment in current and future residential and mixed-use projects in major metro areas.

The NAIOP Research Foundation issued a report last August highlighting the importance and contributions of commercial real estate to the Canadian economy. The report, specifically, found that the industry generated the following economic benefits in 2021:

• Generated $148.4 billion in net contribution to GDP.
• Created and supported 1.0 million jobs, of which 372,710 are direct jobs.
• Generated $67.5 billion in labor income for workers.

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Originally published on April 3, 2023, by Kathryn Hamilton, CAE for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

“There’s a really exciting trend emerging in hiring and compensation that’s going to accelerate throughout 2023,” opened Chris Lee, CEO of CEL & Associates, during a recent NAIOP webinar. “It’s the blending together of the quantitative – the numbers, compensation and bonuses – and the qualitative – workplace environment and benefits.”

Lee detailed compensation and benefits trends identified in his firm’s annual Compensation and Benefits Report, jointly published in partnership with NAIOP and specializing in commercial real estate firms and positions. In 2022, bonus realization for performance was around 90% of target – quite high, but a key tactic for attracting and retaining talent. Base salary increases in 2023 range from 4-6% overall, and higher for mission-critical positions.

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The City of Charlotte UDO team is hosting two online (Zoom) informational sessions on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, to provide information about four proposed text amendments that have been filed.  If approved, these text amendments will be in place when the UDO and amended Tree Ordinance go into effect on June 1, 2023. They are: 

1. RZ#2023-056 concerning Land Clearing and Inert Debris (LCID) Landfills;
2. RZ#2023-057 concerning uses in Centers Place Types;
3. RZ#2023-058 concerning a series of clean-ups to the existing adopted UDO, and
4. Amendment making modifications to the Tree Ordinance.

The first session is scheduled from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m., and there will also be an evening session from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  The same presentation will be made at both sessions, so you may choose the time that is most convenient for you. 

Advance registration is required.  Please use the following link to register for one of these sessions. 

CharlotteUDO.org

Originally published by Kim Snyder on March 27, 2023 for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

In the Spring issue of Development magazine, I shared some of my thoughts on our industry, my goals as chair, and what I see as NAIOP’s greatest member value. I had so much to share that I quickly ran out of room! So, I’m sharing an extended cut of our conversation with our Market Share blog readers. If you already haven’t, I’d invite you to read my recent column in the Spring issue of the magazine.

What are your goals as NAIOP Chair?

Our association is growing – surpassing new records at the end of 2022 – yet the membership structure is complex and can be challenging to explain to a new member. We need to simplify and streamline, making the structure easier to understand and removing any potential barriers for members. I’m pleased to share that a task force has been appointed to examine the structure.

Originally published on March 22, 2023, by Yonah Sturmwind and Kathy Kozak for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” This adage has never been more relevant for developers looking to finance new building projects. With Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicating that the Fed will continue to raise interest rates, traditional capital providers with strained balance sheets are pulling back on lending. And given the current economic outlook, many senior warehouse line lenders may also look to pull back on financing, opening the door for a more direct asset-by-asset approach. As a result, borrowers need to seek out alternative lenders that creatively finance their projects – enter nontraditional lenders and loan-on-loan financing partners.

How loan-on-loan financing works

Loan-on-loan (also known as “note-on-note”) financing is a common form of capital stack formation for bridge and construction lenders and offers a perfect example of a nontraditional lending approach that can provide financing for borrowers in a challenging environment. In a loan-on-loan arrangement, a senior lender (such as a bank, life insurance company or specialty lender) makes a loan to a building developer. That lender then secures senior financing for that loan from another capital provider at a lower rate, thereby increasing their margin and allowing them to offer more competitive terms to the developer. The loan-on-loan is collateralized by the loan to the developer and occupies the last loss position in the capital stack.

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Originally published on March 20, 2023, by Larry Lichtenauer for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

Impending recession expected to be grinding, enduring and especially difficult for Class B and C office space

With all signs pointing to an economic recession – presumably arriving midyear or Q3 – how can the commercial real estate community best plan for this event, what lessons can be learned from similar downturns, how long will this period last and which asset classes will be particularly hard hit? Recessions cause hardships and are never a good thing, but what silver linings and opportunities will be available to savvy investors and progressive companies? Offering their insights and perspectives on this topic are Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group and Jennifer LeFurgy, Ph.D., vice president of knowledge and research for NAIOP.    

An already-challenging real estate environment is poised to get worse

Jennifer LeFurgy (JL): The NAIOP CRE Sentiment Index is predicting a gradual slowdown this year in new development, as well as sales and leasing activity across the board, but we do not foresee a catastrophic event. The commercial office sector will be particularly impacted with projects paused, foreclosures and slower dealmaking, which rising construction costs and labor issues will exacerbate. Guidance is calling for a difficult first quarter, followed by a slow, but gradual pickup in late Q2 or early Q3. Research indicates that Class B and Class C buildings, particularly those located in urban areas, will face considerable challenges due to the number of employees still working remotely and the flight-to-quality trend prevalent among many tenants. An additional complication is a slowdown in the development approval process and difficulty in obtaining entitlements. As interest rates continue to rise, the office sector becomes increasingly risky, and we can expect to see more adaptive reuse projects.

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Community Area Planning will build upon the engagement efforts from both the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan & Policy Map. Attend a Workshop to learn about the process and to share your input regarding future development and growth in your area. 

Meetings will be held beginning next week (March 28th) on Tuesdays at 11:00 am, Thursdays at 4:00 pm, and Saturdays at 9:00 am.

Click here to see the full list and sign
up for one or more workshop events! 

Originally published on March 14, 2023, by Marie Ruff for NAIOP.

Experts dug into the data behind labor and workforce trends in California’s Inland Empire and the surrounding regions, one of the most competitive labor markets for distribution and manufacturing workers in the western U.S., during a session at NAIOP’s I.CON West in Long Beach, California. Speakers noted that alternative markets like Phoenix and Las Vegas/Reno could provide valuable options outside of the Inland Empire, especially when considering total cost modeling.

The Inland Empire comes out on top according to many metrics in Hickey & Associates’ 2023 analysis, from its labor supply to location. “But if you look at the labor cost, the real estate costs, and the transportation costs, things start to change,” said session moderator Kevin Dollhopf, MBA, MA, MCR, IAMC Fellow, principal, Hickey & Associates. While the Inland Empire is great from a real estate market and returns perspective, occupiers are having heartburn from what’s going on, he added. 

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Originally published on March 15, 2023, by Aquiles Suarez for NAIOP.

President Joe Biden submitted his proposed fiscal year 2024 federal budget to Congress on March 9. While the term “March Madness” is usually associated with the NCAA’s college basketball tournament, you could be forgiven if you thought it might also apply to this budget proposal. That’s because it contains numerous tax increases that repeatedly failed to clear the House of Representatives and Senate when these chambers were controlled by Democrats. With the House now in the hands of a Republican majority, chances are low that a majority of these recycled provisions will make it into legislation.

But the president’s budget submission makes sense if you acknowledge that its primary purpose is as a political messaging document, meant to provide a contrast between his administration and Republicans in advance of the 2024 presidential election. It was somewhat predictable, therefore, that tax proposals which were part of the Biden “Build Back Better” agenda would resurface in the 2024 budget version. Anticipating this would be the case, earlier this year NAIOP members attending our Chapter Leadership and Legislative Retreat in Washington, D.C., met with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill, with tax policy a top NAIOP legislative priority discussed at their meetings. 

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Originally published on March 10, 2023, by Kathryn Hamilton, CAE for NAIOP.

As industrial spaces move deeper into urban areas, the need to build up instead of out will increase. Vertical industrial – whether used for fulfillment, maker spaces, labs or light manufacturing – requires a new approach, different requirements and a whole lot of explaining.  

Russell Hazzard, AIA, president of MG2, led a panel of experienced vertical industrial developers and architects at this week’s I.CON West in Long Beach, California, that explored the advantages and challenges that accompany these types of projects.  

It’s important to consider three main elements of multistory industrial that differ from traditional single-story industrial before getting started, said Ken Sun, senior vice president, regional head of development – West region, Prologis. First is the target customer and their use, whether traditional warehouse, third-party logistics company, fleet management or another purpose. 

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Originally published on March 10, 2023 by Marie Ruff for NAIOP.

The industrial real estate market has been on fire, but this still-hot sector is expected to cool, according to the latest Industrial Space Demand Forecast from the NAIOP Research Foundation. A powerhouse panel of financial experts addressed the capital markets outlook for industrial real estate in a session at NAIOP’s I.CON West in Long Beach, California. 

Session moderator Jim Linn, executive managing director, Newmark, led the discussion. The panel included Valerie Achtemeier, vice chairman of capital markets, CBRE; Gregg Boehm, managing director, market officer, industrial, Ares Real Estate Group; and Max Gagliardi, CFA, senior managing director, capital markets, Dalfen Industrial. 

Where are you seeing opportunities? 

That’s a wrap on the 2023 NAIOP NC Conference! Hosted by NAIOP Charlotte, NAIOP Raleigh Durham, and NAIOP Piedmont Triad, 400+ CRE professionals representing 195+ companies from 40+ cities & 12+ states met in Pinehurst on March 2 to hear the latest macro-economic trends, why companies continue to invest and develop in the state, how to help build the next generation of CRE talent and find out what’s happening in different market segments.

View Conference Photos 

Congratulations to the 2023 Project of the Year Award Winners!

Take a closer look at each project

• New Development Project of the Year: FENTON in Cary, NC (submitted by The Wilbert Group)
• Industrial Project of the Year: SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK in Winston-Salem, NC (submitted by Landmark Builders, Inc.)
• Redevelopment Project of the Year: RALEIGH IRON WORKS in Raleigh, NC (submitted by CBRE and Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC)

Thank you to our event sponsors for your support!

Presenting: CBRE
Lunch: LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD. | First & Early Partners | V3 Companies
Taste of Pinehurst Reception: McAdams | McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture
Supporting: Cline Design Associates | Kimley-Horn
Lanyard: Bolton & Menk, Inc.
Wi-Fi: Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP | Stewart Title
Room Key Card: Choate Construction Company
Sessions: Blanco Tackabery | Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC | Elliott Davis | JDAVIS | MCI - Mechanical Contractors, LLC | Metromont | Richardson Properties, LLC | Windsor Commercial
Meeting Break: Alston & Bird

Originally published by Marie Ruff for NAIOP E-Newsletter.

The next phase of advanced manufacturing innovation is ready for launch in the Long Beach region of California. Attendees of NAIOP’s I.CON West were able to go behind the scenes on a project tour of cutting-edge advanced manufacturing facilities in Douglas Park, an industrial, retail and hotel center that spans more than 260 acres adjacent to the Long Beach Airport.

Morf3D: Advancing Aerospace with Additive Manufacturing

The first stop on the tour: Morf3D, a company that primarily serves clients in the aerospace, space and defense industries. These industries require highly specialized equipment that meets stringent specifications including being durable, lightweight and thermal-resistant, which Morf3D achieves using metal additive engineering and manufacturing.

The 90,000-square-foot Douglas Park building was a spec building that Morf3D has been adapting to suit the varying needs of their clients, from security clearance requirements to power needs. Some tenants require temperature control within four degrees to keep the equipment running smoothly and prevent any quality concerns with the products; others require the temperature to not vary more than two degrees.

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Originally published on March 9, 2023, by NAIOP.

NAIOP is again partnering with CEL & Associates, Inc. to compile the 2023 NAIOP/CEL Commercial Real Estate Compensation and Benefits Survey. A nationally known real estate advisor, CEL has conducted this survey – the largest in the industry – for 34 consecutive years.

Complete the survey by May 9. 

Go to the survey

This valuable survey is the national standard allowing commercial real estate businesses to stay current on salaries, bonuses and benefits for CRE professionals from executives to entry-level positions. Each company that participates in the survey will receive a complimentary electronic copy of the full comprehensive survey report – a $3,000 value!