Plan Policy
Table of contents
Place Types: Manufacturing and Logistics
Goal: Contribute to Charlotte’s economic viability by accommodating places of employment for a range of uses related to manufacturing, logistics, production and distribution.
Manufacturing and Logistics places are employment areas that provide a range of job types, services, and wage levels in sectors such as production, manufacturing, research, distribution, and logistics.
- Primary uses include manufacturing, research and development, warehousing, distribution, and other similar uses.
- Uses in this Place Type also include limited office usually to support primary uses; outdoor storage of materials and vehicles; limited hospitality and restaurants, limited retail, and personal services to serve area workers.
- This Place Type is typically characterized by large scale, low-rise manufacturing or warehouse buildings, and other assembly and distribution facilities.
- Parcels are often large, with buildings placed on the interior of the site surrounded by service areas, outdoor and container storage, parking, and landscape buffers to provide a transition to adjacent uses.
- Manufacturing & Logistics places are accessible by higher capacity transportation facilities, such as arterials and interstates, as well as by freight rail. These places may also benefit from proximity to airports. Streets accommodate large trucks, while still serving all travel modes.
- The local and collector street network is well-connected to serve sites directly and to provide good access to arterials. Streets and sites prioritize access for motor vehicles while still providing safe and comfortable access for other modes of travel. Truck traffic will use routes that minimize impacts on neighborhoods and open spaces.
- Where possible, mobility hubs with transit stations, pick-up and drop-off areas, bike parking and bike share, and micro-mobility options should be provided within this Place Type to accommodate employees without access to a vehicle.
- Arterial streets support walking, cycling, and transit use by providing a safe and comfortable environment to reach transit stops, jobs, or nearby destinations.
- The typical building is a high-bay, single-story manufacturing, or warehousing building. Buildings widely range in size and scale depending on their context and use. Long, continuous buildings can be found within Manufacturing & Logistics more so than in other Place Types. Nevertheless, buildings accommodate the desired block structure and connected street network.
- Improved open spaces are typically recreational facilities, picnic areas, walking trails, patios, and courtyards provided on individual sites and designed to be used by employees. Natural open spaces, such as tree preservation areas, are also found here. Generous landscaped or natural buffers separate large site, less desirable uses, and the public realm.
- Improved bike and pedestrian facilities and connections
- Generous landscaping and buffers
- Small shared outdoor gathering space for employees
- Dedicated rideshare pickup/dropoff locations