development

North Carolina won't be revising its outdated energy efficiency rules for new homes anytime soon. On Wednesday, the House and Senate both voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of House Bill 488. The new law blocks the state Building Code Council from updating key sections of the state building code until 2031. Some parts of the current code date from 2009. The law also reorganizes the council and limits the governor's appointment power.

“Exclusionary zoning” reared its head again this week at a City Council committee meeting, the latest in an ongoing fight about how Charlotte should grow and who should be allowed, or able, to live where under new development rules that would allow duplexes and triplexes throughout the city.

The North Carolina Building Code Council has put off until December a vote on updating energy efficiency rules for new home and office construction.

More debate is expected this week in a fight over whether to modernize North Carolina's building code, including rules that would require new houses to be more energy efficient.

The Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 Monday to consider changing rules in the Unified Development Ordinance that allows for duplexes and triplexes in areas reserved for single-family homes.

Duke Energy completed the sale of two properties in uptown Charlotte last week as it prepares to consolidate office space at its new headquarters tower on South Tryon Street. Redevelopment plans for the two buildings include apartments, shops and offices.

Some local leaders say a new 4-lane road across the Catawba to Gaston County from Charlotte would ease traffic on both sides of the river. Critics say it would lead to more sprawl.

The Charlotte City Council held a public hearing Monday night on whether to approve a rezoning plan that would allow Chick-fil-A to demolish its existing restaurant in Cotswold and replace it with a drive-through-only building. The upcoming vote is seen as a key test of the city’s commitment to its goal of reducing the number of car trips.

Duke Energy is officially without a corporate headquarters - at least for now. The company says all its employees have now moved out of the uptown Charlotte office tower that has been known as Duke Energy Center.

Two proposed developments that eventually could add more than 800 housing units and a brewery near downtown Cornelius passed the town board in unanimous 5-0 votes Tuesday night.