Charlotte East Community Partners, Inc.

From Susan Lindsay: Strategies for Addressing REZONING Petitions

Learn the schedule

Public Hearing for the Zoning Committee and the City Council
When: [fill in the blank ______________________________________]
Have neighborhoods, individuals organized to attend & speak at the
hearing. It is your only chance to make a public statement. Opponents to a rezoning have only 10 minutes TOTAL to speak to the issues. Have your speakers lined up beforehand (they should sign up with the City Clerk prior to the meeting or go down to the clerk's desk at the beginning of the meeting - seated at the left end of the City Council). Try to arrange for a large group to attend the hearing; come early; wear or hold something visible.

In addition:

Submit general petitions of your position. Lots of signatures can be helpful if a lot of people cannot attend the hearing; also ask people to submit letters.
Always make copies of everything before turning over to City Council.

Zoning Committee Work Session (4:30pm, the week following the Public Hearing, this has been changed
to Wed. check with planning 336-2205 on schedule)
when: [fill in the blank______________________] - will vote on their recommendation to City Council
The week between the hearing and the zoning meeting: have as many
people as possible call/fax/write the zoning committee members. Most of the time people will get an answering machine. Be polite; ask for support; state one or two reasons why; leave name and number, address and/or neighborhood. You should have someone attend the zoning work session, just in case there are questions; generally you are not allowed to participate.

City Council Vote is on [fill in the blank_____________].
The Council vote is usually one month from the zoning comm. mtg. The
week before the Council meeting is the time to lobby council members. The
more phone calls, the better. Pass out the council list with names, addresses,
phone numbers, fax numbers and email. Follow up with calls to be sure people
are telephoning. Encourage people to be polite; state the case; leave
name/neighborhood; ask for their support/vote. When calling YOUR district representative, make sure you let them know you are a constituent. Keep your district representative informed of your activities during the rezoning.
Lighten up on the calls to members who have said they will definitely
support your position. Continue with calls that thank them for their position.
Give (1) person the job of tracking the votes, so you have an idea of
what is happening. If your district council member is supporting your position, that often carries weight with other members of the City Council. Let your representative know who is not supporting you and why. Ask for their help. Your district rep. should also let you know who needs more calls, convincing.

For additional information:

Contact Susan Lindsay
Chair, Planning and Zoning Committee
Charlotte East Community Partners
6205 Rose Croft Dr.
704/537-2269 h-w-fax / answering machine

Email us
LindsaySG2@aol.com