Mecklenburg County’s Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) is scaling back services at the LUESA South office in Matthews. Starting October 1, most staff who provide building code enforcement, land development and related environmental and zoning services will be relocated to the County’s Hal Marshall Services Center in uptown Charlotte.
This affects some services provided by Mecklenburg County staff on behalf of the Towns of Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville, including:
• land development plan review and permitting for subdivisions and commercial projects
• land development bonds and sureties
• residential building permits for the three southern towns
• construction site inspection roadways, driveways, sidewalks and storm drainage infrastructure
• water quality regulations compliance including erosion control, stream buffer protection and impervious area limits
• zoning compliance and enforcement of the three southern Towns’ zoning ordinances
These services are funded by fees paid by developers. Land Development fee revenue has dropped significantly since 2008. In 2010, Mecklenburg County laid off some employees who provided land development and code enforcement services. In a continuing effort to bring costs in line with fee revenue, remaining land development employees are being moved to an existing County office building.
Technology has reduced the need for satellite offices. Instead of bringing blueprints and paper forms to a government office, developers can submit their land development and building plans electronically. Mecklenburg County offers the Electronic Plan Management system for both land development and building code enforcement services.
The LUESA South office will still be open for tax assessment form pick up and drop off. And Mecklenburg County will move a group of employees from its Area Mental Health office on Billingsley Road to the LUESA South building.
Land development services at the LUESA North office, serving Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville, are expected to move to the Hal Marshall Center in downtown Charlotte in December 2012.
Land development services and zoning inspections inside the Charlotte City limits are not affected by this change.
For more information:
Dave Canaan
Mecklenburg County Water & Land Resources Director
704-336-3736
Dave.Canaan@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov