Concord, NC Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

9 to the CC District covering downtown Concord, stating the standards exist to protect the area's historic and aesthetic character by controlling materials and design on any building wall visible from a public right-of-way. Brick or a predominantly brick-colored material is the preferred wall covering; the Administrator can waive that only for stucco patching damaged brick or structural wood trim, and any broader waiver needs Planning and Zoning Commission approval. Metal siding, unfinished concrete block, precast concrete, and split-faced block are banned outright unless the Administrator finds the alternate material achieves superior design and compatibility with neighboring buildings, with the burden of proof on the applicant; split-faced block, even when approved, cannot cover more than 20 percent of a building's surface, and vinyl siding is allowed only as soffit material.

New multi-story buildings must devote their first floor to retail, commercial, or service uses along at least 50 percent of street frontage, with windows and doors covering at least 50 percent of that frontage's length and glass making up at least 25 percent of the wall surface; no solid wall run may exceed 20 feet. Window glass must be recessed at least two inches and stay transparent or lightly tinted; vinyl windows are barred from any first floor, commercial space, or contributing structure in a CC National Register District.

Entry doors must be recessed and sized at one square foot per 1,000 square feet of floor area, never less than 15 square feet. Fencing within the district may use decorative brick or wrought iron, but chain link, barbed wire, plywood, sheet metal, and fiberglass panel fencing are prohibited except as temporary construction screening. LCD, electronic message center, flashing, and blinking signs are banned entirely; neon is capped at 5 percent of allowed signage area and requires Development Services Department review plus a recommendation from the Concord Downtown Development Corporation for window signs.