Mecklenburg County is stepping up land purchases for parks
County on pace to buy around 500 acres this year; Mecklenburg usually low in park rankings
The following article appeared in the March 25, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
County on pace to surpass land deals from the last few years, as commissioners steer more money toward parks and greenways
A slide from a presentation last week on county land purchases for parks. (Courtesy of Mecklenburg County Park and Rec)
Mecklenburg County is on track to buy more land for future parks this year than it has in at least the three previous years.
The county has closed on 452 acres so far this fiscal year, which started in July 2023, and has 145 additional acres under contract and offers out on 633 more acres, said Katie Lloyd, the county’s senior planner with Park and Recreation, at a meeting last week of county park advisory councils.
Assuming some of the purchases are completed by the end of June, that will be more than the 496 acres the county bought in the fiscal year that ended in 2023 and far above levels from 2021 and 2022.
The county is increasing its purchases of land for parks, after commissioners have earmarked more money for that purpose in the last few years. The areas encircled by black lines show the spots the county has targeted for buying land. (Source: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department)
The stepped-up purchases of land for parks come as Mecklenburg has consistently scored low on national surveys that examine the number and locations of parks compared with population.
County commissioners allocated $50M to buy park land this year. In recent years, a narrow majority of commissioners voted for more park funding than county staff recommended during budget deliberations, said commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell.
“We’re super proud of the fact that we’ve been able to ramp this up,” Rodriguez-McDowell told The Ledger. “We just believe that parks are super important for physical health, for mental health — but not only that, but for environmental purposes.”
Parks officials try to buy land in areas of the county that have no parks nearby, known as “gap areas,” and that also have above-average rates of certain demographic characteristics, such as poverty, rental homes or communities of color, known as “priority communities.”
Depending on the site, the land can become a park, nature preserve or greenway, though the process can take years or decades.
At the meeting, officials said there are several park projects under construction or about to start construction, including:
Ezell Park, a 91-acre park on Matthews-Mint Hill Road in Mint Hill. Construction is expected to start in April and be finished by the fall of 2025.
Eastland Park, a 5-acre park that’s part of the Eastland Yards project on Central Avenue in east Charlotte. Construction is expected to start in early 2025 and be finished by the summer of 2026.
Archdale Park, a redevelopment of a 17-acre park on Archdale Drive in southwest Charlotte. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and be completed in summer 2026.
Latta Place, a 13-acre historic site in Huntersville that is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.
Discovery Place Nature, the redevelopment of a 26,000 s.f. nature center by Freedom Park in Myers Park. Utility work has started on the site, and construction is expected to begin in early April.
Mallard Creek Recreation Center, on Johnston Oehler Road. Renovations are expected to start soon and be finished by June 2025.
Ribbonwalk Nature Center. Design of a nature center off Nevin Road by the Derita neighborhood, near the existing Ribbonwalk Nature Preserve, will start this summer, with completion expected in 2028.
The county has also recently completed sections of greenways in Matthews, the Mountain Island Lake area, Ballantyne and other parts of the county.
“We’ve got more projects under construction right now than we’ve ever had before,” said Bert Lynn, the director of capital planning for Mecklenburg’s Park and Recreation Department.
More to come: Kip Kiser, who chairs the county’s advisory Park and Recreation Commission, said there’s still plenty of work to do, including getting commitments from the county for two additional regional recreation centers, more sports fields, renovations at the Grady Cole Center and a solution for the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, which he said “is in OK shape, but it’s not big enough.” —Tony Mecia
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman