Mecklenburg County leaders seek input on new 27-acre park in east Charlotte
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Photo: Courtesy of Mecklenburg County
A 27-acre wooded area along East W.T Harris Boulevard will be transformed into a new park in east Charlotte.
Why it matters: County leaders have narrowed down two designs for the park and are looking for input through Aug. 25. Submit your input here.
What to expect: The future East Charlotte Park will be along East W.T. Harris Boulevard in the Farm Pond and Hickory Ridge Neighborhoods at 8131 East W.T. Harris Blvd. Each option has a different theme:
Skyward: This design is a nod to the land's previous use as a World War II pilot training center and plane salvage and restoration site. The park would be designed to feel like a runway and the playground would be airplane-themed.
- It would also include a lawn with a picnic shelter and restrooms, multi-use courts for sports, walking trail loops and learning stations.
- There would be parking off W. T. Harris Boulevard and a central parking lot on the west side of the park. Pedestrians would be able to access the park from the neighborhood connector on the east side.
Birdseye: This design also includes a lawn, playground, picnic shelter and restrooms, plus a dog park, splash pad, nature trail loops and a sensory garden.
- Parking would be located to the south near the full sports courts. Pedestrians could also access the park from the east-side neighborhood connector.
State of play: The site is currently a brownfield and the county says it plans to remediate the soil impacted by the air base before constructing the park.
What's next: Once the public input period ends, the county will finalize a master plan for the park and determine what will be done during the first phase of the project.
- Phase 1 of the project is expected to be complete in summer 2026, a county spokesperson tells Axios.
- The total cost of the project will be determined after the park's master plan is finished this fall.
The big picture: The new park would provide more people with access to green space, something the Charlotte area is continually docked on compared to other U.S. cities in the annual ParkScore report from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.
What they're saying: "The biggest place where we're going to improve our score is by acquiring new land or new parks," Bert Lynn, capital planning division director for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation told Axios in a January interview.
Zoom out: The county is also working on other parks in east Charlotte.
- Eastland Yards, a major redevelopment of the former Eastland Mall site off Central Avenue, is expected to have a 4.5-acre park by late 2025.
- Improvements at Albemarle Road Park, another park off W.T. Harris Blvd. with more than 20 acres, will begin next month.