Ten reasons the Morrison campus should stay open, and the data behind each one. We are not asking for a decision to be reversed on sentiment. We are asking for the case to be heard on the merits.
The YMCA's purpose is to love, serve and transform lives; its vision is thriving, inclusive and connected communities. Morrison is where that language is already true in practice, built over 25 years of programs, staff and partnerships. Why sell the place that most fully embodies what the organization says it is trying to become?
The 2025–2028 strategic intentions describe positioning the organization as a place of connection, health, and well-being. Morrison delivers exactly that—serving thousands of families across aquatics, youth sports, child care, group fitness, and summer camp programs, all powered by hundreds of dedicated volunteers and staff.
28277 grew from 59,664 people in 2010 to 73,882 in the 2024 ACS. Housing values have nearly doubled since 2011, 1,250 more homes are in the pipeline, and employers keep expanding. The area is becoming a dense, mixed-use hub, which puts more pressure on accessible recreation and green space, not less.
Twelve area public schools receive food assistance and roughly one in five Ballantyne students faces food insecurity. In 2025-2026, 1,575 students received support and 30,000 pounds of food were delivered, a 224% increase in families served. These households are least able to absorb a longer drive or a higher price.
Charlotte's 2040 plan commits to 10-minute neighborhoods, with every household within a short walk, bike or transit trip of parks, public space and community facilities. This land was donated with an expressed commitment to green space and walkable access to recreation. Privatizing it works against both.
Morrison serves over 12,000 individuals. Sara's, Brace and Harris are already stretched for capacity, and for many members they are neither convenient nor accessible. Without a walkable option, the realistic outcome is that families leave the system entirely rather than transfer within it.
The campus was created from a donation intended to co-locate education and community wellness, then expanded through further community generosity. Selling that gift as an asset to raise capital for use elsewhere sets aside the intent of the people who gave it, and asks every future donor in this region what happens to what they give.
The case for why $100M is needed to transform the YMCA has not been shared in a form the community can evaluate. What retention strategies were vetted? Where do Ballantyne families go next? Why is the organization not sustaining what already works? Rational people can evaluate evidence, but the evidence has not been produced.
Roughly 90 acres, 22 of them YMCA-owned, and about 100,000 square feet serving more than 12,000 people. Each year that includes 100,000 Child Watch check-ins, the association's second largest day camp, 26,000 group workout sessions, 14,000 pool visits and 1,000 arts participants. Distributing that raises the same question every time: whose space, whose staff, at whose cost?
The operation has shrunk from its pre-Covid peak, and consolidated revenue fell over $4M from 2019 to 2024. Alongside that came five CEO transitions in five years, centralization of pricing and programming, and the loss of long-tenured leaders in arts, dance and preschool. These challenges deserve a focused renewal strategy that builds on the community's contiued commitment to Morrison.
We are not only arguing against a sale. We have a five-year plan for what this campus could become.
1. File a legal motion to pause the sale.
2. Mobility the community against the decision.
3. Provide a new vision for the campus and community.