Big Discovery Place Nature expansion plan in limbo after Myers Park neighbors protest

An ambitious, multimillion-dollar expansion plan for Discovery Place Nature, one of Charlotte’s best-known and oldest museums, remains in limbo because of protests by its Myers Park neighbors.

Residents claim they’ve been left out of the planning process for a project that could cost more than $32 million, and fear the changes will put their streets, pricey homes and safety at risk. They may call in their lawyers too. Meanwhile, some SouthPark leaders say they’d be perfectly happy to host the project, although that outcome appears unlikely.

It’s a lot of drama for a place that for decades has been a low-key museum where families brought young children to stroll through a butterfly pavilion or pet a milk snake.

Discovery Place Nature wants to replace its 69-year-old, 13,000-square-foot building with a facility just under 29,000 square feet, and include features like an otter habitat and a raised outdoor tree canopy walkway. Museum officials predict annual attendance would also double, from 80,000 to 160,000 visitors.

“I just think this is a horrible mistake,” said Wayne Smith, who lives near the museum. “Who wants to live in a neighborhood where all this is happening?

Rising tension

Mecklenburg County, which owns the land and building at the site and leases it to Discovery Place, has committed to spending $16 million on the project. Discovery Place will spend at least that amount on the new museum’s exhibits, furnishings and interior space, county and museum officials have said.

The project has been in the works since 2017. Last July, the county and the museum announced plans to close Discovery Place Nature in 2020 to begin construction at the site.

But neighborhood angst escalated throughout the fall, as details of the plan became public. The Charlotte Ledger business newsletter first reported the neighborhood concerns.

The museum sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood adjacent to Freedom Park that is dotted with million-dollar homes, where drivers already have to jockey around construction vehicles updating or replacing 1950s homes.

At a meeting last month between neighbors, Discovery Place and county leaders, residents strongly spoke out against the plan. Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio decided to put the project on hold to give time for the county and the museum to address concerns. There has been no timetable to resolve the conflict.

But county staff and Discovery Place leaders have been working with designers to address the concerns raised at the December meeting, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Director Lee Jones said.

“The county and Discovery Place have worked very diligently to make this facility... complimentary versus a negative asset to the community,” Jones said. “It’s not like you want to put something so massive... that its benefits cannot be perceived.

“I ‘m hopeful the community will feel their concerns were addressed.”

He said that while the square footage and projected attendance associated with the project may seem overwhelming to neighbors, the new Discovery Place Nature may not be as large as they fear. Much of the added space for the new building will be devoted to “back of house” uses, he said, like additional work space and animal care areas.

Discovery Place CEO Catherine Wilson Horne declined to be interviewed by the Observer, but released a statement saying: “We are continuing to work alongside Mecklenburg County to provide museum neighbors with additional information regarding parking, visitation and museum operations. It is an ongoing process and we are exploring a number of different options.”

A meeting to update residents on the project has been scheduled for Jan. 21 at Discovery Place Nature. Any new options Discovery Place or the county may announce remain a mystery.

Safety, security worries

Discovery Place Nature neighbors say they’re eager to learn about changes at the January meeting.

Some say they haven’t ruled out hiring lawyers. Several brought attorneys to an October meeting of the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment when city officials were contemplating variances related to the project.

Plans call for an expanded parking lot to stretch behind homes that now have views of Freedom Park. Neighbors worry that a bigger museum would mean increased bus traffic and big events that would clog streets and invite noise, pollution and crime.

“We all like having the nature museum there. It’s a great amenity for the neighborhood and the town. It’s just how they’re going about it,” said Irfan Khan. His family’s backyard view of Freedom Park would change from woods to a parking lot if the museum’s plans are executed.

“They’re trying to put in a facility that is outsized for the space that’s available,” Khan said.

He said no one disclosed the Discovery Place Nature expansion plans when he and his wife bought their home in August. And they worry about strangers in a museum parking lot watching their three sons play in the backyard.

“There are so many other neighborhoods in Charlotte that could truly benefit from an attraction like this,” Khan said. “They could spend all the money they’re planning on spending on another location — another park, perhaps — that’s so much more suited for it.”

Possible new location?

The controversy in Myers Park piqued the interest of some leaders in SouthPark, who would be happy to see such a project in their community.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Harden, whose district covers both communities, acknowledged speculation about the potential move. “I think we’re at the very early stages of looking at that as an alternative site,” she said.

Harden called the plans for the new building in Myers Park “charming” and “appropriate for the site,” but acknowledged the neighbors’ concerns over traffic and safety.

“We want to make sure this is going to be another 75-year decision, so we want to make sure it’s the right building and the right space. The idea that it would be relocated is a major proposition, given how much work has been done by the partnership on that location,” Harden said. “It’s just going to take time to figure this out.”

Meanwhile, SouthPark area leaders are excited by the thought of bringing Discovery Place Nature to their area, possibly in Park Road Park.

Hilary Larsen, the SouthPark Association of Neighborhoods chairwoman, said members of her group that she’s talked to are in favor of having the museum in Park Road Park.

“It would activate a park that isn’t as utilized as much as other parks in the county,” she said. “It’s got a lot of parking, and it’s near the highway and easy to get to. But more importantly for SouthPark, we are lacking cultural facilities.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 10:37 AM.