The Morrison YMCA is closing in Ballantyne. Here’s what families need to know

If you spent this week trying to wrap your head around the news that a YMCA branch in south Charlotte is going away, you’re not alone. The Morrison Family YMCA on Bryant Farms Road was sold to a Charlotte church for $42.5 million.

The deal is expected to close in summer 2027, and after that, the doors close for good.

Until then, Morrison stays open. Childcare, sports, arts, aquatics — all of it continues over the next year. But the announcement has stunned families across Ballantyne, sparked a fast-growing online petition, and raised pointed questions about how the decision came together and what happens next for the 4,200 members who call Morrison home.

Here’s a breakdown of what we know, drawn from three Charlotte Observer reports.

The YMCA sale: What’s happening and where members will land

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s board approved a purchase and sale agreement with Moments of Hope Church, a nondenominational evangelical congregation that plans to convert the 87,000-square-foot facility into its new home. The church intends to expand its ministry through sports programming and community education on the 22-acre site.

YMCA leaders say the sale is the cornerstone of a $100 million, multi-year strategic plan to modernize aging facilities across the region. Several YMCA branches haven’t seen major capital improvements in nearly 20 years.

Proceeds from Morrison are earmarked for upgrades at the Johnston YMCA in NoDa, the Stratford Richardson YMCA, the Harris YMCA and the Hemby Program Center. Sara’s YMCA in Ballantyne could also see expansion.

For Morrison members, that means a shift. After the sale closes, families will have access to nearby branches: Sara’s YMCA, Brace Family YMCA, Hemby Program Center and Harris YMCA.

“We are approaching this transition with care and respect for the relationships built there,” Sue Glass, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, said in a statement. “While this decision represents a significant change, it also creates an opportunity to strengthen how we serve communities across our region in the years ahead.”

The Morrison branch employs 17 full-time and 273 part-time staff. The YMCA said it’s working to relocate employees within the network where possible.

The Morrison Advisory Board will continue meeting through the closure to help guide programming and the handoff.

‘Heartbroken’ and ‘insulted’: Why Ballantyne is pushing back

The reaction from some members was swift, raw and public. Within hours of the announcement, the Morrison Family YMCA’s Facebook and Instagram pages filled with roughly 200 comments — most of them some mix of grief, anger and disbelief.

“What an utter disappointment and quite frankly an insult,” Facebook user Jamie Cooke wrote. “This facility is run by an amazing staff, and now where do they turn? We are in this facility nearly every day of the week and are absolutely appalled by the fact any sane person could arrive at this decision.”

For some families, Morrison isn’t a backup option — it’s the option.

“This is incredibly sad and disappointing! My son and I have practically lived at this Y (between gym, camps, Forest Hill church, pool, and childcare),” Instagram user Katie Jordan wrote. “It’s convenient and my only option. I will not be keeping our membership after this next year because all other locations are not convenient for my family.”

Others described Morrison as a lifeline during hard seasons of parenting.

“As a Morrison YMCA employee, and as a mom who came to Charlotte without the family and village I had back home in West Virginia, I am heartbroken,” Alexandria Frazier posted. She said the Y “gave me friendships, purpose, and a sense of grounding in a city that once felt so far from everything familiar.”

A Change.org petition titled “Save the Morrison Family YMCA,” created by an organizer listed as “Ballantyne Resident,” is asking the Y to pause the sale, explore alternatives and hold public forums before any final decision. It crossed 1,000 signatures the day of the announcement and kept climbing from there. As of Sunday, June 21, there were over 3,700 signatures.

The anger isn’t only about losing the building. It’s about how the decision landed. “I have volunteered at and visited this YMCA with my entire family for the last 15 years and for a decision like this to have already been made without having an open dialogue with the members and volunteers is unbelievable,” Instagram user James Neubauer wrote.

Glass acknowledged the pain.

“Morrison has been more than a place to work out, it has been a community where friendships were formed, families gathered and people supported one another through every season of life,” she said. “We understand why this decision feels deeply personal.”

How the YMCA church deal came together - and who connected the dots

The sale didn’t materialize overnight. The purchase and sale agreement was signed last Tuesday afternoon and was more than a year in the making, with a familiar Charlotte name in the middle of it: Graeme “Greg” Keith Jr., co-founder and CEO of The Keith Corp.

Keith’s family already has a YMCA branch named for them — the Keith Family YMCA in University City — recognizing decades of volunteer and philanthropic support. He also co-founded Moments of Hope Church with longtime friend Pastor David Chadwick and serves as vice chairman of its elder board.

After looking at roughly 200 properties over seven years, Keith said the Morrison site emerged as the answer.

“It’s really special to see how God provides,” Keith said in a video the church posted. “He does it in His time and His way, which is very seldom our time and our way.”

Some members questioned the process. “The sudden sale of such a pillar of our community, with no warning or meaningful discussion with the people the YMCA is supposed to serve, is deeply disappointing,” Morrison member Jason Forrester told the Observer.

Chadwick said he understands the loss families are feeling, but emphasized that the decision to sell rested with the YMCA’s board.

“We understand that people don’t like change,” he said. “And we get the fact that there’s a sense of loss and grieving. And I hope again that we’ll be good neighbors, and they’ll still be able to come on the property and use it in different ways.”

Keith pushed back on suggestions the deal was fast-tracked or an inside arrangement, calling it an “arm’s-length” transaction.

Moments of Hope, which has grown to about 1,200 members since 2019, won’t move in until next year. Until then, full YMCA programming continues — and Morrison families have one more year to figure out what comes next.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.