Live updates: Hundreds at Ballantyne YMCA sale protest, with signs, music, worries
Several hundred people protested out front of the Morrison Family YMCA in south Charlotte Sunday afternoon and carried signs, brought their kids and demanded the nonprofit stop the controversial $42.5 million sale to a local church.
The crowd included kids in strollers, their parents and senior citizens.
On June 17, the YMCA announced it was selling the 22-acre property on Bryant Farms Road to Moments of Hope Church, igniting a firestorm of community opposition with a petition, the formation of a coalition and now a protest.
Protesters upset with Charlotte church over Ballantyne Y sale
As drivers continued to honk their horns, showing support, Quinn Callahan held up a sign that read “Moments of Nope.” His wife, Molly Furey, had a sign that read, “The Village People would be so disappointed.”
Callahan said it’s a community resource that serves people regardless of religion or background. Their children attend summer camp and classes there, and the family uses the facility for recreation and exercise.
“If you want to buy land and build your church on it, by all means, it’s a free country,” Callahan said. “The Y is just as culpable (over the sale) as the church is .... Moments of Hope is for a specific group of people that only identify with a specific religious sect, and it’s a great community resource that’s getting taken away,”
Feeling inspired at the Charlotte YMCA protest
At the protest, Carol LeCompte said she was appalled to learn about the sale. She lives nearby but is not a YMCA or Forest Hill Church member.
“It’s so important to the community, and to see this kind of support from Y members is really inspiring.” She felt compelled to come out to Sunday’s protest because “this place plays a role for so many families, and you can’t put a price on that.”
Reasons for the Morrison YMCA protest
JD Hopper, the organizer of the Save Morrison YMCA coalition, used a megaphone at the roundabout to address the crowd.
“We would not fight this hard if we didn’t love the YMCA,” he said. “It can’t go. We’re going to fight for this.”
Several others took turns at the megaphone, including a group of six kids. One of them, a girl, said, “This Y is not meant for just one church. It’s for all the people “
A Village People song and honks from cars
The Village People’s “YMCA” song was playing and an endless stream of cars passing by honking with some throwing hands out the windows with thumbs ups and waves, as protesters cheered and clapped.
Kate Loor, a yoga instructor for three Y locations including Ballantyne, said she’s been going there for over two decades. “It’s been a part of my family and my life since the very beginning and I think it needs to serve the whole community, everybody”
Worried about losing the Y
Francina Law and her adult children, Ashley Montgomery and Patrick Law, stood on the sidewalk next to other protesters. They were dissatisfied with the sale that happened without community input. They were also concerned about having to drive to another facility.
”It’s just devastating,” Patrick said.
Part of the Morrison YMCA family
Robin Hirschman Moore and 16-year-old daughter Hunter arrived at the Ballantyne YMCA at least a half-hour before the protest was to start at noon, with a sign that said “Families Over Greed Save Our YMCA.”
Robin Moore said she’s been a member for 20 years and called the branch the crown jewel of Ballantyne.
“Our kids were here, even as babies. They’d walk through the trees from Hawk Ridge to go to after school program, summer camps, and my daughter’s even been a camp counselor here,” Moore said. “We’ve raised our kids within the Morrison Y, or actually the Morrison Y has raised our kids.”
Signs at the Ballantyne YMCA protest
Many protesters carried signs with them. Among them were:
- “Moments of Nope”
- “$42.5M reasons to save Morrison YMCA”
- “Don’t covet thy neighbors YMCA”
- “Something smells fishy”
- “Save our Morrison Family”
Morrison YMCA has a reminder for protesters
The YMCA put out a sign saying “Welcome to the Morrison YMCA” and reminding people to keep “protest activity on the public sidewalk ... We appreciate everyone’s cooperation.” The Y said protesters could park in their lot.
YMCA stresses that Morrison Branch sale will proceed
The YMCA issued a statement ahead of the protest, saying in part: “We understand that some members and community supporters continue to have strong feelings about this decision, and we respect the right of individuals to peacefully express their views.”
The YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s board of directors “carefully evaluated this opportunity before approving the Purchase and Sale Agreement. The Board of Directors approved the transaction, the Purchase and Sale Agreement has been executed, and the YMCA is moving forward with the transaction.”
The YMCA also said it remains committed to serving Ballantyne and the rest of south Charlotte after the sale is completed.
A community hub in Ballantyne
While the YMCA is slated to remain open until summer 2027, community members expressed frustration over the sudden divestment of a neighborhood staple. Some of the amenities at the 87,000-square-foot facility include an outdoor pool, water park, two gyms, an indoor track and a sand volleyball court.
The Ballantyne branch is much more than a place to exercise. It’s a community hub, longtime members like Gina Brundick told The Charlotte Observer prior to Sunday’s protest. She planned to be there Sunday with two of her daughters.
Brundick said her family has been at the Y since the branch opened 25 years ago. Her daughters, now all in their 20s, participated in summer camps, youth sports and teen programs.
Community members, including those in the “Save the Morrison Y” coalition, are expressing confusion and frustration over the YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s unexpected decision to sell the Morrison YMCA to a church. And hey are concerned about how the sale will change the overall character of the Ballantyne community.
A tale of two churches
Moments of Hope plans to redevelop the YMCA property for its 1,200 members with youth sports and community outreach, church founder and Pastor David Chadwick has said.
But the sale also displaces Forest Hill Church, which has met there for 15 years. It’s also a church Chadwick previously led for nearly 40 years, until his departure that was marked by friction, according to Observer archives.
More background about the Morrison YMCA sale
YMCA CEO Sue Glass and board chair Jeff Brown defended the sale of the facility and said it was a “compelling” chance to accelerate a $100-million regional investment plan.
The funds will help with long-delayed upgrades at other YMCA facilities, some of which have gone 20 years without improvements. Some of those locations include the Harris, Stratford Richardson and Johnston YMCAs, along with the Hemby Program Center.
The lack of a competitive public bidding process sparked concerns about transparency, but the Y is not obligated to do so because it is not a public agency. It is a nonprofit.
Mecklenburg County and the Y have shared use of county-owned athletic fields and amenities at the 90-acre Ballantyne District Park near the Morrison facility. The adjacent athletic fields are county-owned and not part of the transaction, the Y recently confirmed to the Observer.
This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 12:03 PM.
