Ahead of Ballantyne YMCA protest, here’s the latest on the controversial sale
Ahead of a planned protest this weekend against the $42.5 million sale of south Charlotte’s beloved Morrison Family YMCA, community members continue to express outrage over the deal and a demand for transparency.
In a surprise move June 17 that blindsided longtime tenants and Y members, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced it would sell the Morrison complex to Moments of Hope Church, led by pastor David Chadwick. The deal is expected to be completed next summer, when the Morrison YMCA at 9405 Bryant Farms Road in Ballantyne would close and Moments of Hope would take over.
This deal also will displace a Forest Hill Church campus, a church that Chadwick used to lead.
The YMCA framed the transaction as a strategic necessity to fund its broader regional reinvestment plan. Critics argued the sale prioritizes a one-time windfall over the needs of a thriving community staple.
Following the announcement, area residents and Morrison YMCA members quickly turned to social media to voice their disapproval. A petition created the same day on Change.org to “Save the Morrison Family YMCA” has gathered more than 5,600 signatures, and counting.
Another organized effort to stop the sale is being led by JD Hopper, who created the Save Morrison YMCA coalition.
“I think that there’s a lot of opportunity to get this sale overturned, but I think we have to fight for it,” Hopper told The Charlotte Observer. “I don’t think anything is going to happen if we don’t collectively organize.”
Here’s a breakdown of what else we know that led to the sale, concerns fueling the community pushback and answers to other community questions.
When is the protest at the Morrison Family YMCA in Ballantyne?
The community protest is planned for noon Sunday, July 12, in front of the Morrison YMCA. It’s unclear who started the protest, but Hopper’s coalition is working to unite opponents of the sale, including the protesters.
The protest is rain or shine, Hopper said.
How did the Morrison YMCA deal happen?
YMCA CEO Sue Glass and Board Chairman Jeff Brown described the Morrison transaction as an unsolicited and “compelling” opportunity that will allow it to accelerate a $100-million regional reinvestment plan. Those funds are earmarked for upgrades at other facilities, some that haven’t been upgraded in 20 years.
Locations include the Johnston YMCA in NoDa, the Stratford Richardson YMCA, the Harris YMCA and the Hemby Program Center, according to the organization.
The sale was not conducted through a public, competitive bidding process, which led to community questions regarding transparency. But as a nonprofit agency, the Y is under no obligation to run such a process.
Some of the public complaints targeted local developer Graeme “Greg” Keith Jr., a Moments of Hope church leader with strong family ties to the YMCA. Keith characterized the deal as an “arm’s-length” transaction and said he was not involved in the YMCA’s decision.
Negotiations lasted about a year, and will result in the church redeveloping the property into a permanent home for its 1,200 members, youth sports and community outreach.
How does the Morrison Y compare to other Charlotte branches?
The Morrison YMCA serves about 4,200 member households.
It is the fifth-largest membership center in the YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s network of 14 membership centers, three program centers and two overnight camps, according to the Y.
What’s included in the property sale?
The Morrison YMCA’s building covers 87,000 square feet. The 22-acre property includes an outdoor pool, splash pad and water park, two gymnasiums, multiple fields, indoor track, deck hockey rink, and sand volleyball court, the Y confirmed.
Moments of Hope officials have said they intend to open the property to the community through such ministries as youth sports and swimming access for children.
What about access to ball fields near the YMCA?
In the 1990s, Ballantyne Development Corp. — owned by Sara Harris Bissell, Cameron Harris and Johnny Harris— planned the 2,000-acre mixed-use development in south Charlotte, pledging land for public use. The developers donated 90 acres to Mecklenburg County for a school, fire station and district park, and backed YMCA plans for a branch there.
Since then, the county and the Y have had shared use of the county-owned athletic fields and amenities at the 90-acre Ballantyne District Park.
The purchase-and-sale agreement includes only the Y-owned parcel. The adjacent athletic fields are county-owned and not part of the transaction, the Y recently confirmed to the Observer.
Following the closing, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation will manage the county fields and keep them open to the public.
What happens to the Morrison YMCA workers?
The Morrison branch employs 17 full-time workers and 273 part-time employees, not including seasonal staff hired for summer programs, the YMCA confirmed.
Because most positions are part-time or seasonal, many staff members are expected to keep their jobs. For employees who cannot be retained, the YMCA is working to find alternative roles within the organization, officials previously told the Observer.
Employees were notified of the Morrison sale before the public announcement, the YMCA said.
Why did Forest Hill Church learn of the sale when everyone else did?
A few days after the Y’s announcement, Forest Hill lead pastor Doc Hanberry addressed members of his six-campus congregation during a Sunday morning church service from the Morrison YMCA. He said he was told of the sale a mere 11 minutes before the Y made the public announcement.
“Our church was blindsided,” he said.
The YMCA told the Observer that due to the size and complexity of the transaction, it could not share information about it until the agreement was finalized and approved by its board.
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Who is Moments of Hope Church lead pastor David Chadwick?
Chadwick is the former leader of Forest Hill Church. He previously helped Forest Hill’s expansion into the Ballantyne YMCA in September 2011, spending almost four decades leading the expansion of the non-denominational congregation as its head pastor.
In March 2019, he resigned from Forest Hill under pressure from the church’s Council of Elders and other leaders. They complained that his managerial style was too demanding and authoritarian, the Observer reported at the time.
A month later, he started Moments of Hope.
The members currently meet at the Providence Square Shopping Center in south Charlotte. Next summer, Chadwick and his congregation will more than quadruple their space when they take over the YMCA.
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How will Moments of Hope pay for the YMCA sale?
Chadwick declined to share detailed financial terms of the $42.5-million deal, but said the church already has covered about half of the cost through tithes and other fundraising.
The rest will be raised over the next year from within the congregation and from outside supporters, according to Chadwick.
“We raise money just like every church does,” Chadwick said. “We have our congregation who gives, and our congregation is very generous.”
What does the Morrison YMCA sale mean for Forest Hill Church?
Forest Hill has been meeting at the Ballantyne branch for 15 years.
When it first expanded there, the church funded a $4.5 million project that included two basketball courts, an indoor track, an athletic training center and exercise rooms. It also featured a retractable wall to keep the worship stage set up and an atrium for socializing.
In exchange for the funding, the church secured a 30-year renewable lease to use the facility rent-free for Sunday worship and off-peak hours. The Y kept full use of the new floor space to expand programs, including basketball, preschool and fitness classes.
Observer archives show Forest Hill still has 15 years left on its lease with the Y. But by next summer, their services at that location are expected to end when the YMCA closes its doors. Forest Hill will no longer use the facility after its lease agreement with the Y ends, Chadwick said.
“We value our longstanding relationship with Forest Hill Church and recognize its important history at the Morrison YMCA,” the YMCA said in a statement to the Observer. “We remain committed to working closely with Forest Hill throughout the transition process, and future arrangements will continue to be discussed directly with the church as plans evolve.”
Neither church has provided details about when Forest Hill is expected to move out.
A message in the latest sermon
During Hanberry’s July 5 sermon “Jesus Plus Nothing: The Truth About Salvation,” he said the Gospel will never be stopped.
“So people in Ballantyne in particular, I’m talking to you,” he said with claps and pointing to the video camera from SouthPark where he was preaching. The sermon is on YouTube.
“We love you. We’re with you. We’re walking alongside of you. To God be the glory even in this situation. Nothing externally is going to stop the Gospel.”
What does the YMCA want to say to people opposing the sale?
“The YMCA is moving forward with the transaction,” the Y said in a statement to the Observer. “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 Y remains committed to its members, staff and community by continuing to operate the Morrison YMCA through the anticipated summer 2027 closing.
“As we move forward, Morrison YMCA leadership, the Morrison Advisory Board and Association leadership will continue working together to shape how the YMCA serves families in this community in the future.”
Is the Charlotte YMCA considering or open to selling other branches?
“Like any responsible nonprofit governing board, we are thoughtful about how our facilities and assets support our mission and the evolving needs of the communities we serve,” the Y told the Observer. “The Morrison transaction reflects a unique set of circumstances, and we have no additional property announcements to share.”
Why does the Morrison YMCA matter so much?
For people like Hopper, who formed the Save Morrison YMCA coalition, it’s a space for community. “It’s just a central hub that we just won’t have anymore,” he said.
He called the loss of the facility an earthquake for the Ballantyne neighborhood.
Hopper, 25, grew up in Ballantyne and remembers staying in the Morrison YMCA’s child care while his mother worked out. He learned to swim in the pool, sporting a green necklace to swim in the deep end at the time. After college, he moved back to Ballantyne and remains a Y member.
The petitioners and protesters are calling on the YMCA to pause the sale, explore alternatives that keep the branch open and hold public forums before making a final decision. The coalition also is pressing for legal and regulatory scrutiny of the deal with members urged to contact state Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the North Carolina Department of Justice.
“We are not opponents of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte,” Hopper said in this week’s coalition newsletter with over 300 subscribers. “We would not be fighting this hard to save the Morrison YMCA if we did not love it.”
