Mecklenburg County releases new Sheffield Park plan after controversial basketball change
Mecklenburg County plans to bring full-court basketball back to east Charlotte’s Sheffield Park, the county parks department announced Wednesday.
And that’s not the only change in store for the facility.
A new plan for the park converts one of its existing half-court basketball courts into a full-court basketball court and resurfaces the other half-court basketball court, the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation department said in its latest update on the park.
The announcement comes months after workers converted the park’s old full-sized basketball court into a pickleball court, sparking outrage among some neighbors, who said the basketball court provided a safe, fun gathering place for young people in the community.
In addition to adding back basketball courts, the parks department said in its announcement “new seating will be provided throughout the park,” including new benches under existing shade trees at the park’s playground and around the courts.
“If the project budget allows, a shade structure will be added near the updated basketball courts,” the county’s announcement said. “The Department is also working with TreesCharlotte to plant additional shade trees throughout the park to establish a more substantial tree canopy.”
“Initial improvements” at the park will start within 30 days, according to the county, and “all improvements are anticipated to be complete by early Spring 2024.”
Feedback from residents received via an online survey and during an October community meeting drove the changes, the county said.
Pickleball incident sparks anger, change
The plan to solicit community feedback on Sheffield Park was first announced at a September meeting of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, where some who live near the park expressed anger and frustration at the lack of input into the conversion of a full-sized basketball court into a pickleball court.
One resident, Sharon Ford, told commissioners that night she “literally wept” when she saw what was done to the park.
“It was a complete community that was distorted and ripped off,” she said.
County parks staff announced at that meeting they would meet with residents and consider bringing full court basketball back to the park.
More than 200 people completed the online survey about the park, according to data presented at the October community meeting.
Among respondents, 36% said they were concerned about full-court basketball disappearing from the park, and 34% said they were concerned about the lack of outreach from the county before the initial change was made.
Other issues at the park raised by residents in the survey and during the meeting included a lack of shade and seating at the facility.
Some said that in addition to resolving the basketball court issue, they’d like to see more amenities at the park. But the county cautions fulfilling those requests may not be possible.
“Though staff received additional requests for other new amenities such as splash pads, lighting, and restrooms, those elements are not typically found in local/neighborhood parks and are more often added to regional parks with the appropriate support infrastructure,” the county said in its Wednesday announcement.
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This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 5:08 PM.
