Foes of Ballantyne YMCA sale consider legal options, plan new Charlotte protest
Opposition to the $42.5 million sale of the Morrison Family YMCA continues to intensify, with organizers preparing a legal challenge and also planning a second protest.
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The YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced on June 17 that it is selling the Morrison complex to Moments of Hope Church, led by pastor David Chadwick. The deal expected to close by next summer. The YMCA accepted the unsolicited offer to accelerate a $100-million reinvestment plan to update and modernize its facilities.
But the Y’s decision has been met with backlash, including petitions and protests. After several hundred people turned out on July 12 to protest the sale, another rally is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, from noon to 2 p.m. at the same Bryant Farms Road location.
“The Ballantyne community is coming together again to make our voices heard,” a poster attached to Save Morrison YMCA Coalition’s weekly newsletter says. “The next protest will be bigger … and filled with even more speakers.”
The coalition, formed by JD Hopper of Ballantyne, did not initiate the first protest but has helped organize community members who oppose the Morrison YMCA sale.
“It was too successful not to do another one,” Hopper told The Charlotte Observer. People from tots to senior citizens lined the sidewalks near the Morrison branch with signs and chants declaring “Save our Y.”
The Save Morrison YMCA Coalition also is in the early stages of setting up a legal fund to potentially challenge the sale, Hopper said, even though there are no immediate plans to file a lawsuit.
Hopper said on the group’s Facebook page that “a ton of people asked me what they could financially contribute to.” The group also began selling T-shirts on July 14 that say “Save our Y,” “Moments of Nope” and other slogans to support the coalition’s mission.
The YMCA issued a statement the same day as the first protest, saying it was moving forward with the transaction but remains committed to serving Ballantyne and the rest of south Charlotte after the sale is completed.
Beyond the legal and public outcry lies a deeper concern over the loss of a vital community hub.
A former YMCA of Greater Charlotte board member, Tom Giblin, called the YMCA’s decision to sell the Morrison site “heartless.” The Y built the branch as part of its mission “for all,” not for one church, he said.
Ballantyne will lose a community hub that’s more than a gym, it’s where friends meet and generations of families enjoy classes like baking and acting, youth sports and swimming, and other programs, community members have told The Charlotte Observer.
YMCA officials said they understand the relationships and importance of the Morrison facility that opened 25 years ago to the Ballantyne community.
“We knew this news would be difficult for many of our members, and we’ve seen the disappointment and sadness being shared,” Sue Glass, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, recently told The Observer. “Morrison has been more than a place to work out.
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“It has been a community where friendships were formed, families gathered and people supported one another through every season of life,” she said.
The sale also will displace Forest Hill Church, which has met there for 15 years. It’s one of the church’s six campuses. Chadwick led Forest Hill for 39 years before a contentious exit in 2019 when he founded Moments of Hope.
In a sermon days after the announcement, Forest Hill pastor Doc Hanberry said the church was “blindsided” by news of the sale.
Protests aren’t the only way the community is trying to stop the sale.
There’s been letter and email writing campaigns to the YMCA of Greater Charlotte board members and Attorney General Jeff Jackson. An online petition started soon after the sale announcement is approaching 6,000 signatures now.
“Clearly, there is a big community impact and the place has really meant something to people,” said Joseph Navarro, who started the petition following the announcement.
He said the petition was like part of his grieving process and catalyst to take action. “There’s truly a sense of community there that I just absolutely love.”
Hopper said neither the YMCA nor Moments of Hope have reached out to the coalition since the protest. Neither organization responded to requests for comment for this story.
Navarro, 23, said he grew up going to the Morrison branch and has worked there part-time for six years.
“It was my first job in high school when I was 16,” the 23-year-old said. “There’s the thought of losing that sense of community, but also thinking about the staff members and the uncertainty about their jobs.”
The Morrison branch employs 17 full-time workers and 273 part-time employees, not including seasonal staff.
Hopper said he was blown away by the response and community feedback from the first protest that also drew families to Ballantyne residents who aren’t Y or Forest Hill church members.
“I was really taken aback by how positive the whole thing was,” Hopper said. “Leave it to the Morrison YMCA to make something like a protest, which is normally contentious and negative, and somehow make it like positive and beautiful.”
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