{"id":3511,"date":"2026-07-20T12:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T12:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3511"},"modified":"2026-07-20T12:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T12:35:30","slug":"foes-of-ballantyne-ymca-sale-consider-legal-options-plan-new-charlotte-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3511","title":{"rendered":"Foes of Ballantyne YMCA sale consider legal options, plan new Charlotte protest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opposition to the $42.5 million sale of the Morrison Family YMCA<\/a> continues to intensify, with organizers preparing a legal challenge and also planning a second protest.<\/p>\n

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The YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced on June 17 that it is selling the Morrison complex<\/a> to Moments of Hope Church<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

But the Y\u2019s decision has been met with backlash, including petitions and protests. After several hundred people<\/a> turned out on July 12 to protest the sale<\/a>, another rally is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, from noon to 2 p.m. at the same Bryant Farms Road location.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ballantyne community is coming together again to make our voices heard,\u201d a poster attached to Save Morrison YMCA Coalition<\/a>\u2019s weekly newsletter says. \u201cThe next protest will be bigger … and filled with even more speakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was too successful not to do another one,\u201d Hopper told The Charlotte Observer. People from tots to senior citizens lined the sidewalks near the Morrison branch with signs and chants declaring \u201cSave our Y.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Hopper said on the group\u2019s Facebook page that \u201ca ton of people asked me what they could financially contribute to.\u201d The group also began selling T-shirts<\/a> on July 14 that say \u201cSave our Y,\u201d \u201cMoments of Nope\u201d and other slogans to support the coalition\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Beyond the legal and public outcry lies a deeper concern over the loss of a vital community hub.<\/p>\n

A former YMCA of Greater Charlotte board member, Tom Giblin, called the YMCA\u2019s decision to sell the Morrison site \u201cheartless.\u201d The Y built the branch as part of its mission “for all,\u201d not for one church, he said.<\/p>\n

Ballantyne will lose a community hub<\/a> that\u2019s more than a gym, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

YMCA officials said they understand the relationships and importance of the Morrison facility that opened 25 years ago to the Ballantyne community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew this news would be difficult for many of our members, and we\u2019ve seen the disappointment and sadness being shared,\u201d Sue Glass, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, recently told The Observer. \u201cMorrison has been more than a place to work out.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt has been a community where friendships were formed, families gathered and people supported one another through every season of life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The sale also will displace Forest Hill Church, which has met there for 15 years. It\u2019s one of the church\u2019s six campuses. Chadwick led Forest Hill for 39 years before a contentious exit in 2019 when he founded Moments of Hope.<\/p>\n

In a sermon days after the announcement, Forest Hill pastor Doc Hanberry said the church was \u201cblindsided\u201d<\/a> by news of the sale.<\/p>\n

Protests aren\u2019t the only way the community is trying to stop the sale<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been letter and email writing campaigns to the YMCA of Greater Charlotte board members and Attorney General Jeff Jackson. An online petition<\/a> started soon after the sale announcement is approaching 6,000 signatures now.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, there is a big community impact and the place has really meant something to people,\u201d said Joseph Navarro, who started the petition following the announcement.<\/p>\n

He said the petition was like part of his grieving process and catalyst to take action. \u201cThere\u2019s truly a sense of community there that I just absolutely love.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Navarro, 23, said he grew up going to the Morrison branch and has worked there part-time for six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my first job in high school when I was 16,\u201d the 23-year-old said. \u201cThere\u2019s the thought of losing that sense of community, but also thinking about the staff members and the uncertainty about their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Morrison branch employs 17 full-time workers and 273 part-time employees, not including seasonal staff.<\/p>\n

Hopper said he was blown away by the response and community feedback<\/a> from the first protest that also drew families to Ballantyne residents who aren\u2019t Y or Forest Hill church members.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really taken aback by how positive the whole thing was,\u201d Hopper said. \u201cLeave 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ballantyne residents plan a second protest and prepare legal steps to oppose the $42.5M sale of the Morrison YMCA to Moments of Hope Church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nFoes of Ballantyne YMCA sale consider legal options, plan new Charlotte protest - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3511\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Foes of Ballantyne YMCA sale consider legal options, plan new Charlotte protest - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ballantyne residents plan a second protest and prepare legal steps to oppose the $42.5M sale of the Morrison YMCA to Moments of Hope Church.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3511\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-20T12:35:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"Foes of Ballantyne YMCA sale consider legal options, plan new Charlotte protest\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-20T12:35:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511\"},\"wordCount\":914,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2a33900c44095a5fc8eaa5f9846951d3.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511\",\"name\":\"Foes of Ballantyne YMCA sale consider legal options, plan new Charlotte protest - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2a33900c44095a5fc8eaa5f9846951d3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-20T12:35:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=3511#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2a33900c44095a5fc8eaa5f9846951d3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/2a33900c44095a5fc8eaa5f9846951d3.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Protesters line the sidewalk to cheer and chant to save the Morrison Family YMCA campus in Ballantyne from the planned sale to Moments of Hope Church on Sunday, July 12, 2026. \u201cThis is where we build our lives,\u201d Kim Blades said. \u201cThis is where our friends are and where our kids come. 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