SouthPark reveals new $250M ‘vision plan’ to transform area by 2035. See what’s included

SouthPark leaders want to spend $250 million in public and private money over the next 10 years to make the neighborhood more walkable and create more community gathering spaces such as parks and other venues.

The SouthPark Forward 2035 Vision Plan, announced Tuesday by SouthPark Community Partners, contains 64 projects, including new parks, a new shuttle service and improved infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. The nonprofit manages the SouthPark Municipal Service District, which was approved by the Charlotte City Council in 2022 and allows taxes to be levied to pay for marketing and improvements. It’s located south of uptown around the intersection of Sharon and Fairview roads.

SouthPark Community Partners, which has a board of business leaders, real estate developers and more, will invest $1 million in the next three years to “kickstart” the projects, the group said.

In addition to tax revenue from the municipal service district, the plan says an unspecified amount of funding could be requested from the city of Charlotte’s Capital Improvement Plan to pay for the projects. City officials estimated when the municipal service district was first proposed it would generate $1.35 million annually.

Additional money could come from corporate donors and federal, state and local grant opportunities, according to the plan.

“Some are fully private, they’re things that the private sector can execute,” Adam Rhew, president and CEO of SouthPark Community Partners told The Charlotte Observer of the proposed projects. “Some are things that are fully public that we expect that our city and county will fulfill. And then there are things in the middle, some of the more ambitious projects, that we know we will have to work together to achieve.”

Speaking at a Tuesday event marking the plan’s launch at Legion Brewing in SouthPark, Mayor Vi Lyles called the projects integral to a key part of the city’s economy.



“This is something that’s going to be absolutely astounding change for the better for so much of what we do,” she said.

City Council member Tariq Bokhari, whose District 6 includes SouthPark, described the projects as a “playbook” that neighborhood associations, businesses and others can look through and decide what they want to advocate for and invest in.

“This is over 60 items that have been curated through all kinds of different parties in a collaborative effort ... They are things that we all want and we all need and would be awesome,” he told the assembled group of public officials and business leaders. “There’s a lot of money that potentially is behind these things. But that’s where we come to you guys now. This is the call to action today.”

What’s included in new SouthPark plan?

The 64 projects in the 2035 plan fall into three themes:

• Creating community gathering spaces such as parks

• Improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists

• And expanding transportation options.

Among the proposed projects are renovations to Symphony Park, a new park on Fairview Road, the completion of the SouthPark Loop and greenway, bikeway and sidewalk improvements. The plan also calls for streetscaping and new public art installations, district-wide Wi-Fi and the development of a SouthPark Performing Arts Venue.

On the public safety front, the plan includes new emergency call boxes and for CMPD to realign its boundaries so all of SouthPark is in one patrol division.

The plan also includes multiple projects related to mobility, including:

• Neighborhood shuttle service, bike-sharing and car-sharing programs

• A collection of electric bikes that can be used by the public

• Electric vehicle charging stations

• Bike racks and bike repair stations

A management group would need to be created to manage the transit efforts, the plan notes, potentially involving SouthPark Community Partners and the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Rhew said his group is “eager to find ways to work with CATS” to improve public transit in SouthPark and the neighborhood’s connectivity to the county’s transit system.

The plan doesn’t give a timeline for when any of the projects will be completed or in what order they’ll be implemented. It’s a strategy board chairman Chris Thomas said in a statement is designed “to maximize flexibility and take advantage of development cycles, funding opportunities and partnerships that increase impact.”

Temporary installments such as pop-up markets, food truck events and makeshift sports courts could be used until permanent developments are completed, the plan says.

City, county roles in SouthPark plan

Many of the 64 items in the plan are described as potential “public-private partnerships.” What that means “depends on the project,” Rhew said.

Council member Malcolm Graham, who attended Tuesday’s event and chairs the council’s economic development committee, said he’s pleased with the planning process in SouthPark and said public-private partnerships have “always been a hallmark of the city of Charlotte.”

“We’ll take a look at some (projects) case by case and see what fits,” he said of the council’s appetite to chip in for the plan.

In addition to potential city funding, projects such as public art and greenway expansion could also involve Mecklenburg County, Rhew said.

“We’ve got a great relationship with the county. I’m grateful for the county manager’s leadership and her partnership, just willingness to engage with us,” he said. “... We look forward to working with the county when it’s appropriate.”

SouthPark Community Partners could pursue grants from public and private sources too, the plan notes, including federal and state agencies, the National Endowment for the Arts, the city and the Arts and Science Council.

And the group will look to get donations from businesses in the neighborhood.

“This is your opportunity to see what you like, rally people up and figure out how to make it happen,” Bokhari told the crowd Tuesday.

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