Rails to Trails Charlotte’s Dream for More Green

By Allison Parker

Images of spring blossoms and vibrant trees, a spacious centrally located piece of nature that all residents and visitors alike can enjoy - Thinking Central Park? Think Charlotte with the movement for Queens Park. 

With a plan to repurpose land owned by Norfolk Suffolk Railroad, a group of active citizens have a vision for the vibrant birth of a park worthy of Charlotte’s world class city ranking. 

With many pocket parks located throughout the city limits, Charlotte is familiar with green space yet there is not a centrally located green space of substantial sizing to match Charlotte’s growth. It is a perplexing thought that the City has one of the most underperforming park systems in the United States. 

Facts (Quuensparkclt.org)

-In 2019, Charlotte’s parks ranked 96th out of the 100 largest cities in America. 

-Only 6% of Charlotte’s land is used for parks and recreation.

- The national average is 15%. The average American city spends $90 per resident on parks. Charlotte spends around half that amount ($48 per resident). Charlotte’s bars are dog friendly, but our dog parks are in the 21st percentile (0.5 dog parks per 100,000 residents).

Being one of the most expanding cities in the U.S., it’s time for Charlotte to use this momentum to drive it’s planning to world class planning for a city of such great growth span. 

For committee member, Mary Mac Stallings, feelings about the planning of such a park has been a gleaming need.  

Mac shares, “When I was coming home from Atlanta, it struck me that Charlotte has a gap in green space in a pivotal location, it’s been a ‘bee in my bonnet’ every since to get involved to bring the idea to the right people and gather momentum to create one.”

Working with committee members, Stallings has been instrumental in creating the web space to showcase park plans for Queens Park (https://www.queensparkclt.org/). Stallings has utilized her marketing company, The Agency, and local influence to be a shing light to spread the word about the park movement. 

The committee has a plethora of active, successful Charlotteans eager to make the vision a reality. Members of the team include Eric Spengler, Executive Director (Attorney, Spengler and Agans, PLLC), Mary Mac Stallings, Director, Media Relations (Partner and Brand Director, The Agency), David Amalong, Director (Principal, Stewart) Rugel Chiriboga, Director (Principal, ODELL) Nesha Pai, Treasurer (CPA, Pai CPA PLLC), and Tony Kuhn, Director (President and Founder, Flywheel Group).

The visions for Queens Park include the creation of an outdoor gathering space in a railyard north of uptown into a 220-acre park. Queens Park would be the biggest park in the metro region. The site is in a desirable location that borders the Lynx Blue Line, the Charlotte Rail Trail, and several of Charlotte’s idyllic neighborhoods, including Noda, Villa Heights, Optimist Park, and Druid Hills. A plus is that the is in a Federal Economic Opportunity Zone, with tax credits for development. 

Queens Park would encompass three main areas of focus. The first being Quality of Life.  Nature and neighborhood accessibity all encourage active living. Additionally, Culture and Identity would include public art, music, and authenticity with local artists. Finally, Community and Inclusivity give the park a platform to promote engagement, public gathering space and educational outreach opportunities for all residents and visitors. 

Where next? Active voices keep projects alive! If you are reading this and like or even LOVE what you are reading (and who wouldn’t?), consider supporting the Queens Park Initiative by checking out the plans on https://www.queensparkclt.org/ and follow up with committee members to share your support. 

If you’d like to publicly be a promoter, you’re welcome to share the love by wearing a Queens Park supportive T-Shirt available on https://www.queensparkclt.org/shop/

Knowledge is power and spreading the word, big or small, helps promote the dream into a reality.