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Queens Park, Charlotte, North Carolina - Virtual Advisory Services Panel
October 19, 2021
The Friends of Queens Park engaged a virtual ULI Advisory Services panel to explore possibilities for open space in Charlotte’s North End. The organization presented a vision for an iconic urban park, Queens Park, to be located in place of an existing railyard north of Charlotte’s uptown area. Their proposal includes amenities such as a flexible great lawn, a cultural/arts area, and a natural area with a pond and biodiverse native plants.
Photo By ULI
The panel was led by co-chairs Carlton Brown, founding partner, Direct Invest Development, New York, NY and Alan Razak, principal, AR Spruce LLC, Phildelphia, PA; and included panelists Gabriela Cañamar Clark, partner, LandDesign, Alexandria, VA; Lauryn Douglas, senior project manager, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA; Nate Hommel, director of planning and design, University City District, Philadelphia, PA; Jenni Morejon, president and CEO, Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and David Zaidain, practice area leader – urban planning and transportation, Gensler, Washington, D.C. ULI staff Georgia Gempler, Lauren Callaghan, and Kelsey Steffen supported the panel.
Date: October 4-6, 2021
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Sponsor: Friends of Queens Park
Subject Area: Parks and Open Space
Panel Chairs: Carlton Brown, Direct Invest Development, New York, NY; and Alan Razak, AR Spruce LLC, Philadelphia, PA
Having built support amongst community members in Charlotte for the Queens Park vision, the Friends of Queens Park sought an Advisory Services panel to help make the park a reality. The organization, seeking to expand the amount of green space and improve neighborhood connectivity in Charlotte, posed questions about effectively engaging with the railyard stakeholders and City and County officials to bring Queens Park to life.
The panel was asked to evaluate the possibilities for gaining formal adoption by the City and County for the Queens Park vision, finding an alternative site to relocate the proposed expansion of the CATS (city transit) maintenance facility, collaborating with Norfolk Southern to acquire and relocate the existing railyard through a mutually beneficial partnership, and building support for incremental growth in park space in the North End.
Summary of the Panel’s Recommendations
- Partnerships
- Approach Queens Park as a collaborative enterprise, using “the Charlotte way” to build public private partnerships and a true city-wide coalition of supporters. Build upon the excellent public engagement work done through previous city planning exercises.
- Form a task force with the City, County, the private sector (rail partners and a private sector champion), and community advocates. Use this project to build upon the City and County’s goals for city-building in Charlotte.
- The ultimate vision for Charlotte’s North End will be informed by this iterative community collaboration. The Friends of Queens Park cannot accomplish this vision alone.
- Place
- Open space is critical in Charlotte; this is not about the park, this is about the North End. The end result may or may not be the 200+ acre park, and could rather be a series of smaller open spaces in the North End.
- The main rail lines will remain (CATS, Norfolk Southern). Work to build partnerships with these organizations.
- Work with Norfolk Southern towards eventually moving the switchyard with no negative financial impact to railroad. This will be a long process.
- Timing
- Achieving the final vision will be a long-haul effort, but there are immediate objectives that can be achieved by cultivating partners in Charlotte.
- Funding and Finance
- Both public and private sources of financing can be used in conjunction to achieve the vision for the North End and accomplish multiple goals. There are many public funding sources available.