Huntersville approves $2.5 million gym and field deal with CMS

Huntersville will pay up to $2.5 million toward a gym and a soccer field at the new Huntersville Elementary School. In return, the town gets to run its own recreation programs there for at least 25 years.

The Town Board approved the joint use agreement with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools on Nov. 2. It was part of the consent agenda, which passed unanimously in a single vote. The vote is about six minutes into the meeting video on the town’s YouTube channel.

The new school replaces the current Huntersville Elementary. The town’s agenda memo says it is expected to open in fall 2028.

What the town pays for

The full agreement is in the Nov. 2 agenda packet. It splits the town’s money like this:

The town pays only actual, documented building and equipment costs. It pays nothing until the school has its certificate of occupancy and the gym and field are open to the town. The memo lists the money in the town’s capital plan for the 2029 fiscal year.

The memo says the deal also gives the town office space and storage space at the school.

Who uses it, and when

The school has the gym and field to itself during school hours on school days. It can also hold back some evenings during the school year, and must tell the town which ones by July 1 each year.

The rest of the time belongs to the town’s Parks and Recreation Department. The agreement says the town must use the facilities for public recreation that is “open to the general public.”

Other terms in the agreement:

• No rent. The town pays nothing to use the space once it has paid its share.
• Term: 25 years from the day the school hands over the facilities, with a town option to extend for 10 more, up to 35 years in all.
• Upkeep: CMS runs and maintains the gym building and pays the utilities. The town cleans and secures the gym when it is using it and maintains the outdoor fields.
• Design: CMS’s architect, ADW Architects, designs the facilities, and both sides review the plans.

A greenway that moves

Part of an existing greenway runs along the northern edge of the school site. Under the agreement, CMS will build a relocated section along the site’s boundary at its own cost, to the town’s greenway standards. CMS then gives the town a permanent easement so the public can keep using it. The town maintains it from then on.

The town’s $2.5 million is conditional on that easement being recorded.

The rest of the Nov. 2 meeting

The same consent vote also approved:

• Shelly Stewart as town clerk from Dec. 1, succeeding Janet Pierson, who retires after 31 years. Our story on the handover.
• Ten police SUVs from Parks Ford for $480,302.30, replacing older vehicles. The purchase was in this year’s budget.
• A contract with Kittelson & Associates to write a Downtown Huntersville Transportation Plan.
• Land for the N.C. 115 North sidewalk. A resolution lets the town buy right of way and easements on 10 parcels along the route. If a purchase cannot be agreed at the appraised price, the town manager may use eminent domain. The resolution says acquisition should start no later than November 2026.
• A Dec. 1 public hearing on the Social Mugs request to rezone three parcels from Highway Commercial Conditional District to Rural.

The board then approved two annexations unanimously. Both bring land into town limits:

• 183.72 acres on Sam Furr Road for Shea Homes Carolina’s Westmoreland Farms subdivision. The staff report says the annexation takes effect the day of the vote.
• About 8.8 acres on Huntersville-Concord Road, one parcel, at the request of Key Cog Holdings NC II.

The board also held a public hearing on the Bragg Agricultural Campus. The owners want to rezone 30.4 acres at 15715 Davidson-Concord Road so the Dearness Gardens plant nursery can move there. No one spoke from the public, and planning staff said they support the plan. A Dearness Gardens representative told the board the historic Washam House would become its gift shop and offices. A flower field by the road would carry seasonal crops such as a pumpkin patch and strawberries. The board did not vote on it Nov. 2.

Two text amendments requested by Jake Palillo, changing street connection and building entrance rules, also had hearings. Planning staff raised concerns about the street connection changes. Neither was put to a vote.

What it means for you

• New indoor recreation space, but not until 2028. The gym and field open with the new school, on CMS’s current timetable. Until then, town programs run from the sites on our parks and trails page.
• School comes first in the daytime. Expect town programs at the new gym in the evenings, on weekends and in the summer. The detailed schedule rules will be set each year between CMS and the town.
• If you live in the Huntersville Elementary zone, our school page has the current school’s grades and enrollment.
• If you own property on N.C. 115 north of downtown, the town’s engineering staff may contact you about the sidewalk. The resolution sets the price by appraisal.
• The board meets next at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Town Hall, 14704 N. Old Statesville Road. The agenda will be on the town’s meeting portal.