Coalition Says It Will Sue to Stop the Morrison YMCA Sale in Ballantyne

The fight over the Morrison Family YMCA in Ballantyne is headed toward court. At a public hearing before the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Oct. 20, leaders of a grassroots coalition said they plan to file a lawsuit within two weeks to block the branch's sale, The Charlotte Observer reported.

What the coalition is asking for

• The group asked commissioners to help halt the sale and to pass a resolution urging a review by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.
• It also plans to formally ask the attorney general to intervene under state laws covering charitable gifts and the duties of nonprofit board members.
• Speakers pointed to the public-private partnership between the county and the Y that dates to the 1990s, when the Harris family helped develop Ballantyne and donated land for parks and schools.

Commissioners did not take any action at Tuesday's meeting.

The sale, in brief

• Buyer: Charlotte-based Moments of Hope Church, which made an unsolicited offer
• Price: $42.5 million for the 22-acre campus at 9405 Bryant Farms Road
• Timing: announced June 17, 2026; the deal is expected to close next summer, and the branch is set to close in summer 2027
• The Y's reasoning: YMCA of Greater Charlotte leaders say the money would help fund a $100 million plan to modernize other branches, including Johnston, Stratford Richardson, Harris and Hemby

Community pushback

Opponents have protested, gathered more than 7,000 petition signatures, formed a coalition and steering committee, and launched a website this month. Parents and staff at the hearing highlighted programs they say would be lost, including a youth theater program for neurodiverse kids, youth sports on shared county fields, child care, after-school programs and summer camps. A branch of Forest Hill Church that has met at the Y for 15 years would also have to move.

We'll follow the case if the lawsuit is filed. For more on the area, see our Ballantyne neighborhood guide.

Source: The Charlotte Observer, Oct. 21, 2026