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Places

Creating community through public space.

Public space is the heart of a community. It’s where we celebrate, relax, and make memories with loved ones. Public space facilitates stronger bonds among people, strengthening the community one relationship at a time, and access to an open space network of parks and trails ranks among the top amenities both residents and business owners desire.

This plan identifies opportunities to expand the open space network throughout SouthPark, creating a variety of spaces to gather, recreate, and explore. See how:

Play & Learn on Cameron Valley Parkway
Venture on Fairview Road
Venture on Fairview Road
Gather on Carnegie Boulevard
SouthPark Forward 2035 Vision Plan: Places

Gather

Symphony Park and Carnegie Boulevard

Whether through road races, charity events, or community concerts, Symphony Park is where the community comes together in SouthPark. Envisioning this part of the district as a hub for major events creates an opportunity to nurture the soul of the neighborhood. 

  • This recommendation builds upon Symphony Park’s significance as a community gathering place, calling for a reimagined park, enhanced streetscape, and connections to nearby residents and workers.
  • The plan also calls for improvements along Carnegie Boulevard to facilitate street festivals, the addition of public art, and the preservation of the tree canopy along Rexford Road.

RESIDENT WALKABILITY: There are 8,151 households within a 1 mile walk of Carnegie Boulevard and Symphony Park

Symphony Park

Symphony Park is the premier destination on the Loop and home to beloved community events. The park’s current design, however, does not maximize the site’s utility for regular programming and is only episodically used. A future public-private partnership to renovate the park would create a space oriented for daily use.

This conceptual rendering of a reimagined Symphony Park includes a direct connection to the Loop, more flexible water features, and landscape architecture that invites a variety of uses. Rendering courtesy of the City of Charlotte.

Carnegie Boulevard

Building on this area’s potential as a community gathering place, an enhanced streetscape along Carnegie Boulevard creates new opportunities for festivals open to everyone.

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Play & Learn

Cameron Valley Parkway

Anchored around the popular SouthPark Regional Library, this pocket of SouthPark speaks to families who seek opportunities to spend time creating memorable experiences together.

  • SouthPark is one of Charlotte’s most desirable neighborhoods for families, and the existing amenities for children around the SouthPark Regional Library, the county’s second-busiest branch, offer a strong foundation from which to build.
  • This recommendation calls for a new connection to Sharon Elementary School, a half-acre pocket park on Cameron Valley Parkway, and enhanced public space for preservation and reflection at the historic St. Lloyd Presbyterian Cemetery site off Colony Road.

RESIDENT WALKABILITY: 7,253 households within a 1 mile walk of Cameron Valley Parkway

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Venture

Fairview Road

A linear park along Fairview Road and adjacent to SouthPark Mall creates moments of surprise and delight, re-purposing under-utilized space and creating unique opportunities for placemaking.

  • To enhance walkability—and to soften the challenging built environment at SouthPark’s main intersection of Sharon Road and Fairview Road—people on the street are essential. 
  • A linear park abutting SouthPark Mall, including opportunities for creative placemaking and activations on underutilized structured parking, can spark new activity along this busy thoroughfare.

RESIDENT WALKABILITY: 9,665 households within 1 mile

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