SouthPark would happily take Myers Park’s Nature Museum
Residents in the SouthPark area say they would be more than happy for the Nature Museum to move to Park Road Park if residents near its existing home at Freedom Park raise too much of a stink about the museum’s planned expansion.
The prospect sounds like a long shot. The county and Discovery Place, which runs the museum, have invested a lot of time and money into planning to modernize it at Freedom Park. But the idea of moving the whole project to Park Road Park isn’t being rejected outright.
At a meeting last month, some residents near the Nature Museum’s entrance on Sterling Road told officials with the county that they’re worried about the increased traffic and loss of trees that would result from plans to double the museum’s size. County Manager Dena Diorio said the county would “press pause” on the development until it can address residents’ concerns. (Ledger archives: “Nature Museum plans hit buzzsaw of Myers Park opposition.”)
County commissioner Susan Harden told the Ledger last week that moving the Nature Museum to Park Road Park is “being looked at” and that “since the word has gotten out to SouthPark neighbors that it’s a possibility, I’ve only heard positive feedback.”
Still, she says, it’s tough to quickly change plans after all the work that has been poured into the Freedom Park site: “When you’ve been planning for three years to marry somebody, and suddenly someone stands up and says, ‘Have you considered this other groom?’ after you’ve bought the flowers and lined up the places, you’re asking a lot for an organization to rethink.”
Harden also shared new renderings of what an expanded Nature Museum at Freedom Park might look like (the museum is officially called “Discovery Place Nature”):
Bert Lynn, director of the Park and Recreation Department’s capital planning division, said he considers the idea of moving the Nature Museum to Park Road Park to be “a very low possibility.” He said the county is focused on addressing the Myers Park residents’ concerns and is considering new designs that they might find amenable.
But putting the Nature Museum at Park Road Park could make sense:
- It would give SouthPark a needed cultural facility. Many are now close to uptown
- Park Road Park’s location on the Cross Charlotte Trail makes it easily accessible to walkers and bike riders
- At 71 acres, there is plenty of room for bus parking for field trips
- Visitors would have plenty of nearby dining and shopping options
- It’s easier to get to from the interstate, just a straight shot down Tyvola Road from I-77
- It would bring more life to a park that is underused, especially during weekdays when its many ball fields are vacant
At Park Road Park on Tuesday afternoon, nearby residents all said they favor the idea of a Nature Museum on the site:
- Jake Kahn, 27, visiting with his 12-month-old son: “It would be cool, because I live close by. Nature stuff is mostly a 20- or 30-minute drive.”
- Jamila Prioleau, 44, watching her 8-year-old daughter on the playground: “I think that might be nice, especially for the kids.”
- Havalah Edwards, 23, watching three boys who she nannies: “That would be awesome. That’s right by where they go to school. They would have more things to do.”
Of course, if the Nature Museum is a no-go at Freedom Park because of neighborhood opposition, there are other places in the county besides Park Road Park that might make sense. For example, the county has about two dozen nature preserves that could be a sensible home for a nature museum, such as the RibbonWalk Nature Preserve by Nevin Community Park in Derita, north of where I-77 and I-85 cross.
The county and Discovery Place are expected to meet again with Myers Park neighbors later this month.
This article appeared in the Jan. 8, 2020, edition of The Charlotte Ledger newsletter. Read the rest of the newsletter here.
