Commissioners approve sponsorship plan and hire design team for Southmont community center amid public controversy

The Davidson County Board of Commissioners on June 23 approved a sponsorship plan for the proposed Southmont Community Center and contracted Providence Partners for architectural and engineering design services, advancing the county’s multi‑use sportsplex project despite strong public opposition.

Supporters of the project argue the facility will provide year‑round indoor and outdoor recreation and bring visitation and economic activity to the county. Opponents, many of them Southmont residents, told the board during a lengthy public‑address period that the project’s size and scope are incompatible with local roads, emergency response capacity and watershed protection and that the county had not completed required impact analyses before moving forward.

Why it matters: Commissioners voted to accept a sponsorship package the county parks staff presented as a starting point for private and corporate naming rights and other partner funds. The board then approved a design contract from Providence Partners for $4,155,250 to begin programming, surveying and engineering work needed to pursue permitting and detailed construction plans. Commissioners said the next steps will include agency permitting reviews and additional studies; opponents want those analyses completed and shared publicly before further commitments.

Most urgent facts: The sponsorship framework lists a total package of roughly $6.97 million in potential naming and rights options for park components and fields; staff estimated the initial annualized sponsorship revenue at about $2.3 million. The A/E contract approved by the board covers concept development, environmental and traffic coordination, and engineering to produce construction documents and permitting submittals. The board approved both items by recorded motions; the vote on the contract was announced as passing five‑one.

Public concerns raised: Southmont residents and nearby property owners repeatedly pressed the board for traffic, environmental, light and noise studies and for evidence that the county has secured access approvals from the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the primary drive location. Speakers said access roads such as Lynnwood/Southmont Road and connector routes to I‑85 are already congested, emergency response times in the southern part of the county can be long and that the project as presented resembles a regional destination rather than a neighborhood community center. Several speakers also asked for clearer notice and transparency about the project and the county’s outreach to adjacent property owners.

Staff and designer response: County staff and the selected design team said the contract will fund steps to produce the data opponents requested — including detailed traffic impact studies, wetland and environmental delineation, stormwater design and formal DOT review — and that these analyses require a firm program and plan for regulators to review. The design team described the board’s approved package as a concept‑to‑permitting engagement: initial programming and concept planning (the early, lower‑cost phase) followed by survey, wetland delineation, utility coordination, traffic studies and formal permitting submissions once a refined layout is available.

How the board framed the decision: Commissioners said the approvals do not finalize construction; they characterized the approvals as steps to produce the engineering and permitting data the county needs before later construction decisions. The board added that sponsorship agreements would be brought back through committees and returned to the full board for legal review before execution.

What’s next: Staff will proceed with the design contract tasks, begin formal DOT and utility coordination and return detailed design and sponsorship contracts to the board for approval after county‑attorney review. Residents and opponents were told there will be additional opportunities for public comment as the project advances.

Ending: The project remains contested. The approvals move the county from concept toward engineering and regulatory review; whether the final design or a later construction decision satisfies residents’ environmental and traffic concerns will depend on the studies and permitting outcomes the board’s vote begins.