Huntersville board approves Fire Station No. 4 park master plan

The Huntersville Town Board voted unanimously to approve a master plan for a neighborhood park on the seven-acre parcel adjoining Fire Station No. 4 on McElwain Road.

The plan lays out a mix of walking and paved trails, a half-acre passive lawn, a playground, a splash pad, restroom facilities, a shelter and centrally sited pickleball courts. Town staff said the design responds to more than 170 survey responses and three public input meetings held over the past several months.

The park plan matters because the site sits adjacent to the under-construction Lake Norman Charter Elementary School and the town expects the park to serve nearby neighborhoods rather than function as a regional facility. Parks staff said the timeline envisions returning for design approvals, then applying for the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) grant due May 1, and advancing to construction documents and bidding if funded.

Town planners said the chosen layout preserves significant tree canopy where possible, sites the restroom centrally between the playground and courts, provides both paved and natural-surface trails, and adds a shelter and small pavilion for community events. Staff said the park will not include a full-size athletic field because the seven-acre footprint cannot accommodate a regulation field without eliminating other desired features.

At the board meeting, Commissioner discussion thanked the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee members and staff for the level of community input. The board moved to approve the master plan and the motion carried unanimously.

What happens next: staff will finalize outreach on a park name, prepare grant materials for the PARTF application, and return with design-level plans and any required agreements for the board to authorize construction bidding.