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Atrium seeks to turn vacant lot near Carolina Medical Center into therapy park; council hears plan
Summary
Atrium Health requested rezoning of a small vacant lot to create a therapy park adjacent to its Carolina Medical Center campus. Staff recommended approval; the petitioner said the passive, privately owned park would include landscaping, seating and potential hours for neighbor access.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Hospital Authority (Atrium) asked council to rezone a 0.56‑acre lot near Carolina Medical Center to OG‑CD to create a therapy park and open space associated with the hospital campus.
Planning staff described the proposal as consistent with the South Intercommunity Area Plan and the campus place type. Staff said “no buildings are permitted on the site” and that allowable improvements are limited to pedestrian features, therapeutic structures and equipment, seating, shade elements, raised garden beds, landscaping, fences, walls, lighting and art installations, with minimum 25‑foot landscape buffers along residential property lines.
Petitioner representative John Carmichael said the park would be passive and open to neighbors while remaining privately owned by Atrium. He said security monitoring from the medical campus could be used and that fencing would be an option if vandalism or misuse became a concern, though the current intention is to keep the space open to the community.
Council members who asked about neighborhood outreach said the Dilworth land‑use committee expressed support for the negotiated conditions. Council closed the public hearing and staff recommended approval.
