Johnston YMCA in NoDa to remain open past 2023 after ‘unanticipated circumstances’
Back in May, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced the Johnston YMCA property was being sold to a developer.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The Johnston Family YMCA in the NoDa neighborhood will remain open beyond 2023, despite an announcement earlier in the year the property was being sold.
“Earlier this year, we announced that the Johnston YMCA would be closing at the end of 2023. Due to unanticipated circumstances, we will now be open and operational for the foreseeable future,” a letter sent to Johnston YMCA members stated.
According to the letter, the Y will continue to explore options for the future of the Johnston YMCA property to both help the Y improve its financial position and continue to serve the NoDA/north Charlotte community.
Back in May, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte announced the Johnston YMCA property was being sold to a developer and the organization would no longer have a physical presence on the property.
Members of the Johnston YMCA received this letter Thursday morning about the location remaining open due to unanticipated circumstances, welcome news for people in the NoDa community.
Jesse Titus, a member of the Johnston YMCA said, “I still feel that this is a real good piece of heart, you can come here, you don’t even have to come to the ‘Y’, you can just sit in the green patch and just enjoy the day.”
Madison Cox, who lives in NoDa said, “It really is such a great place to walk around, and you don’t get a lot of parks here in NoDa.”
In a statement to WBTV, the YMCA of Great Charlotte says in part: “Due to current market conditions, we are no longer under contract with the original developer and continue to explore options for the future of the property.”
“I’m definitely happy about it, somebody who lives in the Noda area I think this gym is convenient. It’s a good addition to the community, it’s a convenient location, so I think them staying open is a plus,” said Sean Maina, a member of the Johnston YMCA.
As the ‘Y’ moves forward with operations at the Johnston location, it will look for ways to improve it’s financial position while continuing to serve NoDa and the North Charlotte Community.
Krysten Reilly, the President of Noda Neighborhood and Business Association said, “hoping that this gives us an opportunity for everybody to come back to the table to talk about what aspects at this point can we save for the community.”
The NoDa Neighborhood and Business Association wants to preserve greenspace, the tree canopy space, and facade of the YMCA building.
“We are very concerned about losing a lot of the historical aspects of the neighborhood, the look and feel of it as well, so being able to retain that would be really important for us,” said Reilly.
The Neighborhood and Business Association said the intention of this property has always been to serve the community.
The Association is hopeful this change in course will start conversations with the YMCA about the future of this site.
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