A new 220-acre urban park will soon transform Charlotte’s industrial railyard site into a Central Park for Charlotte, according to renderings just released.
The site, Queen’s Park, is expected to link and center eight neighborhoods of North End Smart District that are now separated by the railyard expansion.
“Queens Park will be the largest and most diverse park within the City,” park organizers say. The area will transform an industrial railyard site into a “Central Park for Charlotte,” Friends of Queen’s Park says, a local non-profit organization who is bringing their vision to life.
“Queen’s Park represents a remarkable transformation that embodies the spirit of Charlotte by connecting neighborhoods and people to each other and to the natural environment,” the organization says. “Mecklenburg County’s parks rank near last in the United States: 95th out of 100 major metropolitan areas. We aim to improve that in a bold way.
The park, which will connect the regional greenway system, will be situated at the intersection of the Cross-Charlotte Trail, the Lynx Blue Line, the Rail Trail, and North Tryon Street. The area will feature a regional cultural district, a natural area and a flexible lawn. The vision is to be a space where everyone in the community can go to connect.
“Through public amenities and art, the park will connect people to place (culture). Think of the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, a former rail yard until it was converted to a park in 2004,” Friends of Queen’s Park says.
The park will also provide opportunities for cultural events and festivals.
Each of Friends of Queens Park’s corporate partners, Flywheel Group, Odell and The Agency, is represented by a member on the group’s board of directors.
“Friends of Queen’s Park asks supporters to post to social media using the hashtag #Tracks2Trees. The public also can show their support by ordering a Queen’s Park t-shirt, donating to the group, or signing up to volunteer on its website,” park organizers say.
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