The below represents an e-mail update sent 9/13/26 at 3:44PM by a few households to concerned neighborhood residents requesting updates. 

Dear Neighbors,

The current DYSA field proposal will not move forward at Madison Central Park.

CMS confirmed Thursday night that it will work with DYSA to identify an alternative location and plans to work with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation to add Madison Central Park to a Master Joint Use Agreement.

This is an important accomplishment for our community, and it would not have happened without YOU. Thank you to everyone who attended meetings, contacted decision-makers, put up signs, shared information, asked questions and continued showing up. Your involvement made a difference.

CMS heard the history and concerns shared by our community, and we appreciate their willingness to change course and work toward a path forward. CMS Board Vice Chair Dee Rankin also joined CMS staff for the discussion, and we appreciate him taking the time to attend and listen.

But this is an important step forward—not the finish line. Madison Central Park is not yet permanently protected, and important decisions about the Joint Use Agreement still lie ahead.

We made significant progress Thursday, but Madison Central Park is not yet permanently protected and our work is not done.

• The current DYSA field proposal will not move forward at Madison Central Park. CMS will work with DYSA to identify an alternative location.

• CMS plans to add Madison Central Park to the Master Joint Use Agreement with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation. This still must go through the approval process, including a CMS Board vote.

• CMS retains final approval authority over future changes to the property.

• CMS did not commit to long-term, legally enforceable protections against the future development of dedicated facilities for organized sports leagues or other uses that would fundamentally change the park's flexible-use nature. CMS COO Tim Ivey also stated multiple times that CMS is not required to obtain community input before making decisions regarding the property. 

• Take action now: E-mail CMS & County officials and ask for a seat at the table and long-term protections before the agreement is finalized. 

• Keep your Save Madison Park yard sign up (at least 11 feet from the curb).

• NEW FORM — Stay informed and involved: This is separate from our previous Save Madison Park forms. [Complete the new form] if you would like your contact information shared with CMS and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation and to hear about future opportunities to support Pinewood Elementary. 

The details below explain what CMS committed to, what remains unresolved and what we are asking the community to do next.

 

Following Thursday's meeting, CMS shared a written summary of its proposed path forward for Madison Central Park. We encourage everyone to read CMS' communication directly.

[Read CMS' Full Follow-Up Email]

CMS announced that it plans to work with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation to formally add Madison Central Park to a Master Joint Use Agreement between CMS and the County. CMS also confirmed it will work with DYSA to identify an alternative location for its proposed practice fields.

CMS acknowledged the history of Madison Central Park shared by residents and expressed a desire to find a path forward that responds to the community's concerns.

The addition of Madison Central Park to the Master Joint Use Agreement will still need to go through the approval process, including a vote by the CMS Board.

Just as important as adding Madison Central Park to the agreement is what the agreement ultimately says about how this specific property may be used. 

During the meeting, CMS stated that no formal agreement currently governs the property. Community members pointed to the extensive historical documentation surrounding Madison Central Park, including the grant and correspondence from CMS related to the property and its intended use. Regardless of the legal status of those historical documents, the fact that CMS does not consider them to formally govern the property today underscores why the language and protections put in place now must be clear, specific and durable. 

CMS also confirmed that it retains final approval authority over future changes to the property. Without additional long-term protections, that leaves open the possibility that another proposal for organized league use could be brought to CMS in the future.

CMS COO Tim Ivey also stated multiple times during the meeting that CMS is not required to obtain community input before making decisions regarding the property. That makes a written commitment to community notification and an opportunity for input before significant future changes especially important. 

Our goal is not to prevent recreational improvements, school activities or children from using the park for sports. Our goal is to preserve Madison Central Park as flexible-use community green space rather than allowing it to be converted into dedicated facilities for organized sports leagues or other uses that would fundamentally change its character. 

We asked CMS to:

• allow community representatives and independent legal counsel to review the proposed Joint Use Agreement before it is finalized or executed;

• provide meaningful, long-term protection for Madison Central Park's flexible-use nature, including through a deed restriction, deed amendment, strong site-specific permitted-use language in the Joint Use Agreement, or another legally enforceable, recorded protection against conversion to dedicated facilities for organized sports leagues or other uses that would fundamentally change the park's flexible-use nature; and 

• commit in writing to notifying the community and providing an opportunity for input before significant future changes to Madison Central Park are proposed or approved.

We are not prescribing a single legal mechanism at this point. Until legal counsel can review the proposed agreement and available options, we believe it is important to keep all avenues for meaningful, long-term protection on the table. 

CMS did not commit to any of these requests.

Importantly, CMS' written follow-up also does not provide protections against the future development of dedicated facilities for organized sports leagues or guarantee that the community will be notified before future changes are proposed. Instead, it states that the arrangement will preserve “flexibility for future district planning needs.”

So, while stopping the current field proposal and pursuing the Joint Use Agreement are significant accomplishments, this process is not finished. We need to understand exactly what protections the agreement will provide and continue advocating for meaningful, long-term protection of Madison Central Park.

[Read CMS' Full Follow-Up Email]

As CMS and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation develop the agreement, we believe the community should have a seat at the table before it is finalized and brought forward for approval.

Please contact CMS Board members and Mecklenburg County/Park & Recreation officials and ask them to support:

• an opportunity for community representatives and independent legal counsel to review the proposed agreement before it is finalized or executed;

• meaningful, long-term protection for Madison Central Park's flexible-use nature, including through a deed restriction, deed amendment, strong site-specific permitted-use language in the Joint Use Agreement, or another legally enforceable, recorded protection against conversion to dedicated facilities for organized sports leagues or other uses that would fundamentally change the park's flexible-use nature;

• a written requirement that the community be notified and given an opportunity for input before significant future changes to Madison Central Park are proposed or approved; and

• at a minimum, independent traffic, parking, stormwater, environmental and noise studies before significant changes to the property are considered.

This is not over, so please keep your Save Madison Central Park signs up. As the Joint Use Agreement is developed and moves through the approval process, continued community engagement remains important.

If your sign is still up, please make sure it is placed at least 11 feet from the curb.

A code enforcement complaint was submitted, and a number of Save Madison Central Park signs were removed. If your sign was removed, please complete the sign-up form again and we will coordinate pickup sometime next week once the signs are returned. There will be no charge to get your sign back.

[Sign Up for a Yard Sign]

We're compiling detailed notes from Thursday's meeting so we have an accurate record of the questions asked and responses received.

If you attended, please share your notes through this short form—especially any questions you personally asked and the answers you received.

[Share Your Meeting Notes]

Over the next few weeks, we'll consolidate the responses and post a more detailed meeting record on the website.

There is a new form and it is separate from any Save Madison Park forms you may have completed previously. Please complete it if you would like your contact information shared with CMS and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation so they have a direct way to reach residents who want to stay informed and involved with Madison Central Park.

Following Thursday's meeting, we also had a conversation about future opportunities for the Madison Park community to support and partner with Pinewood Elementary. We're excited to help build those connections as well.

[Complete the New Form to Sign up Directly with CMS and the County]

Several neighbors have asked how they can help as we move forward. One area where additional support would be especially valuable is legal review.

If you are an attorney, or know an attorney who may be willing to volunteer some time, please reach out. We would greatly appreciate help reviewing the Joint Use Agreement or other documents related to Madison Central Park.

Queen City News covered Thursday's meeting and the community's continued effort to secure long-term protections for Madison Central Park.

[Read / Watch the Queen City News Story]

We know the full Save Madison Park website needs to be updated to reflect the latest developments. Thank you for your patience as we work through those updates over the next few weeks.

We are also aware of another website using similar Save Madison Park messaging, which has caused some confusion. Our official Save Madison Park website and source for updates is the Google Sites website beginning with sites.google.com. Please use and share this site for information from our group.

[Visit the Official Save Madison Park Website]

The community's involvement has already made a tremendous difference. The current DYSA field proposal will not move forward at Madison Central Park, and CMS is pursuing a formal agreement with Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation. Those are significant accomplishments.

But Madison Central Park is not yet permanently protected.

CMS retains final approval authority over future changes to the property and has not committed to a deed restriction or other legally enforceable, recorded protection against conversion to dedicated facilities for organized sports leagues or other uses that would fundamentally change the park's flexible-use nature.

Please keep your yard signs up, contact decision-makers, submit your meeting notes and stay involved.

Our focus now is making sure the progress we've achieved results in meaningful, long-term protection for Madison Central Park and a lasting voice for the community in its future.

Thank you for continuing to show up.

Sincerely,
Your Neighbors at Save Madison Park 

 

Site: https://sites.google.com/view/savemadisonpark
E-mail: savemadisonpark@gmail.com
Social: @savemadisonpark_clt