At 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, Weddington will light its Christmas tree at Town Hall, 1924 Weddington Road. Beside the building sits about three acres of open space that the town has spent 2026 trying to turn into a park. Residents have asked one question about that land more than any other: what will it cost? The town's own schedule answers it last. The plan is a final design in December, and only after that an engineer's cost estimate.
That order explains most of what has happened this fall. A rumored figure filled the space where an estimate would go. A petition asked the town to pause. A four-hour workshop showed that people's reactions changed with the size of what they were shown.
A Town Without a Park Starts Drawing One
Weddington has gone decades without a town park. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Smith said exactly that at the July 13 Council meeting, calling a park "a basic municipal function" and noting that the town has grant money that may expire. At that meeting, Council voted 2–1 to approve its agreement with the consultant LaBella without Phase 1, the public engagement survey, and to go straight to Phase 2 design work. Councilmember McLaughlin voted no. She had wanted market research first and pointed out that the town's 2018 community survey never asked residents about specific park amenities.
The same night, Council unanimously hired Barbee Landscaping to clear the town-owned property. The list of what needed to go included privet, poison ivy, vines and a large stump left from an oak that had already been taken down.
The most detailed picture of the park so far is a LaBella concept drawing dated April 28, 2026, made before any public workshop. It shows 3.282 acres in total, with 0.298 acres held as right-of-way reserve. Its labels include:
- a plaza pavilion, plaza bosque and event lawn
- an amphitheater and band shell
- a restroom building and a service road
- a playground and park lawn
- a park trail and a nature trail
- a pollinator garden, a park pavilion and parking
The drawing labels Town Hall as "existing" and is an earlier proposal, not an adopted design. Before the workshop, The Enquirer Journal reported that the plans also showed sites for two possible future town buildings.
What the Workshop Stickers Said About Scale
On Saturday, Sept. 19, the town held a four-hour open house at Weddington Middle School, 5903 Deal Road. The advance notice described the site as a possible "living room" for Weddington. Attendees put colored stickers on reference images, wrote postcards, commented on site maps and sketched at round tables. LaBella published the results in its community engagement report.
| What was counted | Green | Yellow | Red | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All image stickers placed | 264 | 44 | 220 | 528 |
| Small amphitheater stage | 19 | 23 | ||
| Large covered amphitheater | 11 | 19 |
The overall count was nearly even. The amphitheater rows show where it split. A small stage drew 19 green stickers out of 23. A large covered amphitheater drew 11 red stickers out of 19. LaBella cautions that these were reactions to pictures from people who chose to attend, not a measure of townwide support.
The report found interest in a green place for walking, sitting, small gatherings and some community events. It also recorded clear opposition to developing the space and repeated requests for a current resident survey, cost and funding figures, and answers about parking, safety, utilities and maintenance. LaBella concluded that the feedback settled neither whether the park should go ahead nor what it should look like. Its suggested next step is to test a simple, shaded, flexible concept with carefully scaled amenities, possibly built in phases.
That fits the drawing problem. The April concept includes both a band shell and an amphitheater, which are the large features that drew the most red. LaBella's recommendation points toward a smaller version of the same site.
Why a Ten-Million-Dollar Figure Moved So Fast
A park with no price leaves room for guesses. Before the workshop, The Enquirer Journal described the proposal as an estimated $10 million project. At the Sept. 14 Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Smith called that figure factually inaccurate and said no Council member had ever proposed or supported a project at that cost. Councilmember Ladner gave the town's position as of Aug. 31: $6.8 million in unassigned general fund balance, $820,000 in assigned fund balance and $9.2 million in total liquid cash and investments.
At the same meeting, a representative of the Weddington Action Network reported on a petition launched Aug. 31. It had gathered about 700 signatures in two weeks. The group said its aim was to pause the project, not end it, until residents saw the scope, estimated costs, tax implications, staffing, maintenance, traffic, parking and security plans. It also asked for a formal survey of all residents.
The money the town has described is smaller and comes with conditions. According to a town email reported by The Enquirer Journal, Weddington holds about $1.66 million it reimbursed to itself through the federal State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, money that does not expire. Counting all sources, staff "could potentially assemble approximately $3.2 million for park and infrastructure-related improvements." The email said that apart from the ARPA money, nearly all of those funds are restricted to infrastructure or park projects. One of those sources shows up in the town's quarterly reports. It is an $850,000 State Capital and Infrastructure Fund grant, received Aug. 25, 2023, with budget lines for park plaza construction and for an amphitheater with picnic tables.
Here is the order the town has laid out for getting from drawing to price:
- A second engagement session at Town Hall, which the town set for Monday, Oct. 19, 6–8 p.m., to be streamed on its YouTube channel.
- LaBella presents an updated concept to Council in November, and Council gives direction.
- A final plan goes to Council in December.
- Once the final concept is set, the town gets an engineer's cost estimate.
Mayor Jim Bell explained the last step in an email quoted by The Enquirer Journal:
"This estimate will provide a professional projection of what it would cost to construct the project as designed. That information will allow the council to evaluate the project's affordability and determine whether to proceed as planned, modify the scope, or implement the project in two or more phases."
The "two or more phases" option in Bell's email matches LaBella's suggestion to phase the work. Both point the same way as the workshop stickers: start small and add later if the money and support are there.
November Puts Residents Back at Town Hall Twice
The next scheduled step is the regular Town Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Town Hall. Under the town's timeline, that is the month Council reviews the updated concept.
Eleven days later, the town's Christmas Tree Lighting fills the same address from 5 to 8 p.m. The Park and Events Board has planned it in detail:
- Food and treats. The town provides s'mores, cookies and hot cocoa. Food trucks come too, and the board reported in October that all food vendor permits were in.
- Drinks. Middle James runs the beverage tent, with Prosecco, alcoholic cider and hard seltzer alongside beer.
- For kids. The Rotary Club is building a freestanding Santa's mailbox. Dee Lear of Flipping Marketplace sells Christmas light-up toys and trinkets. Volunteers dressed as elves may help manage the line for Santa.
- The program. A 5:45 p.m. slot is set aside for younger performing groups. The tree is lit at 7 p.m., and the Mayor presents the Miss Weddington recognition. A DJ emcees the evening.
- Giving. The event includes a toy drive.
The town has 107 chairs and 12 tables for the night. Volunteers for setup and teardown may include the new Weddington Youth Council, which Council created on Oct. 12 under Resolution R-2026-06 and which could have up to 28 members. DECA at Weddington High School and local Boy Scouts are also being asked.
The two November dates bracket the park question. On Nov. 9, Council reviews an updated concept for the open space beside Town Hall. On Nov. 20, residents gather at that same Town Hall for the tree lighting. The final plan is due in December, and an engineer's estimate of what it would cost to build comes after that.
If you'd like to talk through how a Town Hall Park, at whatever size Council chooses, could affect your part of Weddington, Boykin Property Group is following each step from now through the December plan and is glad to share what we're seeing. Let's walk you home.
