The Starting Line Why do we need a Playbook? Meck Playbook comes at a critical time for Mecklenburg County. Charlotte is the fifth fastest growing city in the United States and is driving population increases and development across the region. At the same time, demographics are shifting, recreational trends are changing, natural systems are feeling pressure, and funding strategies are requiring greater creativity and commitment. Behind the scenes, parks, greenways, and nature preserves serve as areas of watershed protection, water quality enhancement, and open space protection for future generations. During this planning process, the COVID-19 pandemic has also reminded everyone of the essential value of getting outdoors, experiencing nature, and pursuing recreation activities as part of their daily lives. This is an ideal – and necessary – moment to reimagine what open space services will be in the future for Mecklenburg County residents.
Meck Playbook throughout this document. The most recent master plan update was completed in 2015, to guide the development and enhancement of Mecklenburg’s extensive system while creating the foundation for individual park plans and capital projects. It establishes four guiding principles, each with a clear set of goals, strategies, and recommendations for Mecklenburg County’s recreation facilities, greenways, nature preserves, recreational programming, and land acquisition for the next ten years.
Meck Playbook is Mecklenburg County’s new Comprehensive Park and Recreation Master Plan. The plan will be referred to as
Today, the system includes over 230 park and recreation facilities, including parks, nature preserves, stadiums, camping areas, golf
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MeckPlaybook 2021 Master Plan
Meck Playbook was created through a collaborative process with department staff, representatives from other towns and jurisdictions, park and recreation partners, the Park and Recreation Commission and its Advisory Councils, and other stakeholders. Most importantly, it was created with extensive engagement and feedback from Mecklenburg County residents.
courses, greenways, multi-use greenway trails, and nature preserve land. Investing in park and recreational facilities has multi-faceted benefits. It creates destinations, by drawing in local and non local visitors to generate new spending. It fuels the economy. In 2018, Mecklenburg County led the state in domestic travelers expenditures, with visitors spending nearly $5.7 billion. This accounts for 77% of the total $7.4 billion spent in the Charlotte MSA1. This was a 5.6% increase from the previous year. As of 2018, one in nine jobs in the Charlotte region was in the hospitality sector.2 Parks, open spaces, and greenway trails are undoubtedly a part of these attractions. Investment in the system also ties back directly to the four main principles of the Livable Meck Plan: healthy, affordable, secure, and accessible.3 The system protects and expands green space and recreational amenities. It supports actions like 2019’s “Breathing Room” initiative. This initiative was taken on by Mecklenburg County’s Air Quality Division-Land Use & Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) to reduce ozone pollution and improve air
