🏊‍♂️ SPSTC Renovation Project

Building the Future of Our Club — Together

Welcome to the South Park Swim and Tennis Club renovation hub! Over the past year, our Board and the 14-member Renovation Committee have been hard at work planning a safer, more sustainable, and enhanced club experience.

This page keeps you updated as we navigate regulatory planning toward a final design.

📍 Where Things Stand & Key Constraints

Because our facility is subject to strict local flood and environmental regulations, our design concepts are currently limited by three major factors:

• FEMA Floodplain Rules: Our bathhouse options are limited to keeping renovations under a numerical threshold or building a completely new, fully floodproof structure at grade.

• SWIM Buffer Requirements: Building within the county buffer requires proving no other alternative exists and passing a rigorous County review process with potential mitigation fees. Approval is not guaranteed.

• Stormwater Management: Exceeding a 5,000 sq. ft. Built-Upon Area (BUA) triggers massive stormwater infrastructure costs. To avoid this, any new covered pavilion spaces may need to be scaled back. (Note: Replacing existing features like tennis courts will not count against this limit).

The Bottom Line: While these regulations present challenges, we are actively working to maximize our facility improvements within our legal and budgetary boundaries.

🗓️ Project Timeline & Document Archive

Phase 1: Research & Discovery (Spring/Summer 2025)

• Formed a 14-member Renovation Committee.

• Vetted commercial contractors (Barringer, Swinerton, Andrew Roby) and design firms (Ossa Studio, Peadon/Finein, C Design).

• Partnered with C Design for conceptual planning. View the Contract.

Phase 2: Member Input & Site Due Diligence (Fall/Winter 2025-2026)

• September: Hosted the Annual Meeting and a Town Hall with architect Dean McKenzie.

  • 📁 Town Hall Minutes & Photos | Pre-Design Presentation Slides

• Oct–Nov: Met with Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte regarding floodplains and zoning.

  • 📁 Oct 7 Floodplain Meeting Minutes | Oct 24 Pre-Submittal Meeting Minutes | Nov 5 Presentation | Nov 5 Meeting Minutes | Nov 25 Meeting Minutes

• Dec: Finalized environmental testing and initial layouts.

  • 📁 Site Investigation Summary | Site Due Diligence Summary | Conceptual Site Plans | Dec 3 Meeting Minutes | Dec 8 Bathroom/Reno Committee Minutes

• Jan: Meredith begins a video series explaining our site’s unique architectural barriers. 

Phase 3: Current Status (Spring 2026)

• March: The committee reviewed updated structural drawings, including: 

  • Option 1: Renovation of Existing Bathhouse

  • Option 2: Full Demo

  • Fire Hydrant Extension

• April: Compiled a 168-page Pre-Design Document for contractor bidding. 

• May: Renovation committee meets weekly to tackle multiple goals, including:

  • Nailing down the scope of work for each option

  • Reviewing quotes from more contractors 

  • Establishing an updated project budget for each option

  • Creating materials for members to make voting easy

Phase 4: Membership Vote (COMING SOON)

🙋‍♂️ FAQs

• Why Is This Taking So Long?

Since March, we have increased our Renovation Committee meetings to a weekly cadence to try to accomplish multiple goals. As a result, we’ve made great progress on the scope of work for the bathhouse and overall facility. 

However, the committee is in agreement before options can be presented to membership for a vote in good conscience, more research and due diligence need to be done. Further research includes: meeting with more contractors, establishing a budget, and making voting materials easy for members to navigate.

• Why Will This Cost So Much?

It is important to recognize the difference between maintaining a home and improving a commercial swim club. Our projects involve complex permits, code and zoning requirements, engineering, and infrastructure work, all of which significantly increase costs beyond what many people experience with home projects.

At this time, we do not have reserve funds available to fast-track improvements. Securing commercial financing will require strong early support through fundraising, donations, and member assessments. 

Some assessments may fund critical infrastructure improvements that are not immediately visible, such as plumbing, electrical, drainage, safety, and code compliance work. While these upgrades may not be seen right away, they are essential to protecting the club’s long-term future. 

Our goal is to avoid cutting corners or completing work that could lead to larger and more costly issues later. To create lasting improvements, it is important that the work is done properly from the start.

📣 Stay Involved

We are committed to transparency. As we determine next steps, member engagement is crucial. 

• Check back here regularly for new renderings and timeline updates.

• Attend upcoming member meetings for live Q&A sessions.

Questions or Feedback? Email us at reno@southparkstc.com