Kannapolis voters will decide this November whether to approve up to $40 million in general obligation bonds to fund six priority parks and recreation projects, marking the city's first-ever use of this borrowing method backed directly by its taxing power. The city has not built a traditional park or new athletic fields in more than 20 years, according to the city's own announcement of the measure.
The referendum, announced by the City of Kannapolis - Community News on Facebook, asks voters to weigh in on a slate of projects that includes new athletic fields at Glenn Avenue Park, construction of Eastside Park at 1100 Midlake Avenue, Westside Park along Davidson-Concord Road (NC 73), greenway extensions along Irish Buffalo Creek and the Rocky River, and Phase 3 renovations at the historic Gem Theatre. City officials say the project list came from public surveys and community meetings. Historically, Kannapolis has financed big capital projects through limited obligation bonds backed by city property, but this measure marks the first time the city is pursuing a general obligation bond tied to its taxing authority, according to the Salisbury Post. That shift allows the city to leverage its tax base to secure lower long-term interest rates than the property-collateral method it has traditionally used.
Why $40 Million When the Projects Cost Less
The estimated total construction cost for all six projects comes to roughly $37.5 million, with the $40 million bond figure building in a $2.5 million contingency buffer to absorb inflation or unexpected cost changes, the Salisbury Post reports. If voters approve the measure, the city isn't required to issue all $40 million at once or raise taxes immediately — borrowing can be staggered across a 10-year window, with tax adjustments tied only to the specific amounts actually issued, per the same outlet's later reporting. Project construction could begin immediately on a staggered basis and must be completed within seven years, according to the seed announcement.
That flexibility matters for the pocketbook question hanging over the vote. The maximum possible property tax impact is projected at 4.6 cents per $100 of valuation, which the city says could apply for up to seven years depending on how the borrowing is staggered. That would land on top of the flat 55.95-cent rate the Kannapolis City Council unanimously kept in place for a second straight year when it approved a $134.7 million municipal budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 this past June.
What Gets Built: Eastside and Westside Parks
Eastside Park's roughly $6.5 million build on already-purchased property at Midlake Avenue includes a $500,000 grant the city received to defer costs, according to the seed facts. That state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant, awarded in August 2024, required local matching funds and faced potential forfeit risk if construction stalled without dedicated bond backing, according to reporting from The Cabarrus Compass. Eastside Park already has a completed master plan.
The larger of the two new parks, the roughly 55-acre Westside Park along Highway 73, is budgeted at about $16 million and already has a completed master plan on land the city has purchased. It's slated to feature baseball and softball fields, multi-use rectangular fields for soccer, football and lacrosse, playgrounds, and direct access to the Rocky River Greenway, per the Salisbury Post's coverage. Kannapolis also received a separate $245,000 grant to help defer costs on the Irish Buffalo Creek Greenway, according to the seed facts.
Greenways, the Gem Theatre, and a Two-Decade Gap
The bond also funds 1.75 combined miles of new trail across Irish Buffalo Creek Greenway Phases 2 and 3, extending from Rogers Lake Road to Pine Street near Fred L. Wilson Elementary, plus another 1.25 miles along the Rocky River Greenway, according to the city's own project breakdown. Rounding out the list is Phase 3 of renovations at the historic 1936 Gem Theatre downtown, which recently earned a 2026 North Carolina Downtown Development Association Catalytic Project award for its earlier restoration work, as Hoodline previously reported.
The full project list traces back to the city's 2024-2034 Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan, adopted in March 2024 after community surveys identified traditional parks and athletic fields as the city's top public infrastructure gap. Kannapolis has posted detailed project breakdowns at kannapolisparksbond.com for residents weighing the measure ahead of November.
A Crowded Ballot for Local Voters
Kannapolis voters won't be deciding this question in isolation. The same November ballot will also carry a separate $400 million Cabarrus County general obligation bond package, which includes $340 million for K-12 school improvements across Cabarrus and Kannapolis City Schools and $60 million for Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, as Hoodline detailed in its earlier coverage of that measure. Together, the two bond questions put a significant amount of borrowing capacity before local residents in a single election cycle.
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