Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - With a line item reading at $0 for sidewalks in the Cherryville, NC 2026-2027 budget, it is clear that the city will go another year without becoming more walkable. Many of these were put in place during Cherryville’s mill village days, with small stretches added recently by local businesses. If you look at what is there, where can you go on foot in Cherryville with its current infrastructure?
Groceries are one of the areas where the city's walkability is its weakest. The only grocery store reachable on foot via a sidewalk is the Dollar General on Highway 150, if approached from East 1st Street. All of the remaining grocery stores are completely inaccessible via sidewalk, with Tractor Supply doing the best, having only one road to cross to arrive. With these being the only two, it has become commonplace to see travelers walking to Food Lion on 150. It is rare to see foot traffic approaching Walmart, aside from the housing near it, because it is so far out.
Despite the very limited selection of grocery stores, there are many shops in downtown Cherryville. There are automotive shops and mechanics available, meaning in theory someone working on their vehicle could go get parts on foot. The city’s doctors' offices are also mostly within the hub here, with one veterinarian's office accessible via a sidewalk. There are plenty of clothing and hobby shops located in this part of town, making it one of the most accessible options.
With the sidewalks concentrated in downtown Cherryville, if you are connected, you’ll have quite a few options here. Of course, the downtown itself hosts 8 places to eat, ranging from casual dining to steakhouses and bars. However, outside of the central hub, the options become more limited. The only remaining restaurant that requires no jaywalking or off-road expeditions is Ronald's Grill near the end of Highway 150’s sidewalk at Delview Road. However, there are a few options if you’re comfortable crossing the road without a crosswalk. Nearest to Ronald’s is the Shake Shop, a well-known location in the city. Two fast food establishments can be reached by crossing the road once. These are Pizza Hut and McDonald's. Lastly, on the opposite end of town, with one road crossing, you can reach the ice cream shop, Neha’s, across from the Cherryville City Pool.
One of the services offered in the city does have complete access. The schools can all be reached on foot if need be. Of the other services offered in Cherryville, only City Hall and the recycling center don’t require a crossing or a grassy trek. The Fire Department and GEMS location are both on the side of the road, with no sidewalks. The Police Department has no connecting sidewalks; once the new police department is ready, it will be directly walkable.
The city does, however, have many parks and recreation areas that can be reached directly by sidewalk. Two of the city's parks are located far away from any sidewalks. This would be Westgate Park and Ranbar Park. Outside of this, there are two more that are close to sidewalks without direct access. The city's largest park, Robert H. Ballard Park, contains the city pool, the youth softball and baseball fields, as well as the city’s splash pad. While it is close, a connecting sidewalk to its parking lot would make walking to it safer. The second-largest park, Aaron Moss Park, is in a very similar situation: it is a very short walk from a sidewalk. In both cases, they require crossing a road without a crosswalk. The remaining 7 parks can be reached on foot, along with the municipal auditorium and recreation center.
As with many of the other systems in Cherryville, the sidewalks are part of a laundry list of needed updates. Currently the city is focusing on water infrastructure, which may be one explanation for leaving the walkability as an issue for the future. The creation of new sidewalks also presents a different problem. Much of the currently installed sidewalk is not up to current code. Of course, the areas that have it have been grandfathered in, but new sidewalks would need to be wider than those currently in place. This means that more of the right-of-way must be used. NCDOT projects require a 5-foot sidewalk, meaning ones installed on state roads such as Highway 150 would need this much space. Other areas only require 4 feet with special regulations for narrow strips as low as 3 feet across.
However, the age of the sidewalks does present issues with ADA compliance. Sidewalks are only allowed to have a drop of 1/4th of an inch. This means that the many broken areas all present a liability for the city. Also, ADA compliance requires that sidewalks be slip-resistant and free of loose gravel or dirt. So the areas where the sidewalks have begun to crumble are also issues that need to be addressed. Outside of this, sidewalks displaced by roots have caused some areas to exceed the maximum slope allowed.
A map detailing the current sidewalks in Cherryville, NC
Google Maps
The 2009 Pedestrian Plan begins by outlining the importance of Cherryville not becoming a car-dominated space. At the time, local officials felt that the city was losing part of its cultural identity and that walkability would help restore it. They had hoped to see benefits as follows:
The recommended walkability improvements for Cherryville, NC - 2009
2009 Cherryville Pedestrian Plan
The city completed portions of its previous walkability plan, but some aspects have seemingly been left behind. Out of the planned sidewalk, many of the central additions were completed. The biggest stretch that was never completed from this would’ve been making Highway 150 walkable from Walmart to Food Lion. The plan for trails in Cherryville also could’ve accommodated this, but it has not been followed through on. This would’ve seen walkable connections from Food Lion, to Walmart, Delview, Westgate, and Ballard Park. It would’ve connected the parks, which are also currently inaccessible on foot.
The process itself was supposed to be completed through grants, and it mentions that changes were to be made as necessary. It was also meant to create community volunteer opportunities, such as trail keepers, crossing guards, a walking school bus, and several volunteer-led walking events. Overall, the plan was meant to keep Cherryville’s quaint, small-town feel alive and well.
Read the full 2009 Pedestrian Plan here.
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