The West Cabarrus YMCA at Afton Village opened its doors to an excited crowd of people October 2003. Since then, membership has soared to over 11,000. Village homeowners can stroll to this state of the art facility for a healthy workout or a relaxing yoga class.

The YMCA includes many of the amenities traditionally found in Ys, but also offers a number of exciting, new facilities. This branch includes two indoor swimming pools, a full size gymnasium, an indoor climbing wall, and aerobics and fitness area. Other YMCA components include multi-purpose meeting rooms for up to 250 people, childcare rooms, and business offices.

Recently, the YMCA has also added a steam room and sauna, increased its cardio exercise equipment, and added more group exercise classes. The branch has also increased services by adding a youth swim team, a climbing team, and adding a new youth fitness center called the Youth Fit Zone

A wellness center on the upper level is operated by Northeast Medical Center. NEMC space includes a fitness center for physical therapy and rehabilitation services, plus physical and speech therapy rooms, a demonstration kitchen, and business offices.

The two-level building totals 65,000 square feet. Steep terrain allows for separate on-grade entrances on opposite sides of the building. The upper level entry plaza is convenient to the commercial and residential sections of Afton Village while the lower level entrance overlooks the drop-off area, soccer fields, the creek, and I-85. The two levels are connected by an open stairway in the 20-foot wide skylit public lobby.

The exterior of the YMCA was designed to blend with the appearance of Afton Village, incorporating a masonry exterior and large windows. The building is located at the western edge of the neighborhood, and is a major focal point from I-85 and the George W. Liles/Kannapolis Hwy Interchange.

The Brice-Morris-Berg architect firm has successfully completed numerous public and institutional projects but the YMCA is a favorite for the firm. "It is not often that a project includes such a combination of exciting and specialized spaces. The high ideals and clear objectives of the YMCA and the urban design context of Afton Village have created opportunities for an excellent project to benefit the YMCA, Northeast Medical Center, Afton Village, and Cabarrus County," Mr. Berg and Mr. Morris agree.