NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 17, 1999

FIRST OF 3 NEW TOWN COMMITTEES

TO BEGIN MEETING TONIGHT

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary’s new Comprehensive Transportation Committee will hold its first meeting tonight at 7:00 PM in the Town Council Chambers. Over the next 19 months, this new, 14-member group will advise Town Council on long and short term planning of roadways, bicycle facilities, pedestrian facilities, and transit. The final products of the committee will include maps as well as a written document outlining community needs, projects to meet those needs, and recommended policy changes with goals to implement the plan.

"We expect this committee to have a tremendous impact on how the Town handles transportation issues in the next decade," said Engineering Division Director Tim Bailey. "This examination of transportation issues will be the most comprehensive to date and encourage more community involvement than ever before."

In December, the Cary Town Council established and began recruiting citizen members for three new temporary advisory committees to address transportation, growth. and planning. More than 150 Cary residents applied for the 42 open seats. Appointments were made at the second Town Council meeting in January.

In addition to the transportation group, the other special advisory committees, which will begin meeting in March, will work as follows:

• • GROWTH MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE-work with consultants to assess existing situation in Cary, refine growth management goals and objectives developed by Town Council, and evaluate and recommend appropriate tools and techniques to achieve those goals; will help with development of new Growth Management Element of Cary Comprehensive Plan.

• • UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE (UDO) UPDATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE-assist with a complete update of the 1992 zoning ordinance; help consultants diagnose strengths and weaknesses of existing ordinance, identify planning and land use issues which need to be addressed, review the format, formulate alternative ordinance approaches, and draft regulations propsed by the consultants;
    

The Town will cablecast the opening meeting of the Comprehensive Transportation Committee live tonight beginning at 7:00 PM on Cary cable channel 11. The meeting will be repeated on Thursday evening at 7:30 PM and Friday morning at 7:30 AM.

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PRIMARY CONTACTS: Tim Bailey, Engineering Director, 469-4034

Bill Coleman, Town Manager, 469-4002

Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, 460-4951