Review Proposal to Replace Old WaterTank with Communications Art Tower in Downtown Cary
Project architect and artist will be available to speak with Open House attendees
July 14, 2008
Cary, NC – On July 15, come to an Open House to review and comment on a proposal to replace Cary’s old Kildaire Farm Road water tank with a communications tower integrated into a piece of public artwork; the design concept of the artwork will be available for viewing at the Open House. While recently retired from service in the Town’s water system, the Kildaire tank still hosts several private communications antennae -- antennae that will be displaced when the Town removes the tank – which is why the Town is considering Sprint Nextel’s request to place the antennae into a public art structure on the soon-to-be vacant tank site. The Open House will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on July 15 at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, located at 119 Ambassador Loop on the Town Hall Campus where the project artist and architect as well as Town of Cary staff will be on hand to receive input.
To be able to continue using the Town site to provide services to its customers, Sprint Nextel has offered to build an art/communications tower and donate it to the Town in exchange for free use of the tower for a to-be-negotiated number of years. The Town would own and control the site and the tower, and upon conclusion of the no-cost lease term, Sprint Nextel would pay the Town the prevailing rate charged for cell antennas, which today is about $30,000 per year in
“Partnering with Sprint Nextel on this project could allow the Town to create a more visually appealing area with little direct capital impact to the Town while also helping a corporate citizen continue to thrive,” said Town of
Dickens noted that although separate from the Downtown Cary Streetscape project, the tower could play an important role in that initiative given its proximity to the proposed
Following the Open House and a review of the new structure by the Town Council for its appropriateness as an art object in the downtown area, the site plan for the proposed structure will undergo the Town of Cary’s special use application process. The tower is proposed in a residential district, which requires special use consideration by the Town Council. The site plan for the tower will be reviewed by Cary’s Town Center Review Commission, who will develop a recommendation for the Town Council’s consideration. The special use request and the site plan for the tower will be presented to the Town Council at a public hearing; the Town Council may choose to approve the special use, to approve the special use with modifications, or to deny the proposed special use. A building permit for construction of the tower would be issued only after both the special use and the site plan have been approved by the Town Council.
For more information, visit www.townofcary.org or call (919) 469‑4061.
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PRIMARY CONTACTS: |
Bob Benfield, Principal Planner, (919) 469-4045 Deanna Boone, Interim Deputy Public Information Officer, (919) 462-3908 Susan Moran, Public Information Officer, |
