Historic Preservation Master Plan
The Town of Cary is drafting a town-wide historic preservation master plan that will guide Cary’s future historic preservation program development and decision-making. With input from the community, Town boards, and the Town Council, this plan will establish a vision for preservation as well as supporting goals, objectives, and implementation strategies. The Town of Cary conducted a survey on the draft plan's major concepts and recommendations. The survey ran throughout the month of February. View the results of the survey.
March 2010
The project is now in its final phase. View the Draft Historic Preservation Master Plan (or see the text-only version).
Public involvement is an important part of the planning process. An advisory committee has been established to provide feedback on recommendations generated by the consultant and on the goals, objectives, and strategies generated in the planning process. There were four community meetings, three public educational workshops, one Planning and Zoning Board work session, and two Council work sessions. The final plan will be reviewed through a public hearing process before being presented to Council for final adoption.
Background
Within Cary’s planning jurisdiction there are three National Register Historic Districts:
- The Cary (Downtown) District
- The Carpenter District
- The Green level District
Each district comprises numerous historic structures, and in the case of Carpenter and Green Level, historic landscapes as well. The Town also has three historic structures that are individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places. While National Register designation is a great honor, this federal designation does not protect the structures from demolition or alteration, nor does Cary’s land development ordinance regulate their alteration or demolition.
Development pressure on our three National Register districts and other historic structures and landscapes is steadily mounting, making average citizens and long-time preservation advocates increasingly concerned for the future of the Town’s remaining historic resources.
In response to this growing concern, the Town has taken action in recent years to protect several endangered historic properties, including purchasing a complete farmstead. At its November 8, 2007 meeting, Town Council directed staff to develop a comprehensive approach and plan for historic preservation.
Schedule
The Town has selected Historic Preservation Planning Consultant Thomason and Associates, Inc., based in Nashville, Tennessee, to help prepare a town-wide Historic Preservation Master Plan for Cary. This project began in late February 2009 and will last approximately 12 months.
The planning team will work with the community to create and adopt the plan in four phases:
Phase I: Data Compilation
Phase II: Public Education/Community Visioning
Phase III: Plan Development
Phase IV: Final Drafts and Plan Adoption
Contact
For more information, contact:
Anna Readling, Senior Planner
Town of Cary Planning Department
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512
919-469-4084
anna.readling@townofcary.org
