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Site Designs Standards Project

Overview


The Town of Cary has an adopted Design Guidelines Manual that includes seven design principles:

  1. Create human scale.
  2. Create a sense of place.
  3. Connect uses.
  4. Provide transitions.
  5. Reduce parking impacts.
  6. Plan for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users.
  7. Provide for open space.
The purpose of the Site Design Standards Project is to improve the application of these seven principles by clearly defining usable standards, increasing consistency of staff and developer/applicant interpretations, and facilitating creation of desired results in site planning.

Public Input

Public involvement is a key component to the success of this project. The Town of Cary will host four community workshops:

Community Workshop #1, Site Design Standards — What do they mean?
Tuesday April 21, 2009, 6-8 p.m.
Cary Town Hall
316 N. Academy St. 		Community Workshop #2, Draft Site Design Standards
Tuesday July 28, 2009, 6-8 p.m.
Page-Walker Arts and History Center
119 Ambassador Loop Rd

Community Workshop #3, Open House for Site Design Standards - Second Draft
Monday October 26, 2009, 4-7 p.m.
Bond Park Community Center, Dogwood Room
150 Metro Park Drive

 Community Workshop #4, Sustainable Site Design Standards Document - Second Draft
Wednesday November 3, 2010
Presentations at noon, 3 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.
Cary Town Hall, Room 11130
316 N. Academy St.


Details

Key goals for this project include:

  1. Explaining the Town's seven design principles with the clarity and measurability found in the Town's Architectural Design Guidelines,
  2. Producing high quality sustainable developments,
  3. Establishing standards that invite flexibility, and
  4. Streamlining the plan approval process by applying clear standards that yield predictable outcomes.
A major focus of this project is to develop specific and measurable, yet flexible, criteria and standards related to optimal site layout and thoughtful building placement, especially within the Town's mixed-use centers and other large development projects.

The Town of Cary is well-known for its high standards for urban design and project quality. Throughout the years, Cary has codified a wide range of site design standards into its Land Development Ordinance (LDO), and has established other design standards through its Community Appearance Manual and Design Guidelines Manual. This project will create specific site design standards for all types of development. These standards should consistently yield vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, well-designed places.


Related Link
Site Design Focus Group

Contact
Meredith Chandler, RLA, AICP
Urban Designer/Senior Planner
Town of Cary Planning Department
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512-8005
(919) 460-4983
meredith.chandler@townofcary.org