Current Zoning: Office & Institutional Conditional Use (O&I CU)

Overlay District: N/A

Town Limits: The property is inside Cary's Town Limits.

Land Use Compliance: Designated for general office development. The property is within a designated Neighborhood Activity Center.

The plan complies with all landscape requirements.

The Appearance Commission provided the following recommendations:

1. That Red Bud proposed in the streetscape be increased in size to 2" caliper.

2. That shrubs (such as Dwarf Burford Holly) be added along the north side of the proposed retaining wall in the southern buffer area.

3. That the proposed wooden fence in the southern buffer be upgraded to a material that would offer more longevity, such as a plastic composite material.

4. That the dumpster enclosure be temporarily moved to the northern side of the phase 1 building, and then permanently moved to the north side of the phase 2 building once the phase 2 building is constructed. Also, a temporary drive around the north side of the phase 1 building should be considered for improved access to the property and increased fire protection.

All Appearance Commission recommendations have been addressed in the plan.

Building Size: Two buildings proposed, each containing 34,000 sq. ft. (17,000 sq. ft. each floor)

Building Materials: Red/brown brick, tan/beige horizontal concrete cement bands, and blue/green spandrel glass.

Building Color: Traditional red/brown brick color with tan/beige accents.

The project site is an approximately 7-acre undeveloped parcel located along Cary Parkway, just south of Tryon Road. The project proposal is to construct an office development to totaling 70,000 square-feet (sf) which is to be divided equally (35,000 sf each) between both general and medical office uses. As proposed, this development is anticipated to be constructed and fully operational in 2002.

As planned, direct access to/from the site will be provided via two access driveways along Cary Parkway. Due to the presence of a center-raised median along Cary Parkway, the northern most proposed driveway will be limited to right-turn in/right-turn out movements only. Because a median break presently exists at the southern most proposed driveway along Cary Parkway, it is proposed as a full movement access.

Existing conditions have been gathered for the following five intersections, which make up the project study area as defined by Town of Cary staff:

• Cary Parkway at US 1/64 westbound ramps;
• Cary Parkway at US 1/64 eastbound ramps;
• Cary Parkway at Tryon Road;
• Cary Parkway at Piney Plains Road/Lochmere Road; and
• Tryon Road at Piney Plains Road.

This inventory of existing conditions includes a description of roadway geometrics, traffic control, land uses at the area intersections, and a quantification of traffic volumes.

Traffic volume data has been collected within the study area for the weekday AM (7:00 - 9:00 AM) and PM (4:00 - 6:00 PM) peak periods. This data indicates that approximately 579 and 918 vehicles per hour (vph) passed the site on Cary Parkway (sum of both the northbound and southbound directions) during the respective weekday AM and PM peak hours. Along Tryon Road, approximately 1,100 and 1,485 vph (sum of both the eastbound and westbound directions) passed the site during the respective AM and PM peak hours.

PROBABLE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT

To represent Future 2002 traffic volume conditions within the study area, the 2000 Existing traffic flow volumes were upwardly adjusted to account for normal traffic growth and any other currently approved projects within the study area.

Discussions with Town of Cary staff indicate that an annual growth rate of 4 percent per year is to be used within the study area. This growth rate was applied to the 2000 Existing peak-hour traffic volumes to estimate Future 2002 conditions without the proposed development.

It should be noted that, based on information provided by town staff, there are currently no approved and/or permitted developments by others within the study area that would significantly impact study area traffic volumes.

Discussions with Town staff indicate that, at this time, no planned roadway improvements, which would increase roadway capacity, are approved and/or planned within the study area.

For this project, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation manual was used to estimate project trips generated by the proposed facility.

Based on this information, the proposed development can be expected to generate a total of 1,820 (two-way) vehicle trips on a weekday daily basis (910 entering, 910 exiting), of which a total of 166 trips (139 entering, 27 exiting) would occur during the weekday AM peak-hour. During the PM peak-hour, 235 trips (51 entering, 184 exiting) can be expected.

Traffic generated by the site will be primarily distributed to and from US 1/64, Cary Parkway, Tryon Road, Piney Plains Road, and Lochmere Road.

As a result of this project, traffic volume increases at any of the study area intersections are anticipated to be no greater than approximately 7 percent as compared to 2002 Future conditions without (No-Build) the proposed development. This 7 percent reflects the maximum increase at a time period when the project as a whole is at its highest activity. Smaller/less significant increases can be expected during other non-peak hours of the day.

Intersection analyses indicate that, under 2000 Existing Conditions, all study area intersections operate at acceptable service levels during both the weekday AM and PM peak hours. Under 2002 No-Build Conditions, which account for normal traffic growth, all intersections will experience an increase in peak-hour delays resulting in unacceptable service levels during the PM peak-hour time period at one of the five study area intersections (Cary Parkway at US 1/64 westbound ramps). With the addition of site traffic related to the Capital Associates office development, all intersections will continue to operate as under 2002 No-Build conditions (either acceptably or unacceptably) during both time periods examined with minor increases in delay.

As part of the proposed development plan, access to/from the Capital Associates office development will be provided via two-access driveways to/from Cary Parkway. These access drives are proposed as follows:

This access is proposed along Cary Parkway, approximately 370-feet south of Tryon Road. As proposed, this access would provide for one lane entering and one lane departing the site. Due to the presence of a raised median within Cary Parkway, this access will be restricted to right-turn in/right-turn out movements only. STOP sign control is proposed at this location where vehicles exiting the site would be required to stop.

This access is proposed along Cary Parkway, approximately 580-feet south of Tryon Road. As proposed, this access would provide for one lane entering and one lane exiting the site. This access will allow for all vehicular movements as provided by an existing "median break" within Cary Parkway. STOP sign control is proposed at this access point where vehicles exiting the site would be required to stop.

With the above-cited geometrics and traffic control in place, all site driveways are anticipated to operate acceptably under 2002 Build Conditions.

Review of the intersection analyses indicates that the proposed project has a very minor impact on the study area intersections as compared to future 2002 No-Build conditions. Project traffic causes a minor increase in delay and V/C ratio, but does not directly cause any study area intersection to operate unacceptably during either the AM or PM peak-hour.

Although the project itself does not directly cause any intersection to operate unacceptably, poor operating levels are anticipated under 2002 conditions with or without the project at the Cary Parkway at US 1/64 interchange. Much of the poor operational characteristics can be directly attributed to existing problems on the roadways. To enhance future operations, as well as mitigate the project’s minor impact, the following is suggested:

Per discussions with Town of Cary staff, future improvements are planned at this interchange. In conjunction with the Town’s Transportation Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the construction of the previously mentioned "loop" ramp is scheduled. This project (Project #36, Interchange Modifications at US 1/64 and Cary Parkway) is planned to be completed by 2009. A copy of the project specific CIP is contained in the appendix of this report.

It should also be noted that, although projected to operate acceptably under both the AM and PM peak-hour conditions, the Cary Parkway at Piney Plains Road/Lochmere Road should be further investigated for the potential implementation of traffic signal control. This is suggested due to the presence of multiple approach lanes for all directions coupled with its current ALL-WAY STOP sign control and moderate to high traffic volumes, which, in concert, could potentially produce safety concerns.

Under 2002 Build Conditions, this intersection is anticipated to marginally meet traffic signal warrants (MUTCD, Warrant 11) during both the AM and PM peak hours. It is suggested that traffic volumes, as well as operational safety, be monitored at this intersection and, if warrants are fully met at some point in the future, install traffic signal control.

With the implementation of these recommendations, operations at the effected study area intersections are anticipated to significantly improve during both the AM and PM peak hours.