TOWN OF CARY STAFF REPORT
Walnut Street Corridor Transitional Guide PL03-02c Consideration of an amendment to the Southeast Gateway Plan to add new development guidelines	Speaker Jim Parajon
	DATE
Planning & Zoning Board Meeting	October 21, 2002
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING	November 21, 2002

FROM:	Jeffery G. Ulma, AICP, Director, Planning Department
Prepared by:	Jim Parajon, AICP, Long Range Planning Manager
Approved by:	William B. Coleman, Jr., Town Manager Benjamin T. Shivar, Assistant Town Manager

Requested Action:

The Town Council is being requested to approve an amendment to the Southeast Gateway Plan. The amendment would apply to the corridor between Cary Towne Center and the Buck Jones Road area. The amendment contains new guidelines for the transition of the frontage properties in the corridor to low intensity non-residential use.

Background:

The Southeast Gateway Plan, which was adopted in 1998, envisioned this area as transitioning to low intensity non-residential use in recognition of the impacts of traffic and noise attributed to the properties being located along Walnut Street (a major thoroughfare). The Plan also recognized that the transition to non-residential use needed to be as compatible as possible with the abutting residential neighborhoods. At the 2002 Town Council retreat, the Council confirmed its goal of implementing this transition and staff began work on refined development standards.

Public Involvement:

Since the Town Council retreat, staff set up a process to provide the general public with multiple opportunities to provide input into the development of standards to apply to the corridor. These efforts included a series of public input meetings, computer simulations, preference surveys, follow-up focus group meetings, and individual meetings with affected property owners.

Persons who attended our public input meetings and were placed on the mailing list received a direct mail notification of the August 22, 2002 public hearing. In addition, the amendment and guidelines were placed on the Town's website two weeks in advance of the public hearing. Following the initial public hearing, the Town Council continued the hearing to obtain more input from interested parties and staff.

Amendment and Guidelines Summary:

Staff has developed standards that seek to address the following goals:

Allow frontage properties to transition to low intensity non-residential use.
Protect the residential neighborhoods that abutting these transition properties.
Acquire park/open space in the corridor.

In order to achieve these goals, staff's recommended amendment to the Southeast Gateway Plan contains limits on the land uses, provides specific development standards (building height, setbacks, etc.), and strong architectural and buffer regulations. The amendment and guidelines are found at http://www.townofcary.org/depts/dsdept/walnutcorridor/overview.htm.

The key features of the amendment and guidelines include:

Limited non-residential uses along the corridor in scale with adjacent residential neighborhoods;
The acquisition of a 11 acre public park site;
Significant protection tools for the residential properties adjacent to the transitioning development;
Specific guidance on the conversion or redevelopment of transitional properties.

Staff Recommendation: Review the Land Use amendment and forward a recommendation to the Town Council.