STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO THE

TOWN OF CARY, NORTH CAROLINA
STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO THE
PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD

REZONING PETITION:

05-REZ-19 Alston Activity Center Overlay District (ACOD)

This case is Town-initiated. An Activity Center Overlay District (ACOD) allows the Activity Center Concept Plan (ACCP) described below to be considered. The Land Development Ordinance requires that an ACOD be designated onto properties before an ACCP may be approved for those properties. An Activity Center Overlay District provides additional development options for properties, provided that a corresponding ACCP is prepared and adopted. This overlay district covers 836.0 acres located around all four quadrants of the future interchange of I-540 and NC Hwy 55. (This is slightly less acreage than the ACCP described below, since the ACOD does not include one parcel at the extreme northern end of the ACCP that is located in Research Triangle Park, outside of Cary’s extraterritorial planning jurisdiction).

ACTIVITY CENTER CONCEPT PLAN PETITION:

05-AC-005 Alston Activity Center Concept Plan (ACCP)

This case is Town-initiated. Activity Centers consist of commercial, office, and medium- and high-density residential uses that are planned as a cohesive whole, clustered in an area usually surrounding a major intersection. Within an Activity Center Overlay District (ACOD), an Activity Center Concept Plan (ACCP) may be created to guide development within the activity center. This ACCP covers 856.2 acres centered around the future interchange of the I-540 Outer Wake Expressway and NC Hwy 55. (The ACCP covers slightly more acreage than the ACOD described above, because it includes part of one parcel located in Research Triangle Park, outside of Cary’s extraterritorial planning jurisdiction. That parcel is included in the ACCP because it would ultimately be served by Cary utilities.) The ACCP recommends a specific pattern and arrangement of future land uses and development. The ACCP case consists of a set of maps and a comprehensive plan document that includes detailed site design guidelines. The ACCP provides for a mix of commercial, office, and residential uses, designed in a pedestrian-friendly manner. Proposed Land Uses and Building Types, and Illustrative Master Plan

LAND USE PLAN/COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT:
05-LPA-17 Northwest Area Plan Amendments

The Land Use/Comprehensive Plan Amendments are associated with case 05-AC-005. The land area covered by the proposed Alston Regional Activity Center Concept Plan is already identified as a Regional Activity Center in the Town’s Northwest Area Plan, but with a somewhat different internal arrangement of land uses (particularly east of NC 55) than is proposed by the Alston ACCP 05-AC-005. The requested Land Use Plan Amendments propose to update the Northwest Area Plan to reflect the detailed land use arrangements proposed by the Alston Activity Center Concept Plan. The specific amendments affect the three Northwest Area Plan maps, as follows:

Map 1 of 3, Future Land Use:

Identify the Alston Regional Activity Center boundary on this map.
Within the Alston Regional Activity Center, amend the land use designations for the land east of NC Hwy 55 from Office/Institutional (OFC/INS) and Office/Industrial (OFC/IND) to Mixed Use (MXD). For the area northwest of the intersection of the realigned O’Kelly Chapel Road and NC 55, change the land use designation from “Office/Institutional or High Density Residential” (OFC/INS or HDR) to Mixed Use (MXD).
Delete keynotes 6, 16, 17, and 27, and rewrite keynote 5 to state “Part of the Alston Regional Activity Center containing a focused mix of commercial, office, institutional, and medium- to high-density residential uses in a pedestrian-friendly environment. Refer to the Alston Activity Center Concept Plan for detailed recommendations.”

Map 2 of 3, Multi-Use Paths, Parks, and Schools:

Realign the greenway shown parallel to I-540 between Nancy Branch and Kit Creek, so that it is re-routed to the north, between Green Level to Durham Road and NC 55, towards a connection at Shaffer Park.

The above area plan amendments, by extension, would also affect the Comprehensive Multimodal Transportation Plan and the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Facilities Master Plan.

All four quadrants at the intersection of NC Highway 55 and the proposed I-540 Outer Wake Expressway.