Town of Cary

Carpenter Community Plan

Adopted by Town Council, September 8, 2005

produced by the Town of Cary Planning Department

A Supplement to

Volume II

of the Town of Cary Comprehensive Plan

Credits

Town of Cary

Carpenter Community Plan

A Supplement to Volume II of the Town of Cary Comprehensive Plan

Cary Town Council	Town of Cary Staff
Ernie McAlister, Mayor Jack Smith, Mayor Pro Tem Marla Dorrel Michael Joyce Jennifer Robinson Julie Robison Nels Roseland	William B. Coleman, Jr., Town Manager Jeff Ulma, AICP, Planning Director Tim Bailey, PE, Director of Engineering Mary Henderson, Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Director Project Staff for the Carpenter Community Plan Don Belk, AICP, project management, open space and historic resources, report author Scott Ramage, AICP, project management, land use Teresa Townsend, project management, land use Juliet Andes, AICP, transportation planning Amity Little, maps and GIS support Doug McRainey, parks and greenways
Planning and Zoning Board	Consultants
Wally Dawson, Chairperson Harry Baulch Christopher Brooks Lori Bush Kelly Commiskey Matthew Danielson Steven Goodridge William Lyke Christy Perrin Carla Sadtler	Jerry Turner & Associates, land planning and design Elam, Todd, D’Ambrosi, land planning

Table of Contents

Carpenter Community Plan

A Supplement to Volume II of the Town of Cary Comprehensive Plan

1. Summary and Introduction

1.1. What is the Carpenter Community Plan?

1.2. Plan Vision and Guiding Principles

1.3. Overview of the Plan

1.4. History of the Planning Process

1.4.1. Carpenter Community Plan

2. Land Use

2.1. The Land Use Plan Map and How to Read It

2.2. The Carpenter Historic District

2.2.1. The Wildflower Buffer

2.2.2. The Rural Village

3. Parks and Greenways

3.1. Parks Recommendations

3.2. Greenway Corridors and the Trailhead Park

4. Transportation

4.1. Roadway Recommendations

4.2. Bicycle and Pedestrian Recommendations

5. Implementation

5.1. Overview

5.2. Implementation Recommendations

Appendices (available separately)

Appendix A: Land Use Category Definitions

Maps (available separately)

Carpenter Community Plan

chapter 1: Summary and Introduction

1.1 What is the Carpenter Community Plan?

The Carpenter Community Plan (CCP) is a master plan for approximately 475 acres (0.74 square miles) in the northwestern portion of Cary’s planning area (see Figure 1-1). It is a policy document that establishes the Town’s official long-range vision and recommendations for future land uses, parks, roads, sidewalks, and greenways.

Most of the plan area is located south of the future McCrimmon Parkway (south of the existing Old Maynard Road) and north of the Morrisville Parkway. The Plan boundary extends eastward of NC Highway 55 to just beyond the future Louis Stephens Drive (currently Koppers Road). This Carpenter Community Plan fulfills an implementation recommendation contained in the 2002 Northwest Area Plan (NWAP). This plan constitutes an amendment to the NWAP, as well as to the Town of Cary Land Use Plan, Comprehensive Transportation Plan, and the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Facilities Master Plan.

The Carpenter Community Plan consists of a map (see Carpenter Community Plan map) plus this document. The map shows future land use and parks recommendations, greenways, and associated roadway recommendations for the area.

The chapters of this plan document provide some supplementary information, and in particular address:

· the overall plan vision: includes the plan’s guiding principles and project history

· land use, open space and historic resources: the recommended location, type, density/intensity of future land uses, specific open space recommendations, and details regarding the historic resources of the area

· parks and greenways

· transportation: the recommended roadway improvements and pedestrian transportation recommendations

· implementation recommendations and strategies: identifies the follow-up projects, tasks, and strategies necessary to effectively implement the Plan

1.2 Plan Vision and Guiding Principles

The plan vision is to make the Carpenter area a unique regional destination and a highly attractive place to live, work, and recreate. The following Guiding Principles form the framework around which this plan has been developed. These principles can also provide guidance in interpreting the recommendations of this plan.

Guiding Principles

Ø Plan for future residential development with appropriate densities and transitions from adjoining land uses.

Ø Plan for future non-residential development that provides economic growth potential and a diversity of retail, services, and employment opportunities.

Ø Revitalize the Carpenter crossroads area as a lively, unique historical and cultural destination focus area.

Ø Preserve the significant architectural resources of the Carpenter Historic District to encourage their adaptation and re-use as a vibrant mix of uses.

Ø Preserve elements of the rural character of Carpenter by providing streetscapes and open spaces that provide a ‘gateway’ into the core area of the Historic District

Ø Plan for a highly-connected system of greenways and parks facilities to serve residents and visitors. Provide sidewalk and greenway connections that extend outside of the plan area, to link pedestrians, joggers, and casual bicyclists with parks in other parts of Cary, and points beyond.

Ø Ensure public involvement in the planning process, and preserve the property rights of landowners. Communicate early and often with Carpenter area landowners, and acknowledge the realistic expectations of landowners and the value of their land.

The guiding principles, developed by Town staff and project consultants, are not the sole influence on the land use and other recommendations contained in this plan. They have been weighed against citizen comments, council member expressions, and the professional expertise of staff and consultants.

A Vision for the Carpenter Area...

Imagine living in Carpenter area 20 years from now. Convenient to Research Triangle Park, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and Interstate 540, Carpenter offers a diverse range of residential housing choices, including single family homes, town homes, condominiums, and even loft apartments within the Rural Village.

The Rural Village offers a lively mix of shopping, dining, and entertainment options within a short walk, bike, or drive from your home. It is a unique destination in Cary, drawing visitors and shoppers from throughout the region, who admire the architecture of the meticulously restored buildings within the Village’s core area. Here, people can stroll the open space of the Village Park, and browse, shop or dine in a charming area that contains both National Register landmarks and newer structures that are designed to complement the historic architecture of Carpenter. The C. F. Ferrell Store and Carpenter Farm Supply buildings have become regional shopping destinations in themselves, providing a distinctive array of merchandise rivaling the Mast General Stores of western North Carolina.

The southern portion of the Rural Village is predominately new construction, but the architecture harkens back to the days when Carpenter was one of Wake County’s most thriving rural crossroads. It thrives again today, but now housing, shops, restaurants, and services for area residents have replaced the agricultural-based enterprises of yore.

Day-trippers from throughout the Triangle (and beyond) visit Carpenter not only for shopping and dining, but for the recreational opportunities that are available from the Trailhead Park. It’s worth an entire day. This park is a ‘hub’ from where you can hike or bike for miles in any direction, as it connects four of the Town’s major greenways, which themselves link to the greenway and trail systems of Raleigh and Durham. For area residents, the multitude of biking and pedestrian facilities provides unparalleled opportunities for ‘alternative transportation.’ Transit service has even become available along the CSX Railroad corridor from Apex to Research Triangle Park.

These convenient amenities, and the wide array of housing options available, make Carpenter a very special community in which to live.

1.3 Overview of the Plan

The Carpenter Community Plan introduces a new tier in the Town of Cary’s hierarchy of land use plans: the community plan. The overall Land Use Plan contains several area plans, such as the Northwest Cary Area Plan, the Town Center Area Plan, etc; likewise, an area plan could contain one or more community plans as neighborhood-scale implementation of the Land Use Plan takes place.

The land use recommendations of this plan are centered on the principle objective of this plan: to revitalize the Carpenter crossroads area as a destination focus area. The Rural Village, the centerpiece of the Carpenter Area Plan, represents a new type of activity center for Cary: smaller in scope than a traditional Neighborhood Activity Center (NAC), but one that contains diverse uses, housing types, and in the case of Carpenter, the significant historic resources of a National Register Historic District. (As a follow-up to this study, it is recommended that the Land Use Plan be amended to create a new activity center category to address special mixed use areas such as this.)

The Rural Village (RV) retains the Mixed Use (MXD) designation of the current Northwest Cary Area Plan, but residential uses comprise most the Plan area. Areas designated as Low Density Residential (LDR) have expanded from the 2002 Northwest Area Plan. Good Hope Baptist Church, an Institutional (INS) use, lies at the geographic center of the Carpenter Area. The Plan retains areas designated as Office and Industrial (OFC/IND) from the 2002 plan, but adds the option of Office and Institutional (OFC/INS). The Rural Village is bordered north and south by Medium Density Residential (MDR).

The prevalence of LDR provides greater opportunities for creative designs to preserve open space and protect the historic resources that are so vital to the rural character of Carpenter. The Plan calls for the retention of most of the farm ponds in the area, ensuring that substantial portions of stream and pond buffers will be preserved. The Carpenter Community Plan introduces a unique open space concept for roadside open space: streetscape ‘meadows’ and ‘wildflower buffers’ that will enhance a rural ‘character’ as one proceeds to the Rural Village along the major east-west and north-south roads within the area. These open spaces also provide opportunities to preserve historic structures along these roads. The use of conservation subdivision design can ensure that allowable development densities can be achieved along with preservation objectives.

1.4 History of the Planning Process

Carpenter has been a distinctive crossroads community since the 19^th century, and has long been a place of special interest to the surrounding area. Recent Town of Cary planning initiatives involving Carpenter are summarized as follows:

• The 1996 Land Use Plan designated the Carpenter crossroads area as Special Opportunity Site, an area with significant historic structures capable of serving as focal points for creative redevelopment.
• In 1999, the State Historic Preservation Office awarded a grant to the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission to prepare the nomination of Carpenter to the National Register of Historic Places. The Town of Cary partnered with Wake County to provide grant matching funds. The nomination was prepared by Kelly Lally Molloy, author of The Historic Architecture of Wake County, NC.
• On May 26, 2000, the Carpenter Historic District was entered into the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.
• On August 23, 2001, the Town of Cary adopted its Open Space and Historic Resources Plan (OSHRP). The OSHRP included the Carpenter Historic District in its assessment of historic landscapes. To conduct this phase, the Town contracted with the Design Research Laboratory of the NC State University College of Design to perform a Historic District Visioning Initiative. This study identified the visual extent of the landscapes associated with the historic architecture of Carpenter, and developed photo-realistic simulations to demonstrate conservation design techniques.
• The Northwest Area Plan, adopted in September 2002, recommended Carpenter as an area of special land use recommendations and called for a master design plan for the Carpenter area. The Plan also designated Carpenter as the location of the ‘terminus amenity’ – the junction of the Northwest’s proposed open space/greenway corridors.

1.4.1 Carpenter Community Plan

Town of Cary staff initiated the Carpenter Community Plan in early 2004 following guidance from Town Council in implementing the recommendations of the Northwest Area Plan. Jerry Turner and Associates and Elam Todd d’Ambrosi (ETd) assisted the Town staff in the development of the Plan.

To garner stakeholder input to the planning process, three community ‘open houses’ were held in the area, in March and October 2004, and in April 2005. Following each community meeting, staff and consultants further refined the draft.

chapter 2: Land Use, open space, and historic resources

2.1 The Land Use Plan Map and How to Read It

The Carpenter Community Plan (CCP) map depicts the future land uses recommended for the Carpenter community. Different color shadings are used on the map to indicate different categories of recommended future land uses, with the color shadings defined in the map’s legend. Transitions between different land uses shown on the map generally occur along key geographic features, such as roads, streams, and open spaces, but in some cases they transition at existing lot lines. Development will normally follow these boundaries. However, the final boundaries may vary according to the merits of a development proposal and whether it meets the intent of the plan vision as a whole.

The land use categories shown on the Carpenter Community Plan map are described briefly on the map key. Text labels and numbered notes on the maps are used to clarify recommended land uses for certain areas, or to specify limitations, exceptions, or alternatives to the standard land use category given by the color shading for the property. Land Use category definitions are detailed in Appendix A.

2.2 The Carpenter Historic District

The Carpenter Historic District is the fundamental organizing component of the Community Plan and the focal point of the Plan Vision and Guiding Principles. The boundary of the Carpenter Historic District was established for the nomination of Carpenter to the National Register of Historic Places (see Figure 2‑1). It was drawn in an attempt to incorporate the greatest possible number of contiguous and historically or architecturally- significant structures and sufficient adjacent acreage to define the structures in their historic rural context. The Historic District boundary encompasses the commercial ‘core’ area at the intersection of Carpenter-Upchurch Road and Morrisville-Carpenter Road. It extends eastward to the C.F. Ferrell house and farmstead and includes several farmhouses along the north side of Morrisville-Carpenter Road.

The Carpenter Historic District is a designation from the Department of the Interior, the federal body that maintains the National Register of Historic Places. Although a prestigious honor for the area, it is not a regulatory designation and imposes no regulatory restrictions on landowners. However, significant federal and state rehabilitation investment tax credits may be available to some landowners within the District (see box below: ‘Contributing Structures within the Carpenter Historic District’).

Although the ‘official’ Carpenter Historic District Boundary is not delineated on the Carpenter Community Plan, it nonetheless represents an essential framework for determining future land uses and addressing the preservation of historic resources, open space, and the rural heritage of the Carpenter community. The land use elements of the Wildflower Buffer and the Rural Village, described below, are a result of this determination.

Contributing Structures within the Carpenter Historic District

The Carpenter Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a prestigious honor signifying the significance of the area to the cultural history of the United States. The Carpenter Historic District is an assemblage of individual buildings that, collectively, meet the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for inclusion on the Register. Contributing Structures refer to those buildings that meet specific criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, including a structure’s quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, or culture. Contributing structures possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. For the Carpenter Historic District, contributing structures are determined to:

§ have been associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history;

§ embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction.

Contributing Structures within a National Register Historic District are eligible for federal and state rehabilitation tax credits. Contributing Structures may also be eligible for Local Historic Landmark designation through the Town of Cary and Wake County, which could qualify them for a 50% property tax deferral.

The following buildings are designated Contributing Structures according to the Carpenter Historic District nomination report:

William Henry Carpenter Boarding House William Henry Carpenter House Adelaide Carpenter Page House

Carpenter Farm Supply Company D. Judson Clark Machine/Garage C. F. Ferrell Rental House

C. F. Ferrell Store Ferrell Warehouse Byrd-Ferrell House

Byrd Tenant Houses (2) Mallie and Cora Butts Farm Bill Sears House

A. M. Howard Farm Carpenter Farm Supply Warehouse (Farmers’ Union Hall)

C. F. Ferrell Farm* Barbee-Williams Farm*¹

*outside of Carpenter Community Plan area

¹demolished 2004

2.2.1 The Wildflower Buffer

A 100-foot “wildflower buffer” along Morrisville Carpenter Road and Good Hope Church Road is proposed to create a larger road setback and a more ‘open’ visual experience along these roads (see CCP map). The buffer also preserves the rural character and ‘feel’ of the area and attempts to keep historic structures within a rural context. The buffer may be enhanced by plantings of native trees and shrubs and includes an opaque hedgerow at the outer edge of the buffer to screen new development behind it. Multi-use paths/greenways slated for Morrisville-Carpenter Road should meander through this corridor.

The Wildflower Buffer will preserve roadside open space, but it also provides an opportunity to preserve the historic resources of the Carpenter Historic District. The following strategies are recommended:

§ The width of the Buffer may vary, provided the average width is at least 100 feet. The buffer may be increased when additional open space is desired to incorporate and preserve contributing historic structures along Morrisville-Carpenter Road (see Contributing Structures box above).

§ Development density that is otherwise attainable in the open space of the wildflower buffer reserved for historic preservation may be transferred elsewhere on the property.

§ To create an incentive for open space/historic preservation, a density ‘bonus’ may be attained in exchange of preserving the structure (see Chapter 5 – Implementation).

§ Contributing historic structures within the buffer that are preserved and rehabilitated in accordance with accepted State Historic Preservation Office standards may become any use-type permitted within a Neighborhood Activity Center Overlay (see Land Development Ordinance, Chapter 5, Table 5.1-1, Table of Permitted Uses).

2.2.2 The Rural Village

The Rural Village (RV) is intended to be the focus of non-residential land uses within the Carpenter Community Plan area (see CCP map). The RV will contain a mix of residential, commercial, and office and institutional uses, built at a pattern, scale, and architectural style that is compatible with the ‘rural vernacular’ tradition of the area.

The objective of the Rural Village designation is to preserve the existing, contributing buildings of the Carpenter Historic District while integrating them appropriately among new structures. Scale, mass, and materials are critical elements in the build-out of the RV area. (See Figures 2-2 and 2-3.) Adjacent to and within the ‘historic core area’ – the portion of the Rural Village within the National Register Historic District - the quantity of new infill development is a vital consideration. Maintaining an appropriate balance between the existing contributing buildings and the amount and type of new development is essential in order to maintain the historic integrity of the core area and keep Carpenter’s National Register status intact.

Figure 2-2. Artists rendering of the historic Carpenter crossroads, with contextually-sensitive infill, rehabilitation, and landscaping. View is looking eastward along current alignment of Morrisville Carpenter Road, from a point just east of the railroad. The sketch depicts how a section of today’s Morrisville Carpenter Road could be replaced with the green space in the foreground, after the railroad crossing is closed.

Architecture and site planning in the Rural Village will be governed by a separate Design Guidelines document to ensure that new development is compatible with existing buildings. The Guidelines should also pertain to the areas immediately adjacent to the RV, including lots in the Low Density Residential (LDR) and Medium Density Residential (MDR) areas along the east/south side of Good Hope Church Road, and in the Mixed Use (MXD) area on the west side of the railroad and south of Morrisville-Carpenter Road. Creation of Carpenter Design Guidelines and a Rural Village Illustrative Plan are the top priorities for Plan implementation (see Chapter 5).

Village Park and Trailhead Park. Another objective of the RV is to retain the existing Ruritan Park. This park has functioned as a neighborhood park and gathering place for decades, and retaining it will help preserve the ‘openness’ that is characteristic of the historic core area today. It would be expanded to Carpenter Fire Station Road to create a ‘Village Park’ and connect to a trailhead park that would serve as the junction of several major greenway corridors. For more details on these parks, see Chapter 3.

Chapter 3: Parks and Greenways

3.1 Parks Recommendations

As can be seen on the Carpenter Community Plan map, three parks are recommended for the area: (1) the Village Park, which represents an expansion of the existing Ruritan Park within the Rural Village core area; (2) the adjoining Trailhead Park; and (3) a conventional Neighborhood Park to be located in the northern half of the Plan area.

Both the Village Park and the Trailhead Park are envisioned as passive facilities, with no formal active recreation areas. While the Trailhead Park will function as a terminus point for several major Town of Cary greenway corridors and will include parking areas and restroom facilities, the Village Park is seen as a gathering place that complements the open space and historic resources present in the core area of the Rural Village. This park could also host small-scale festivals or a farmers market.

The density of future residential development within the Carpenter area and environs will support development of a conventional neighborhood park, ideally to be located between McCrimmon Parkway and Morrisville-Carpenter Road. The Town will explore cooperative efforts with the Good Hope Baptist Church for the planning and development of this park, possibly as a shared-use facility with the Church.

3.2 Greenway Corridors and the Trailhead Park

A key feature of the Northwest Area Plan is the four open space/greenway corridors that follow Kitt Creek, Nancy Branch, Morris Branch, and Panther Creek. The Northwest Area Plan envisions two “terminus amenities” – one at either end of the open space/greenway corridors. The intent is to provide special destinations at the western and eastern points where all four greenways (the Kitt Creek, Nancy Branch, Morris Branch, and Panther Creek greenway trails) converge – the western terminus being located in Amberly (perhaps at the public park), and the eastern terminus being in the historic Carpenter area. The Carpenter Community Plan recommends that the Trailhead Park serve as this terminus amenity. The Trailhead Park will also provide greenway/pedestrian connectivity to the NC-55 multi-use path (which will run along the west side of the highway), the Hatcher Grove Trail, and the meandering sidewalks recommended in Chapter 4.

Chapter 4: TRANSPORTATION

4.1 Roadway Recommendations

The roadway improvements described in this plan are recommended in order to (a) solve existing traffic problems, (b) provide adequate roadway capacity for traffic that will result from future development within the area, and (c) provide adequate capacity for the anticipated growth in regional traffic passing through the Carpenter area (out to about 2025). Roadway recommendations are depicted on the Carpenter Community Plan map, and summarized as follows:

§ The planning area for the Community Plan is bordered roughly by four major thoroughfares: McCrimmon Parkway to the north, Morrisville Parkway to the south, NC 55 to the west, and Louis Stephens Drive to the east. These roads will become 4-lane, median-divided thoroughfares, and a 6-lane, median-divided thoroughfare in the case of NC 55.

§ Morrisville-Carpenter Road bisects the planning area. The CCP map depicts a conceptual, recommended realignment of the road in order to: (a) bypass the core of the Historic District; and (b) provide a direct and thru-connection to Carpenter Fire Station Road west of NC 55.

§ Good Hope Church Road is realigned to become the major north-south collector (2-3 lanes) through the planning area, extending from McCrimmon Parkway south to Carpenter-Upchurch Road. The new southerly extension of Good Hope Church Road is intended to provide a collector ‘bypass’ around the Rural Village to divert thru-traffic away from the RV historic core area. The section of the existing road, which travels northwesterly to NC-55, may be closed if no longer needed after the adjacent parcels redevelop, but the existing bridge over the railroad will be retained for pedestrian/greenway use.

§ At its future junction with Good Hope Church Road, Carpenter-Upchurch Road will become a minor access road serving the Rural Village. It will remain a 2-lane road.

§ Carpenter Fire Station Road (east of the railroad) will become a vehicular access road for the Village-Trailhead parks.

Rural Road Treatments. Segments of certain collectors and thoroughfares within the Plan area will be constructed to create a ‘rural character’ to the road as one approaches the Rural Village. Roadway design within the Rural Village core area will be addressed in the forthcoming Rural Village design guidelines.

Morrisville-Carpenter Road from Louis Stephens Drive west to NC 55 will be constructed at the ‘Rural Thoroughfare’ standard specified in the Southwest Area Plan. This alternative design allows the thoroughfare to be built without curb and gutter or sidewalks. Paved shoulders will comfortably

accommodate bicyclists. Good Hope Church Road will be constructed at the ‘Rural Collector’ standard specified in the Southwest Area Plan.

While the elimination of street lighting would enhance the rural character of the of Morrisville-Carpenter and Good Hope Church Road corridors, lighting may be preferable for safety reasons, particularly along the meandering pedestrian paths within the Wildflower Buffer. An appropriate style of street light fixtures should be investigated during development of the aforementioned Design Guidelines.

On-Street Parking. Within or adjacent to the Rural Village, Carpenter-Upchurch Road and Good Hope Church Road may be able to accommodate some on-street parking south of Morrisville Carpenter Road. Carpenter Fire Station and Indian Wells Road may also be able to accommodate some on-street parking. Recommended locations and treatments for on-street parking and parking lot access within and adjacent to the Rural Village will be addressed in the forthcoming Rural Village design guidelines. The Guidelines will include recommended street cross-sections for on-street parking.

4.2 Bicycle and Pedestrian Recommendations

The Carpenter Community Plan map depicts the network of greenways and multi-use paths recommended for the Carpenter area. Most destinations within the Carpenter area will be accessible via a combination of sidewalks and greenways.

Along Morrisville-Carpenter Road (west of Louis Stephens) and Good Hope Church Road, in lieu of sidewalks, pedestrians will travel along meandering greenway trails to be constructed within the Wildflower Buffer (see CCP map).

Except as otherwise specified in this plan, roadways and sidewalks should be constructed according to Town standards.

Chapter 5: Implementation