Town of Cary, North Carolina

Mixed Use Sketch Plan Data Sheet

07-MU-09 SAS Harrison Avenue

Bob Benfield, Case Manager

Request

The applicant is requesting that Town Council approve a Mixed Use Sketch Plan (MUSP) to allow for 393,280 square feet of office space and an elementary school containing 218,400 square feet to be located east of North Harrison Avenue and north and south of Richard Drive extending southward to Research Drive.

The purpose of the Mixed Use Overlay District is to enable the development of land in areas designated as mixed use centers on the Land Use Plan Map in accordance with the guidance of the Comprehensive Plan and individual mixed use sketch plans.  It is intended to promote higher-density, mixed-use developments of varying sizes as an alternative to lower-density, separate-use suburban sprawl-type development.

Mixed use sketch plans are conceptual documents that address the general density, the mix of uses, and the development patterns within a mixed use center.  They are less detailed than the plans required for full site plan review.  The intent is to provide sufficient information to determine consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and with the Town’s Design Guidelines.  Specific development issues must be addressed for compliance with existing requirements specified in the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) when the site plan is submitted.  All such requirements can be found at http:vic.townofcary.org.

Site Plan Index (November 8, 2007)

Site Plan Index (January 11, 2008)

Background Information

* Future meeting dates are tentative

PROPERTY OWNER INFORMATION

Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan

A.      Land Use Plan:  The subject parcels are located within the SAS Regional Mixed-Use Activity Center, which calls for a pedestrian-supportive mix of retail, office, and high and medium density housing within the overall activity center.  The Land Use Plan recommends that there be a reasonable balance between commercial/retail and office/institutional uses within an activity center, and that there be at least one housing unit for every 1,000 sq. ft. of nonresidential floorspace.  While there is a wide range in the total overall nonresidential floor space within Regional Mixed Use Centers in Cary, the Land Use Plan provides a general expected guideline of approximately “+/- 1,500,000 sq. ft.” (shown on parentheses below).

The amount of development already built or approved within this activity center along with the new totals that are proposed to be added by this case are as shown in the following three tables:

* The Residences at the Arboretum (case 05-SP-025) contains 228 multifamily residential units currently under construction

**The 495 rooms of hotel/motel space and the existing and proposed Schools are not included within the residential or nonresidential totals; rather, they are counted as support services for the Mixed Use Center.

      In terms of conformance with the Cary Land Use Plan, the following observations can be drawn from the tables above:

1.       At a total of about 791,000 sq. ft., the total amount of nonresidential floor space within this activity center currently falls well under the Land Use Plan’s suggested guideline of “about +/- 1,500,000 sq. ft.” of nonresidential.

2.       If the Mixed Use Sketch Plan (MUSP) were approved, the new total amount of nonresidential space would still be less than the floorspace of 1,500,000 sq. ft. suggested by the Land Use Plan.

3.       At present, approximately 38% of the nonresidential space (excluding schools) within the activity center is commercial, and about 62% is office.  The Land Use Plan recommends having an approximate balance between office and commercial space.  Thus, the center is currently over-weighted in office space.  If the SAS Mixed Use Sketch Plan (MUSP) were approved, approximately 26% of the nonresidential space would be commercial, and about 74% office, exacerbating the tilt towards office.

4.       At present (once the Residences at Arboretum is completed), there is a total of about 251 residential units.  The Land Use Plan’s guidelines call for one residential unit per 1,000 sq. ft. of nonresidential (i.e., a hypothetical 1500 unit target).  However, if the Mixed Use Sketch Plan (MUSP) were approved, with a new grand total of over 1.18 million square feet of nonresidential space, under Land Use Plan guidelines there should ideally be about 1,180 residential support units.  Since the MUSP does not propose any additional residential units, at buildout the overall activity center may achieve only about 21% of the recommended number of residential units.

B.  Growth Management Plan:
The Growth Management Plan includes the following two Guiding Principles that are relevant to this case:

1. Guiding Principle R1:  Ensure that adequate infrastructure and services are available concurrently with new development; and
2. Guiding Principle L1:  Concentrate growth near existing and planned employment centers and near available and planned infrastructure to minimize costly service-area extensions.
3. Guiding Principle A1: Increase permitted densities in preferred growth areas to encouraged desired forms of development.

C.  Affordable Housing Plan: 
The Affordable Housing Plan goals are not applicable to this case.

D.  Comprehensive Multimodal Transportation Plan:

      North Harrison Avenue
Existing Section:  5 lanes

      Future Section:  4 lane median divided south of Weston Parkway, 7 lanes north of Weston Parkway

      Road Improvements:  widening to meet Comprehensive Transportation Plan requirements

      Sidewalks Requirements: both sides

      Bicycle Requirements: wide outside lanes

      Transit Requirements:  None

      Traffic Analysis:  Refer to "Traffic Analysis" in the "Consistency with the Land Development Ordinance" section.

E.  Open Space and Historic Resources Plan:  The Open Space and Historic Resources Plan (OSHRP) and its corresponding inventory of priority open space resources identified significant resources within the central and eastern portion of the site.  The identified priority open space resources include mixed upland hardwood forest. 

F.  Parks & Greenways Master Plan: Greenways Map
According to the approved Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Facilities Master Plan, there are no issues related to this site. 

Consistency with the Land Development Ordinance

      Environmental:
According to the Town of Cary GIS maps, there are no Urban Transition Buffers that will potentially impact the development.

      Buffers:
According to Section 7.2.3(A) of the LDO, the widths required in the buffer width table do not apply to properties within a mixed use center, only to the property lines that define the border of the Mixed Use Center.  Buffers along internal property lines will be required to meet the intent of the buffer requirements without impacting the performance of the Mixed Use Center.  A 20’ wide intermittent buffer is proposed along the eastern and northern boundaries of the MUSP adjacent to existing office development located in SAS.

      Streetscape:
According to Section 7.2.4 of the LDO, the applicant would be required to provide a 30’ Streetscape along North Harrison Avenue and a 15’ Streetscape along Richard Drive and Research Drive.  Section 7.2.10(F) of the LDO allows reduction to streetscapes within Mixed Use Centers when certain design criteria are met, such as locating buildings close to streets with parking to the side and\or rear of buildings.  The plans propose: a 60’ streetscape along North Harrison Avenue; a 50’ streetscape along Research Drive; and a 10’ streetscape along Richard Drive.

      Traffic Analysis:

      A traffic study (08-TAR-281) was conducted by M/A/B.  The study evaluated 700 student elementary school and 313,280 sf office with a build out year of 2022.  These numbers do not match the MUSP as submitted.

      The following are preliminary recommendations from the study for this development:

Harrison Avenue Corridor

• A six lane median-divided section is needed from I-40 to Cary Parkway.

North Harrison Avenue and I-40 Westbound Ramps

• Construct additional WB left-turn lane on the I-40 WB off-ramp to form triple left-turns. (also in 08-TAR-279)
• Construct additional southbound lane along N. Harrison Avenue to provide three receiving lanes for the left turns (i.e. widen the bridge). (also in 08-TAR-279)

North Harrison Avenue and I-40 Eastbound Ramps

• Construct an additional southbound through lane along N. Harrison Avenue.
• Convert northbound right-turn lane into a free-flowing movement and widen the I-40 EB on-ramp to allow two receiving lanes.  The two-lane segment will merge to a single lane prior to the I-40 eastbound merge.  This conversion will require that a concrete channelization island or other type of barrier be constructed at the entrance to the I-40 on-ramp to control this movement. (also in 08-TAR-279)
• Convert the outer right turn lane of the off-ramp into a free flowing movement.  Keep the inner right turn lane under signal control.

North Harrison Avenue at SAS Campus Drive

• Construct an additional southbound left turn lane into SAS Campus Drive.  Three southbound through lanes need to be maintained.

North Harrison Avenue at Harrison Square Shopping Center

• Restripe the eastbound approach to accommodate one exclusive left turn lane and one shared left and right turn lane.

North Harrison Avenue and