Morrisville Parkway Extension Phase III (ST1123)

Summary of Sept. 21, 2004 Public Information Exchange

Approximately 50 citizens attended this three-hour open house. It was the second public information exchange on the project.

Written Comments Received at the Meeting

Alternative A – “I do not like this alternative.”

Alternative B – “I do not like this alternative”, “preferred route”; “prefer”

Alternative C – “I like this alternative; it has less impact on homeowners.”

Alternative D – “I do not like this alternative.”

Verbal Comments Received at the Meeting

Comment 1 - Many citizens expressed their thanks for the follow-up to their concerns from the first public information exchange.  They were also pleased with the visual presentation of the four study alternatives

(A-D) and potential impacts tables presented with each alternative.

Response 1 - The Town of Cary is dedicated to serving local citizens. Public input on this project and all

others pursued by the Town is imperative to creating an environment pleasant for all citizens, where development is controlled and communities, open spaces/parks, and natural features are valued.

Comment 2 - A comment was received concerning an apparent discrepancy between the natural features identified on the aerial mapping and the impacts shown in the attached tables. 

Response 2 – All natural features depicted on the aerial mapping and used to calculate potential impacts

for the Study Alternatives were gathered from North Carolina Geographic Information Systems (GIS

databases.  No features have been verified in the field environment.  When a Preferred Alternative is

selected, biologists will survey all natural features and have the results of the surveys verified by appropriate resource agency personnel (i.e. US Army Corp of Engineers, etc.).  All verified results will be presented to local citizens at a later date.

Comment 3 – Many citizens were concerned about access issues should an alternative be selected that is located close to their home/neighborhood.

Response 3 – During the design phase for the selected Preferred Alternative, access issues will be carefully considered and appropriate road relocations, service roads, driveway connections, etc. will be provided so no homes are left without access.

Comment 4 – Comments were received from citizens pertained to what the schedule was for showing alignments; selecting a feasible alignment; and actual right-of- way/construction activities.

Response 4 – The approximate schedule for this project currently is:

· Alignment Study and Selection Complete – Early 2005

· Design Complete – Summer 2006

· Right-of-Way/Easement Acquisition Complete – Summer 2007

· Begin Construction*  - Late 2007

· End Construction*  - Summer 2009

Construction of the proposed Extension is expected to be coordinated with the construction of NCDOT’s I-540 (Western Wake Expressway) scheduled to begin in Summer 2008.  The Town Council has approved funding for construction of the proposed Extension in phases.  Funding in Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005 amounts to $3.1 million and during those years planning, public involvement, and design will be completed. In fiscal years 2007 and 2009, an additional $2.9 and $8.0 million, respectively, are programmed to purchase right-of-way and construct the project.

Comment 5 – Several citizens inquired about receiving copies of the maps that were presented at the workshop.

Response 5 – Town staff members have mailed copies of the maps to all citizens who inquired.  In addition, copies are available for viewing and receiving at the Town’s Engineering Department and on the Town’s Web site.

Written Comments Received Since the Meeting

(E-mail and other correspondence received by Town staff and consultant)

Comment 6 – “We entered into a contract for 18.2 acre lot at 1640 Wackena Road.  Any of these Alternatives will impact my sale and we will lose money.  Alternative A is one of the better ones for our lot of 18.2 acres.  It is also less expensive for the Town.  We will prefer this one compared to others.”

Response 6 – Thank you for your comment.

Comment 7 – “Thanks for putting on the information exchange and having several members of staff on hand to review the information with us. I talked to several of the people there and they were all very helpful and informative.

I currently live in the Cary Park neighborhood and am looking forward to the growth in our area. While there will be "growing pains", the benefits will far outweigh any short term problems we will be dealing with in such a fast growing area.

Alternative A:

- Appears that fewer homes and lots are affected. That's a good thing from a city perspective. Less haggling and acquisition of land.

- It also does not intersect Twyla Rd and will route traffic around Green Hope School Road to help the families living on that road today.

- However, it does cut into two pieces the acreage that was given to the town by the developers of Cary Park. While we initially were sold on the neighborhood by there being an elementary school there, to have it cut into a couple smaller pieces that wouldn't be as usable isn't the right way to go.

Alternative B:

- Cuts Twyla Rd. in two parts. Not good for the residents there and will take much effort by the town to resolve disputes during the acquisition phase.

- Less of an impact to the horse farms in the area. It is nice to be able to ride past those farms occasionally and our young son loves seeing the animals as we drive by.

- Has less of an impact on the acreage donated to the town by the Cary Park developers. This makes it more usable for the many uses that have been discussed for that property.

- Cuts several large individual properties into two smaller, less usable properties as a whole. But if those properties were combined, there are several excellent development opportunities in the area.

Alternative C:

- Skirts 4 major parcels of land thereby making the use of those parcels better for the landowner or potential developers.

- Cuts Green Hope School Rd. into two pieces. This has its benefits and disadvantages, too.

Alternative D:

- Completely utilizes existing roads. Don't bother...

General Comments:

- Green Level to Durham Rd in Cary Park - all the maps showed it as being a 2 lane road. Please make sure the engineers update that to show that it is a 4 (6 future) lane divided road.

- Put the maps that were shown on the meeting on the web (unless you've already done so since I'm sending these comments a little late).

- The Staff needs to make a recommendation to the Council to create the Master Plan for the land donated by the developers of Cary Park (Hawes Tract). This Plan should then be added to the Council and Staff's decision making process when they decide which proposed alternative will be pursued by the town. The land owners in Cary Park are very keen on knowing what will actually be developed on this property as well.

In general, my suggestion is to use Alternative B and that the town needs to make sure the town owned land in the area has a Master Plan created before making a final decision. Alternative B appeared to make the most sense for many of the landowners in the area, for traffic flow considerations in the area, and when looking at the future development of the surrounding area.

Response 7 – Thank you for your detailed comments.  The Town will consider all issues mentioned when selecting a Preferred Alternative.  Please contact the Town Planning Department at 919-469-4082 for more information related to planning for the Hawes Tract.

Comment 8 – After having reviewed the proposed plans for the Morrisville Parkway Extension on the west side of Highway 55, I would like to ask you to make a slight modification in proposal A, B, and C.  Each of these proposals run through our land and divide into two pieces.  The piece left from the southern tip of our land is a small triangle which would likely be difficult to develop. I therefore ask you to make a slight modification in the road alignment such that the south side of the road is aligned along the current southern boundary of this property.  Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Response 8 – We have looked at the possibility of revising the alternatives as requested and recommend that they remain as designed for several reasons.  The designs as currently developed minimize the number of stream crossings and cross the streams in the area at or close to perpendicular in order to minimize impacts.  The roadway centerlines have been aligned with both the human and natural environment in mind.  They provide a safe degree of curvature for the roadway while minimizing impacts to both properties and the environment.  They also provide a tangent approach to NC 55 and the connection to the section of Morrisville Parkway currently under construction.

Revisions to move the alternatives to the south as requested would impact the designs negatively for reasons noted above.  Sharper curvature would reduce the safety of the alternatives while increasing the impacts to the streams.  As noted, we will try to minimize impacts to adjacent property owners to the extent practicable.

Comment 9 – Alternative A severely impacts a number of residences along the south side of Wackena Road and also impacts Panther Creek with run-off including oil and gasoline. Panther Creek on this side (west) side of NC 55 flows into Jordan Lake, Cary’s drinking water source.

Alternative B goes through open space, though it does split Twyla Road.

Alternative C seems to join or parallel Green Hope School Road and then split away from it.  This alternative also passes largely through open space and passes the south end of Twyla Road.

Alternative D requires additional enhancement of NC 55, but then makes use of the Green Hope School Road corridor which would also be enhanced.

General, it would seem that a combination of C and D would best serve this area of Wake County.  It would allow direct continuation of Morrisville Parkway to I-540 and beyond.  It requires only a single ramp at I-540 by having Morrisville Parkway join and continue along the Green Hope School Road corridor. It seems to make the best use of the existing open space and roadways.

Response 9 – Thank you for your input.  All comments received will be considered when selecting the Preferred Alternative.

Comment 10 – After reviewing the four alternates that are the result of the study done by URS Corporation for this project I feel that Alternate "B" is my selection as the preferred alignment for the following reasons:

- It is the most direct route.

- It has the least negative impact to all property it contacts.

- It has the least environmental issues to deal with.

- As the study indicates it is the least expensive to construct.

If indeed Alternate "B" is selected for the alignment of this project I request that at the point of contact on the North West corner of property that I own be sufficient to support at least a 60 ft. right of way enabling maximum future development of this property.

Response 10 – Thank you for your input.  All comments received will be considered when selecting the preferred alternative.