The Town of Cary Land Use Plan

3. THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS

The built environment consists of the buildings, transportation system, community facilities and connecting service lines, and other structures or manmade alterations to the natural landscape. The type, placement, and appearance of these structures can profoundly influence urban form and present opportunities for, or significant constraints to, growth.

An evaluation of the built environment should not consider the Town of Cary in isolation, but should also look beyond the Town’s municipal boundaries to the built environment of adjacent areas, since what is happening in these areas also influences development within Cary. State highway construction, initiatives for a regional transit system, the proximity of major employment centers, educational centers, and an international airport each have, or will have, profound effects on Cary’s growth.

3.1 Existing Development Patterns and Development "Magnets"

Cary is very fortunate in being located at the heart of the Triangle region, with an economy highly interconnected with the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Metropolitan Area. Northern Cary borders the Research Triangle Park (RTP) and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), two major employment generators for western Wake County. The proximity of RTP and RDU places Cary in a very favorable position to receive supporting and spin-off high-technology and service industry and offices. Cary serves as a convenient residential location for many employees of businesses and industries located within or in close proximity to RTP.

The largest type of construction in Cary over the past 20 years has been residential, with the greater portion of this development coming as single-family detached housing. However, more recently there has been an upsurge in multi-family housing development and it appears likely that this type of housing will continue to provide a popular affordable housing option, particularly for younger adults and families and newcomers to Cary. In addition to residential development, Cary has also seen the development of a number of office parks, with a number of corporate headquarters choosing to locate in the Town, including the SAS Institute. Significant retail and commercial growth is also taking place, with approximately three million square feet of shopping center space approved for construction since 1970.

The Town is well-connected by Interstate Highway 40 and other major transportation arteries to other cities and towns within the Triangle, which allows Cary’s citizens access to a wider range of cultural opportunities than would otherwise be possible. These transportation arteries also provide the Town with ready access to major educational and research facilities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and North Carolina Central University and Duke University in Durham.

Significant recreational opportunities are highly accessible from Cary. The B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) multi-use facility, lies just to the west of Cary and serves as the public water source for the Town. This reservoir and the surrounding COE lands provide opportunities for swimming, boating, camping and hiking. Umstead State Park, the largest recreational facility in the area, lies just to the northeast of the Town and provides similar opportunities. Other important parks include Lake Crabtree County Park, Bond Metro Park, and Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve.

3.2 Schools

Figure 3.1 shows the locations of existing and proposed public schools in the Cary area. Twelve elementary schools, four middle schools, and three public high schools currently serve the area, with one additional school proposed in each category. Many of the existing schools are presently at or are nearing capacity; some are over capacity.

This subsection provides a brief analysis of existing school facilities and future demand in Cary. Because this is not a Community Facilities Plan, there is no detailed analysis of need versus capacity, nor is there an in-depth discussion of possible solutions for unmet needs. This section looks at two points in time. The first is 1998, to coincide with the most recent and reliable projected population figures as indicated in the 1996 Cary Growth and Development Report. The second period of time examined is at ultimate Plan "buildout," with a potential population of 234,000.³

A) Existing School Facilities

The current average building capacities, not including mobile units placed at facilities, are indicated below in Table 3.1. Also shown are the number of schools serving the Cary area. Countywide, crowding in schools has become commonplace. To deal with the tremendous growth explosion, the school district has added mobile classroom buildings to many schools and converted other schools to year-round schedules. This is a temporary measure, and the long-term solutions have not been addressed adequately. The figures in Table 3.2, below, highlight the magnitude of this problem in Cary.

Table 3.1: Schools and Capacity

Table 3.2: Mobile Classroom Buildings

B) School-Aged Population Projections:

Unfortunately, the current crowding problems will only be compounded if growth projections are realized. The anticipated 1998 school-aged population, based upon projections in the Growth and Development Report, is listed below in Table 3.3. The projected school-aged population at buildout has also been calculated (based upon the total buildout population estimates given in Chapter 4 of this Plan), and is shown in the table.

Table 3.3: Projected Town of Cary School-Aged Population

Using current average school capacities in Wake County, the number of schools Cary alone might need according to the projected student population figures can be estimated. Table 3.4 shows the projected school needs, for 1998 and at buildout of the Plan Study Area. The Wake County Board of Education estimates that 8% of school-aged children attend private schools. This is factored into the calculations for future public facility demand.

Table 3.4: Projected Numbers of Schools Required by Cary’s Student Population

^Ä Total demanded by Cary population only, based on average school capacity for existing schools in Wake County.

By comparing Table 3.1 with Table 3.4, it can be seen that within two years Cary’s student population alone will fill all of the public schools currently serving the Cary area (i.e., both the schools that serve only Cary residents, as well as the schools that serve a mix of Cary and Apex, Morrisville, or Raleigh residents). From Table 3.4, it can be seen that school needs over the long term are truly daunting. Obviously, this problem poses a serious dilemma for Cary’s long-term economic sustainability. The gap between available school facilities and the increased demand created by new residents will only grow if appropriate actions are not taken. Mechanisms to address this issue should be evaluated further when a Community Facilities Plan element is written and incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan.

3.3 Thoroughfares

The Cary thoroughfare system has been constructed through the participation of developers, the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and the Town of Cary. The Town’s Thoroughfare Plan consists of north-south arterials, such as Kildaire Farm Road and North Harrison Avenue, as well as east-west arterials, such as Walnut Street and Chatham Street. These major roads are augmented by loop thoroughfares, such as Maynard Drive and the Cary Parkway.

Development of Cary’s thoroughfare system is guided by the Town’s long-range Thoroughfare Plan. The Thoroughfare Plan is developed in cooperation with the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and with the N.C. Department of Transportation.

3.4 The Outer Wake Expressway

The proposed alignment of the Outer Wake Expressway is included on the Land Use Plan Map. The expressway will serve as a multi-lane, limited access beltway for Wake County, with the City of Raleigh as its focal point. The expressway will have a significant impact on Cary and surrounding areas, particularly the western portion of the Town and the Upper Middle Creek Study Area. The impacts to Cary will be most profound at two proposed interchanges, one to the northwest at N.C. 55 and the other to the west at Green Level Road. At these locations, there will be considerable incentive for commercial and office development. The expressway will also form a physical, and possibly psychological, barrier that may negatively impact connectivity between the eastern and western portions of the Town. The Town should work with NCDOT to ensure that adequate connections for roadways, greenways, pedestrian paths, and other transportation routes are provided between the areas on the western and eastern sides of the expressway, via under- and overpasses and other crossovers. In addition, the Town should consider working to ensure that NCDOT provides adequate noise attenuation for neighborhoods near the expressway.

The impacts of the expressway within the Upper Middle Creek Study Area may also be significant. Land in this area is rapidly converting from farmland to large-lot single-family residential development. As land becomes more scarce, the incentive for more intensive residential and nonresidential development will increase. Construction of the outer loop is likely to increase pressure to develop the region more intensely. Unmanaged development could have negative water quality impacts on the Neuse River, into which Middle Creek flows. In addition, increased development in the area will overburden the rural road system currently in place, causing increased commute times. Impacts are likely to be most pronounced near the proposed interchanges at Holly Springs Road and Bells Lake Road.

3.5 Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) Proposed Regional Transit Plan

The TTA regional transit plan proposes development of a heavy-rail transit system that will connect urban and employment centers within the Triangle area. As presently configured this plan calls for development of one transit station in downtown Cary. Other nearby transit stations have been proposed for Morrisville, near the Morrisville Parkway and N.C. 54, and in Raleigh, on Chapel Hill Road (N.C. 54), just inside the interchange with I-40. The locations of proposed stations are indicated on the Land Use Plan Map. Development of this system may ease congestion on some Cary entranceways, including North Harrison Avenue, N.C. 54, N.C. 55, and Davis Drive, by providing citizens with an alternate method of getting to and from work.

3.6 Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)

Located on the northern edge of Cary, RDU presents both opportunities and constraints to Cary’s growth. The airport opened in 1943 and today occupies approximately 5,000 acres. At present, it has two major runways oriented northeast-southwest with lengths of 10,000 feet and 7,500 feet, respectively, and a smaller runway that is occasionally used by small, propeller driven airplanes. A third major runway, planned just to the west of the existing runways, is part of the long-range plan for the facility. The airport serves as a major employer in the area, providing approximately 4,500 jobs. The estimated economic impact for the region amounts to approximately one billion dollars annually.

Approximately 40 percent of the landings at RDU approach the airport from the southwest, over northwest Cary and Morrisville, while 60 percent of departures fly over the same area. As a result, the noise levels encountered north of Morrisville-Carpenter Road and east of the proposed Outer Wake Expressway, commonly exceeding 60 LDN⁴, establish constraints on land use in that area (See Figure 3.2).

3.7 Historic Resources

The Town of Cary and the surrounding region possess a large number of historically significant structures. Due to the rapid pace of development, the potential for losing these resources is heightened -- losses that could diminish the Town’s character and appearance. The more significant resources within the Town’s jurisdiction and surrounding study areas are identified in the following list, derived from The Historic Architecture of Wake County, by Kelly A. Lally. It should be noted that the resources identified below, excepting the Page-Walker Hotel, are on the Study List for the National Register of Historic Places. The Page-Walker Hotel is on the National Register.

A detailed discussion of these resources is included in Cary’s Natural and Historic Resources, an internal staff document prepared as background material for the Land Use Plan. Although recommendations on historic preservation are beyond the scope of the Land Use Plan, the proposed Natural and Historic Resources Element of the Comprehensive Plan will make recommendations for preserving historic structures and sites. Figure 3.3 provides the location of each identified resource. Please note that the numbers in the list correspond to the numbers used to identify locations in Figure 3.3.

Old Central Business District

(1) Page-Walker Hotel
(2) Captain Harrison P. Guess House
(3) Ivey-Ellington House

Carpenter Community

(4) Carpenter’s Farm Supply
(5) Carpenter Store
(6) Horton-Upchurch Farm

Green Level Community

(7) Alois Mills House and Store
(8) Bartley Yates Farm
(9) Green Level Baptist Church
(10) Williams Farm

Resources not located in historic districts

(11) WPTF Radio Transmitter Building
(12) G.H. Baucom House
(13) Nancy Jones House
(14) Oak Grove Baptist Church

Middle Creek Study Area

(15) Utley-Council House
(16) William Pierce House