The Town of Cary Land Use Plan

6.0 PLAN CONCEPTS AND LAND USE DEFINITIONS

This chapter explains and defines each of the land use designations, or categories, used on the Land Use Plan Map, and provides criteria that describe the vision, characteristics, and criteria for each land use category. The emphasis in this chapter is on defining the form, function and allowed uses and mixing of uses for each land use category, as well as providing general criteria for locating and siting these land use elements or their components. The Town recognizes that some of the criteria given in this chapter may not be applicable or practicable in all cases. In addition, the Town welcomes creative development that differs from the criteria outlined in this chapter, if the general spirit and intent of the criteria are met.

In order to fully grasp the vision for each of the Plan’s land use categories, one must also be aware of the design vision that should guide the built form for each of the land use categories, which is a central feature of this Plan. The design vision for development in Cary is discussed in Chapter 7.

The land uses fall into six major categories:

• Activity Centers: Neighborhood, Community, and Regional Activity Centers
• Office Parks and Office & Industrial Parks
• Nonresidential Uses not in Activity Centers or Office/Industrial Parks: Commercial, Office/Institutional, and Office/Industrial
• Residential Elements: Very Low-, Low-, Medium-, and High-Density Residential, and Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND)
• Parks, Greenways, Conservation Corridors, and Open Spaces
• Special Opportunity Sites (SOS)

Outline of the Chapter:

The first section of the chapter explains the urban model upon which the Plan is based, so that one understands the rationale for each of the land use elements described in the subsequent sections, especially the concept of activity centers. Each of the next six sections describe the land uses for one of the six major land use categories (given in the list above). The final section describes a Plan element called a Major Employment Center, which is a conceptual element not specifically designated on the Plan Map.

6.1 The Urban Model: Neighborhoods, Communities, and Regions

The Land Use Plan for Cary is based on an urban model in which small pieces, or neighborhoods, fit together to form medium-sized pieces, or communities, and adjoining communities are fitted together to form regions. These pieces of the Plan -- neighborhoods, communities, and regions -- are defined below:

The Neighborhood:

Neighborhoods are contiguous areas, usually containing approximately 600 to 1,500 dwellings, or about 1,500 to 3,500 people.²⁵ Neighborhoods consist not only of homes, but also the parks, streets, shops, schools, and other land uses that occur within their boundaries. The size of a neighborhood is not set arbitrarily at 600 - 1,500 homes. Rather, it is based on the observation that a population of this size is needed to support so-called "first tier" public and private facilities, such as grocery stores, drug stores, service stations, neighborhood parks, daycare centers, places of worship, and in some cases, elementary schools.

Generally, neighborhood boundaries are defined by roadway arterials surrounding the neighborhood, or by a combination of arterials and through secondary²⁶ roads. In some cases, boundaries may also be defined by geographic or topographic features, such as streams, gullies, or hills. Ideally, neighborhoods are designed so that no home is more than approximately one-half mile from the center of the neighborhood. The neighborhood concept is illustrated in Figure 6.1.

The Community:

The next larger piece used in our model of Cary is the community. A community is a collection of approximately 3-5 adjacent neighborhoods, with a total population of about 10,000 to 20,000 people, or about 2,000 to 7,000 dwellings. This population range for a community is based on analysis that demonstrates that a population of approximately 10,000 to 20,000 is needed to support "second tier" public and private facilities -- facilities that are required less often than on a daily basis. "Second-tier" facilities include very large supermarkets, specialty stores, large discount stores (e.g., K-Mart), community parks, large-sized places of worship, and often, middle schools. Communities are also large enough to support specialty medical offices, legal firms, mid-sized employers, community libraries, and fire stations. Confirming the population range for a community, the market in Cary tends to establish community-sized shopping centers and facilities to serve exactly this range of population and housing.²⁷ The community concept is illustrated in Figure 6.1.

The Region:

The largest piece used in our model is the region. A region is made up of a collection of adjacent communities, providing a total population of approximately 80,000 to 150,000 people. The region concept is very useful for planning purposes, but can be difficult to apply in the Triangle area with clarity because, in several instances, regions overlap municipal boundaries. Regions include the population needed to support "third tier" public and private facilities, which include regional shopping malls, very large employers, large home-supply and building stores, high schools, certain private schools, community colleges, large civic recreation centers, regional parks, and hospitals. The region concept is illustrated in Figure 6.1.

6.2 Activity Centers

Activity Centers are the most critical elements of the Land Use Plan. The concept and definition of activity centers is based on the urban model concept of neighborhoods, communities, and regions, as described in the preceding subsection.

Neighborhoods, communities and regions are each centered or organized around focus areas, which contain the shopping, services, recreation, and office and institutional facilities needed to support the neighborhood, community, or region, respectively. These focus areas are surrounded by support areas, which include the highest-density housing within the neighborhood, community, or region, with housing densities progressively decreasing outward from the focus areas. Focus areas, with their surrounding support areas, are called activity centers. (See Figure 6.2) There are therefore three different types of activity centers -- neighborhood activity centers, community activity centers, and regional activity centers.

These three different types of activity centers are similar in spatial arrangement and function, but vary in terms of their scale and intensity. Regional activity centers are larger and more intense than community activity centers, and community activity centers are larger and more intense than neighborhood activity centers. Essentially, activity centers are "compact village centers" which can occur in three different sizes -- small (neighborhood), medium (community), or large (regional).

Activity centers are physically and aesthetically unified areas, where all elements and land uses are designed to function as an integrated whole (rather than as a series of unconnected, unrelated developments). The diverse facilities of the focus area are located in close proximity to one another, so that all essential facilities for the community are concentrated in one convenient location. Housing in the support area needs to be physically linked with the focus area in order to facilitate pedestrian movement between the two areas. (See Figure 6.3)

It is not anticipated or expected that an entire activity center will be built as a single development, under a single owner or developer, or that all the components of an activity center will be built at the same time. The intent is that the uses and characteristics that typify activity centers (as described in this chapter) will be embodied by each component of the activity center as it is built, so that ultimately all of the diverse components will work and function as an integrated and complete activity center.

Activity centers include both the focus area (the commercial, institutional, and office core) and the surrounding support area (with high and medium-density residential). The support area is critical because it provides the concentrated population necessary to support both the focus area and possible future transit stops, and it serves as a buffer between the more intense uses of the focus area and the lower-density residential uses of the surrounding neighborhood.

Furthermore, support areas provide context and community for higher density housing. Under the conventional suburban development model, higher-density uses, such as apartments, condominiums, and townhouses have been located in large self-contained developments having little physical connection to the surrounding community. Residents of these developments have often been unable to walk to shops and businesses, and must rely on automotive means to make daily necessity trips. Thus, life in such developments has often conferred on their residents the disadvantages of high-density living without any of the advantages possible under a different high-density model. The advantages offered by the activity center and support area model are the pedestrian-oriented nature of the activity center, the sense of community offered by a highly connected street layout, and the convenient proximity to shopping, services, daycare, and parks. Finally, this model minimizes automotive trips on arterial streets, thereby reducing traffic and congestion and saving the Town road expense.

A more intense activity center can fulfill the functions of a less intense activity center as well. That is, a community activity center, in addition to functioning as a community activity center, may also function as the neighborhood activity center for the adjacent neighborhood. Similarly, a regional activity center may function as a community activity center for the surrounding community, and/or as a neighborhood activity center for the surrounding neighborhood. And, a neighborhood, community, or regional activity center can serve as the focus area for an office/industrial park.

This does not mean that it is possible that every neighborhood could have either a regional or community activity center in place of a neighborhood activity center. Community activity centers have much larger service populations than neighborhood activity centers, and the town will, by definition, have fewer community activity centers than neighborhood activity centers. Similarly, regional activity centers have much larger service populations than community activity centers, and the town will, therefore, have fewer regional activity centers than community activity centers.

There may be cases in which two small neighborhoods are served by a single neighborhood activity center. For example, if the housing densities and numbers of dwellings in two adjoining neighborhoods are very low, the market might not exist for separate neighborhood centers for each neighborhood. However the two neighborhoods taken together might support one center.

The purpose and function of each of type of activity center is summarized below:

Neighborhood Activity Centers (NAC):

The focus area portion of a neighborhood activity center contains facilities vital to the day-to-day activity of the neighborhood. Thus, the central focus area might contain a grocery store, drug store, service station, church or synagogue, daycare, limited office space, and small park. These diverse facilities are ideally located in close proximity to one another in the focus area, so that all the essential facilities for the neighborhood are located in one convenient location, accessible in a single stop.

The support area part of a the neighborhood activity center, which surrounds the activity center’s focus area, contains the neighborhood’s highest-density housing. This design enables the highest concentration of population within the neighborhood to access the focus area via a short walk, thus reducing the number of automotive trips for daily shopping needs. This arrangement also provides a concentration of population sufficient to support future transit services, with a single transit stop serving the shops and services in the focus area and adjacent higher-density housing in the support area.

Ideally, neighborhood activity centers are located at the center of a neighborhood. However, in many cases it is difficult to achieve this central placement. In such cases, the neighborhood model takes on a slightly different arrangement, with the activity center moved to the periphery of, but still within, the neighborhood. This arrangement has a disadvantage, since half of the residents within the neighborhood must make longer trips to reach the activity center. However, moving the activity center to the periphery also provides advantages, as pass-by activity center traffic (visitors/customers to the activity center that do not live in the neighborhood) does not have to enter the neighborhood and merchants may be placed closer to arterial traffic.

Community Activity Centers (CAC):

The focus area portion of a community activity center contains the shopping, services, recreation, employment, and institutional facilities that are required and supported by the surrounding community (using our definition of a community). Thus, a community focus area could contain a large supermarket, large drug store, large chain retail/discount store (e.g., Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Best Buy, etc.), specialty shops, service stations, one or more large places of worship, a community park, mid-size offices and employers, and perhaps an elementary or middle school. A community focus area may also serve as the neighborhood focus area for the neighborhood(s) immediately adjacent to the community focus area. The community focus area is therefore considerably larger and more diverse in its land uses than is a neighborhood focus area.

As with neighborhood activity centers, the focus area of a community activity center is surrounded by the activity center’s support area, containing the community’s highest-density housing, with housing densities declining outward from the focus area. Housing densities in the support area tend to be higher than those in a neighborhood activity center’s support area.

Regional Activity Centers (RAC):

For a regional activity center, its focus area contains the shopping, services, recreation, employment, and institutional facilities supported by and serving an entire region. Thus, a regional focus area could include a regional shopping mall, a number of major employers, restaurant and entertainment facilities, and a large high school or community college. A regional focus area may also serve as the neighborhood or community focus area for the neighborhood(s) or community(s) immediately adjacent to the regional focus area. The regional focus area is therefore considerably larger and more diverse in its land uses than is a community focus area.

As with neighborhood and community activity centers, the focus area for a regional activity center is surrounded by the activity center’s support area, containing the region’s highest-density housing, with housing densities declining outward from the focus area. Housing densities in the support area tend to be higher than those in neighborhood and community activity centers’ support areas. A regional activity center’s support area is larger and more dense than a community activity center’s support area.

6.2.1 General Criteria for All Activity Centers

This subsection describes criteria and characteristics which are common to all three types of activity centers.

Type and Mix of Land Uses:

• Activity center focus areas should include a mix of land uses: commercial, office, institutional, mixed-use residential, and possibly high-density residential.
• An activity center focus area should have a certain minimal amount of land use mixing (e.g., commercial, office, institutional, and higher-density residential). The presence of a single usage type in an entire focus area (e.g., commercial), does not meet the criteria for an activity center.
• Each activity center should incorporate some amount of formal outdoor space for public use, such as a formal park, village green, or plaza, as focal points for public interaction. Larger activity centers should include more such space than smaller centers, and may break them up into two or more outdoor spaces.
• Different land uses or activities may be placed adjacent to one another, or on different floors of the same building. Such mixing of land uses encourages a compact and pedestrian-oriented center.
• An activity center has a support area consisting of medium and higher density housing.
• Restaurants, cafes, and other dining and entertainment uses are encouraged within the focus area, to bring vibrancy and human interaction to the activity center.

Transit Access:

• The activity center’s physical layout should include a location for a [future] local transit stop.

6.2.2 Criteria Specific to Neighborhood Activity Centers

Type and Mix of Land Uses:

• The focus area should include a mix of commercial, office, institutional, and possibly residential uses. The commercial and institutional uses support the common day-to-day demands of the surrounding neighborhood for goods, services, and facilities. The activity center may also supply limited local office space demanded by neighborhood businesses. Some high-density residential uses may also be present in the focus area, as well as mixed-use residential uses, such as dwellings over shops. Examples of focus area land uses include:

• Commercial uses usually dominate a neighborhood focus area. A grocery store is an essential element of the focus area, and should generally be the principal establishment.
• Uses that should be avoided in a neighborhood activity center include:

• uses considered noxious when located next to a residential neighborhood
• large retailers, discount stores
• warehousing, manufacturing, and other industrial uses
• large employers
• establishments that do not [primarily] serve the surrounding neighborhood

Locational Criteria:

Neighborhood activity centers are located and arranged according to the following guidelines:

Site Area and Development Size and Intensity:

The size of a neighborhood activity center, and the allocation of land area and building space between different uses in the activity center, should fall around these ranges:

The data in the table above are based not only on current development literature, but also on the actual observed characteristics of existing shopping centers in Cary. This is also true for the corresponding tables for community and regional activity centers, in Sections 6.2.3 and 6.2.4. A listing of the total acreage, square footage, and other characteristics of each of Cary’s existing shopping centers is given in Appendix B.

• Residential densities in the focus area or portions of the support area adjacent to it should be between about 8 to 16 units/acre.³⁷ These density ranges are generally appropriate for townhouses or low rise apartments. Sensitive designs which tuck parking under or to the rear of multifamily units may make higher densities feasible, without compromising the neighborhood density "feel." Densities in the support area should transition to between 4 - 8 units/acre at the outer edge of the support area -- appropriate for patio homes, duplexes, and small lot single-family homes.

Location of Focus and Support Areas about the Quadrants of an Intersection:

Neighborhood activity centers are generally sited on the Growth Plan Map in one of three types of locations:

1. at the intersection of two arterial roadways
2. at the intersection of an arterial roadway and a through secondary roadway (or at the intersection of two through secondary roadways)
3. mid-block along an arterial, not at an intersection

The manner in which a neighborhood activity center’s focus and support areas should be arranged about an intersection or roadway, for each of the above three types of locations, are as follows:

1. If the focus area is located at the intersection of two arterial thoroughfares, then the focus area should not occupy more than one quadrant of the intersection.³⁸ As much of the support area as possible should be located on the same quadrant as the focus area, so that support area residents do not have to cross an arterial to reach the focus area. However, portions of the support area may also occupy one or more of the other quadrants of the intersection. The siting of support area elements on quadrants diagonally opposite the focus area should be avoided, as that location forces residents to cross two arterials to access the focus area. (See Fig. 6.4)
   
2. If a neighborhood activity center is located at the intersection of an arterial thoroughfare and a through secondary road, or at the intersection of two through secondary roads, then the focus area should be contained entirely on one side of any arterial, but may be split across secondary roads to a maximum of two quadrants, if the secondary road(s) have no more than two or three lanes or have posted speeds of 30-35 mph or less. As much of the support area as possible should be located on the same quadrant(s) as the elements of the focus area (or at least on the same side of the arterial), so that support area residents do not have to cross a major road to reach the focus area. However, portions of the support area may also occupy one or more of the other quadrants on the opposite side of the arterial. (See Fig. 6.4)
   
3. If a neighborhood activity center is located mid-block along an arterial, and not at an intersection, then the focus area should be contained entirely on one side of the arterial. As much of the support area as possible should be located on the same side of the arterial as the focus area, so that support area residents do not have to cross a major road to reach the focus area. However, portions of the support area may also occupy the opposite side of the arterial. (See Fig. 6.5)

Guidelines for Locating other Uses, Aside from the Focus and Support Areas, about the [Remaining] Quadrants of the Intersection:

A) Other Commercial Uses:

The bulk of a neighborhood activity center’s commercial land uses, including the neighborhood shopping center, should be located in the focus area. However, a limited amount of commercial space may also be located outside of the focus area, on one of the other quadrants of the intersection or sides of the arterial, subject to the following guidelines:

• They should not be located on any more than one quadrant of the intersection, in addition to the focus area;
• Their total area should not exceed about 1-2 acres;
• They should not include a shopping center (the shopping center belongs in the focus area);
• They should typically accommodate commercial services intended to serve pass-by traffic traveling in the opposite direction [from the traffic on the same side of the road as the focus area], such as a service station or car wash, or a second bank or drive-through restaurant (where the first bank/drive-through is in the focus area).

B) Other Office and Institutional Uses:

While a significant portion of a neighborhood activity center’s office and institutional land uses should be located in the focus area, some office and institutional space may also be located outside of the focus area, on the other quadrants of the intersection or sides of the arterial. For example, a quadrant outside the focus area might contain a school or place of worship (although at least one place of worship would be best placed in the focus area, capitalizing on opportunities for shared parking areas), or a small office building. Office uses on quadrants outside of the focus area should generally not cause the total office acreage and floorspace for the activity center as a whole to exceed the office acreage and floorspace ranges given for the focus area, under Site Area and Development Size and Intensity, above.

C) Other Residential Uses:

Lower-density residential uses may also be placed on one or two of the quadrants outside of the focus area, preferably buffered by a berm or wall from intersection noise and views. In general, this should only be done if sufficient amounts of high- and medium-density housing have already been provided for in other quadrants of the activity center.

Other Siting Considerations:

• At least one access point to the activity center should be from a through secondary street, or from an arterial.
• Trips made from the surrounding residential neighborhood(s) to the activity center should be possible without requiring travel along a major thoroughfare or arterial.

6.2.3 Criteria Specific to Community Activity Centers

Type and Mix of Land Uses:

• A community activity center includes both the typical mix of commercial, office, and institutional uses and facilities offered by a neighborhood activity center, as well as commercial and institutional uses that provide goods, services, and facilities which are demanded less frequently than on a daily basis by the surrounding community (i.e., a collection of 3-5 neighborhoods), or which are possible only with the critical mass of population provided by an entire community. The activity center also supplies moderate amounts of office space demanded by community businesses. Some high-density residential uses may also be present in the focus area, as well as mixed-use residential uses, such as dwellings over shops. Examples of focus area land uses are listed below:³⁹

• The principal commercial establishments will likely be a very large supermarket together with at least one other large community-sized retailer, such as a large discount store or movie theater. A grocery store is an essential feature of the focus area.
• Uses which should be avoided in a community activity center include:

• any uses which would be considered noxious when located next to a residential neighborhood
• warehousing, manufacturing, and other industrial uses

Locational Criteria:

Community activity centers are located and arranged according to the following guidelines:

Site Area and Development Size and Intensity:

• The size of a community activity center, and the allocation of land area and building space between different uses in the activity center, should fall around these ranges:

• Residential densities in the focus area or portions of the support area adjacent to it should be between about 12 to 25 units/acre. These density ranges are appropriate for urban townhouses and low- and mid-rise apartments. Sensitive designs which tuck parking under or to the rear of multifamily units may make higher densities feasible, without compromising the community density "feel." Densities in the support area should transition to between 4 - 8 units/acre at the outer edge of the support area -- appropriate for patio homes, duplexes, and small lot single-family homes.

Location of Focus and Support Areas about the Quadrants of an Intersection:

Community activity centers are generally sited on the Growth Plan Map in one of three types of locations:

1. at the intersection of two arterial roadways
2. at the intersection of an arterial roadway and a through secondary roadway (or at the intersection of two through secondary roadways)
3. mid-block along an arterial, not at an intersection

The manner in which a community activity center’s focus and support areas should be arranged about an intersection or roadway, for each of the above three types of locations, are as follows:

1. If the focus area is located at the intersection of two arterial thoroughfares, then the focus area should not occupy more than two quadrants of the intersection (and preferably not located diagonally from one another). As much of the support area as possible should be located on the same quadrant(s) as the elements of the focus area, so that only a minimal number of support area residents will need to cross an arterial to reach the focus area. However, portions of the support area may also occupy one or more of the other quadrants of the intersection. If the focus area occupies a single quadrant, then one should avoid siting elements of the support area on the quadrant diagonally opposite the focus area, as that location forces residents to cross two arterials to access the focus area. (See Fig. 6.6)
   
2. If a community activity center is located at the intersection of an arterial thoroughfare and a through secondary road, or at the intersection of two through secondary roads, then the focus area should not occupy more than two quadrants of the intersection. The two focus area quadrants should be on the same side of any arterial, to facilitate pedestrian crossings between the two quadrants. Also, as much of the support area as possible should be located on the same quadrant(s) as the elements of the focus area (or at least on the same side of the arterial), so that support area residents do not have to cross a major road to reach the focus area. However, portions of the support area may also occupy one or more of the other quadrants. (See Fig. 6.6)
   
3. If a community activity center is located mid-block along an arterial, and not at an intersection, then the focus area may occupy either or both sides of the arterial. Ideally, the focus area should be contained entirely on one side of the arterial, to minimize pedestrian crossings of the arterial, with as much as possible of the support area located on the same side of the arterial as the focus area, so that support area residents do not have to cross a major road to reach the focus area. (See Fig. 6.7)

Guidelines for Locating other Uses, Aside from the Focus and Support Areas, about the [Remaining] Quadrants of the Intersection:

A) Other Office and Institutional Uses:

While a significant portion of a community activity center’s office and institutional land uses should be located in the focus area, some office and institutional space may also be located outside of the focus area, on the other quadrants of the intersection or sides of the arterial. For example, a quadrant outside the focus area might contain a school or place of worship (although at least one place of worship would be best placed in the focus area, capitalizing on opportunities for shared parking areas), or an office building. Office uses on quadrants outside of the focus area should generally not cause the total office acreage and floorspace for the activity center as a whole to exceed the office acreage and floorspace ranges given for the focus area, under Site Area and Development Size and Intensity, above.

B) Other Residential Uses:

Lower-density residential uses may also be placed on one or two of the quadrants outside of the focus area, preferably buffered by a berm or wall from intersection noise and views. In general, this should only be done if sufficient amounts of high- and medium-density housing have already been provided for in other quadrants of the activity center.

Other Siting Considerations:

• A community activity center should have direct access to an arterial road and to the local secondary road network.
• Trips made from the surrounding residential neighborhood(s) to the activity center should be possible without requiring travel along a major thoroughfare or arterial.

6.2.4 Criteria Specific to Regional Activity Centers

Type and Mix of Land Uses:

• The nonresidential elements of a regional activity center are intended to provide goods, services, and facilities which are demanded less frequently than on a daily basis by the surrounding region (i.e., a collection of communities, having a total population around 80,000-150,000), or which are possible only with the critical mass of population provided by an entire region. The focus area also supplies large amounts of regional office space, plus high-density residential uses and apartments over shops. A regional focus area may also include uses typical of both neighborhood and community focus areas, since it may also serve as the neighborhood focus area for the immediately surrounding neighborhood, and the community focus area for the immediately surrounding community. Examples of focus area land uses are listed below:⁴⁸

• Office and residential uses are more dominant in a regional focus area (as a percentage of total floorspace or acreage) than in a community focus area, since a regional focus area contains a larger amount of office and residential space. The principal commercial establishment will likely be a large regional shopping mall or traditional commercial district.
• Uses which should be avoided in a regional activity center include:

• any uses which would be considered noxious when located next to high or medium-density residential areas
• warehousing, manufacturing, and other industrial uses

Locational Criteria:

Regional activity centers are located and arranged according to the following guidelines:

Site Area and Development Size and Intensity:

The size of a regional activity center, and the allocation of land area and building space between different uses in the activity center, should fall around these ranges:

• A regional focus area has a more diverse and intense mixing of land uses than either a community or neighborhood activity center. A certain threshold amount of land use mixing (i.e., commercial, office, institutional, and residential) is present in a regional focus area. Commercial, office, and [high-density] residential uses, at a minimum, should all be represented in the focus area.
  
• Residential densities in the focus area or portions of the support area adjacent to it should be between about 16 to 30 units/acre. These density ranges are appropriate for apartment or condominium buildings. Sensitive designs which tuck parking under or to the rear of multifamily units may make higher densities feasible, without compromising the regional density "feel." Densities in the support area should transition to between 4 - 8 units/acre at the outer edge of the support area -- appropriate for patio homes, duplexes, and small lot single-family homes.

Location of Focus and Support Areas about the Quadrants of an Intersection:

Regional activity centers are generally sited on the Growth Plan Map at the intersection of two arterial roadways, or at a freeway interchange with an arterial. The focus area should not occupy more than three quadrants of the intersection. As much of the support area as possible should be located on the same quadrant(s) with focus area elements, so that only a minimal number of support area residents will need to cross an arterial or freeway to reach part of the focus area. However, portions of the support area may also occupy one or more of the other quadrants of the intersection. (See Fig. 6.8)

Guidelines for Locating other Uses, Aside from the Focus and Support Areas, about the [Remaining] Quadrants of the Intersection:

A) Other Office and Institutional Uses:

While a significant portion of a regional activity center’s office and institutional land uses should be located in the focus area, some office and institutional space may also be located outside of the focus area, on the other quadrants of the intersection. For example, a quadrant outside the focus area might contain a school or place of worship (although at least one place of worship would be best placed in the focus area, capitalizing on opportunities for shared parking areas), or an office building. Office uses on quadrants outside of the focus area should generally not cause the total office acreage and floorspace for the activity center as a whole to exceed the office acreage and floorspace ranges given for the focus area, under Site Area and Development Size and Intensity, above.

Other Siting Considerations:

• The high- and medium-density housing of the support area should be arranged so that most support area residents do not have to cross an arterial to reach a portion of the focus area.
• If two or more quadrants are used, then they should all be connected by pedestrian walkways and each quadrant should ideally be surrounded by portions of the residential support area.
• Direct access to the activity center should be provided from at least two arterials.
• In addition to arterial access, it is desirable to have one or more through secondary streets serve the site.
• Depending on site configuration and community context, the site may require access to an arterial that provides a direct path to an interchange with a controlled-access freeway, within 1-3 miles.
• Trips made from the surrounding/adjacent residential neighborhood(s), into the activity center, should be possible without requiring travel along a major thoroughfare or arterial

6.3 Office Parks and Office/Industrial Parks

While neighborhood, community, and regional activity centers can accommodate substantial amounts of employment, they cannot and should not accommodate sites for all types of employment. The primary focus of neighborhood and community activity centers is to provide goods, services, and facilities in support of their surrounding neighborhood and community, respectively. Thus, the types of employment offered in these two types of activity centers are largely commercial and office, and the total amount of office space available in these two types of activity centers may not be sufficient for larger firms. Although regional activity centers are quite large, and may offer substantial amounts of office space, there often are not enough of them to accommodate all of a town’s employment needs. For example, only one additional regional activity center is envisioned for Cary in the Growth Plan, in addition to Cary’s two existing regional focus areas -- the Cary Towne Center Mall area and the Crossroads Plaza area. It is unlikely that the addition of one or even two regional activity centers will be sufficient to accommodate Cary’s employment growth over the next twenty years.

Neighborhood, community, and regional activity centers are also not intended to provide industrial space. Industrial uses tend to require larger amounts of land, and tend to defeat the small-town, compact, pedestrian orientation envisioned for neighborhood, community, and regional activity centers. Industrial uses are also often incompatible with the residential, office, and commercial uses within a neighborhood, community, or regional activity center. Thus, this Plan includes the land use categories of Office Parks and Office/Industrial Parks to accommodate additional office and industrial growth, outside of activity centers.

Office Parks and Office/Industrial Parks are planned concentrations of office and industrial development, having interconnected internal road networks and shared open spaces. The individual buildings are sited so that they relate well to one another, and are of compatible design and materials. Office & Industrial Parks can contain either office or industrial uses, or both, while Office Parks are primarily for office uses. Aside from that distinction, Office & Industrial Parks and Office Parks are very similar in form and characteristics. Examples of Office & Industrial Parks include Kitty Hawk Executive Park near RDU and the Weston PUD, while examples of Office Parks include the SAS campus and Regency Park. Typical industrial uses for Office & Industrial Parks include warehousing, mini-storage, trans-shipment facilities, building trades offices and facilities, and light manufacturing and assembling. Typical office uses for both types of centers include large- and mid-sized corporate offices, as well as office space for smaller firms, office condominiums, and so forth.

Large office/office&industrial parks may also contain a limited amount of commercial space, concentrated into a central focus area. These commercial uses supply goods and services required by the firms located in the office/office&industrial park, such as office supplies, reproduction services, and dining establishments. If an office/office&industrial park is sited next to a neighborhood or community activity center, then that activity center may also serve as the focus area for the office/office&industrial park.

Institutional uses may also be provided in [the focus area of] an office/office&industrial park, but should be limited to those institutional uses that would not better serve the community by being located in either a neighborhood, community, or regional activity center.

6.3.1 Office & Industrial Park and Office Park Criteria

Type and Mix of Land Uses

• With the exception of a possible [commercial] focus area, Office & Industrial Parks should contain only office and/or industrial uses, and Office Parks should contain only office uses.
• A limited amount of commercial, institutional, and service space may be provided in a focus area, in order to provide those goods and services required on a regular basis by firms located in the office/industrial park, such as office supplies, reproduction services, eating establishments, and so forth.
• The focus area (if any) should incorporate some amount of formal outdoor space for public use, such as a formal park or plaza, as one of the focal points for public interaction.
• Different land uses or activities may be placed adjacent to one another, or on different floors of the same building. Such mixing of land uses encourages a compact and pedestrian-oriented office/industrial park.
• Examples of focus area land uses are listed below:

• There need not be a residential support area surrounding the focus area of an office/industrial park, although one may be provided.
• Uses which should be avoided throughout an office/industrial park include:

• most institutional uses (see above comments)
• heavy industry, smokestack industry
• industries generating appreciable amounts of pollution, or any amounts that would be noxious to nearby residential areas
• forestry and agriculture

• Uses which should be avoided in the focus area of an office/industrial park (in addition to the uses to be avoided for the park as a whole) include:

• supermarkets
• large discount stores and other large retailers
• establishments which don’t directly serve the business and employee needs of the office/industrial park.

Site Area and Development Size

• The size of an office/industrial park should fall around these ranges:

Locational Criteria and Service Area

• If an office/industrial park has a commercial focus area, then the focus area should meet the same locational criteria as for a neighborhood activity center (see Subsection 6.2.2), except that there is no support area.

Office/Industrial Park Site Layout

• If the office/industrial park has a commercial focus area, then the focus area should meet the same criteria for site layout around the quadrants of an intersection as are given for a neighborhood activity center’s focus area (see Subsection 6.2.2).

Other Siting Considerations:

• At least one access point to the office/industrial park should be from an arterial.
• Access to individual sites within the office/industrial park should generally be from secondary/local roads within the office/industrial park. Access points from arterials to individual internal sites should be kept to a minimum.

Transit Access:

• The office/industrial park should include a location for a [future] local transit stop, preferably in the park’s commercial focus area, if one exists.

6.4 Nonresidential Uses Not in Activity Centers or Office/Industrial Parks: Commercial, Office/Institutional, and Office/Industrial

This Plan envisions that most nonresidential uses will be located in neighborhood, community, or regional activity centers, or office & industrial parks, or office parks. However, not all nonresidential uses are appropriate for activity centers or office/industrial parks. For example, a veterinary clinic, although a commercial use, may not be appropriate for an activity center, due to levels of animal noise and perhaps the outdoor space needed for kennel runs. Also, not all arterial intersections are designated to have activity centers, and residential uses may not be viable on all quadrants of such intersections.

This Plan addresses these problems in three ways. First, this subsection defines three nonresidential land use categories in order to designate additional nonresidential areas on the Growth Plan Map, outside of activity centers. These categories are used to designate appropriate uses for the sizable number of small undeveloped "infill areas" in Cary (pockets of undeveloped land surrounded by developed land) that are appropriate for nonresidential development, and for the undeveloped portions of some partially-built activity centers.

Second, this Plan acknowledges that it is nearly impossible to pre-select appropriate sites on the Growth Plan Map for the full range of the mostly small-scale nonresidential uses (especially commercial ones) that don’t logically belong in activity centers. Rather than attempt to map sites for all such uses, this Plan recommends that such uses simply be sited in accord with the general spirit and intent of the Plan, subject to the design guidelines of Chapter 7.

Third, this subsection provides for limited nonresidential uses at arterial intersections that are not designated as activity centers. (The specific provisions are given below in 6.4.1.)

The three nonresidential use categories, outside of activity centers, are defined as follows:

• Commercial [Outside of Activity Center]:
  This classification includes commercial, office, and institutional uses.
• Office & Institutional [Outside of Activity Center]:
  This classification includes office and institutional uses.
• Office & Industrial [Outside of Activity Center]:
  This classification includes office and light industrial uses.

6.4.1 Criteria for Nonresidential Uses Not in Activity Centers or Office/Industrial Parks

Type and Mix of Land Uses

• Uses that should be avoided include:

• Any uses considered noxious when located next to the adjacent or nearby properties and land uses
• Any uses generating appreciable amounts of pollution
• "neighborhood" types of institutional uses such as neighborhood-sized libraries, parks, places of worship, and primary schools, which ideally should be located in activity centers

• Schools, churches and other places of worship are included in the office/institutional land use category. However, this Plan does not support the conversion of sites used for schools or places of worship to other office/institutional uses when they are outside of activity centers or office/industrial parks. The Plan supports the conversion of such sites to other land uses only when the proposed use is compatible with adjoining land uses, the spirit of the Plan, the criteria set forth in this chapter, and is supported by the existing zoning.

Other Locational Considerations

• At arterial intersections that are not designated for activity centers (as shown on the Growth Plan Map), small amounts of non-residential uses may be allowed, subject to the following guidelines:

• Residential uses are unviable on the quadrant(s) to be converted to nonresidential uses, due to traffic, noise, pollution, or other impacts from the intersection.
• No more than a few acres should generally be used for nonresidential purposes on each of the intersection quadrants, unless otherwise indicated on the Growth Plan Map.
• Commercial uses are not recommended for more than one quadrant of the intersection.
• The commercial uses should not be comparable in scale with an activity center of any size.

6.5 Residential Town-Planning Elements

Neighborhoods, including activity center focus and support areas, contain the town’s housing. Residential areas come in many different densities and configurations, so it is necessary to have town plan-making "pieces" (land use categories) that represent different types of residential areas. Thus, this Plan uses five types of residential pieces, or categories, to construct neighborhoods and the residential portions of activity centers. These categories are: very low density residential, low-density residential, medium-density residential, high-density residential, and Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND).

This section first provides a basic overview of the definitions of these five types of residential categories. Criteria common to all these residential categories -- and to neighborhoods in general -- are then presented. Next, criteria which are specific to traditional neighborhood are discussed. Finally, the definition and criteria for an optional type of residential development -- "clustered low-density residential development" -- are presented.

6.5.1 Overview of the Residential Categories

Very Low Density Residential:

Very low density residential refers to densities of less than 1 dwelling per acre, with uses typically restricted to single family detached units. Lot sizes typically range between 1 and 5 or more acres and the development typically relies on wells and private septic systems. Most areas designated as very low density are therefore beyond Cary’s ultimate urban services boundary.⁵⁵ Very low density residential areas designated on the Growth Plan Map that are within the Jordan Lake Water Supply Watershed’s 1-mile Critical Area have a minimum lot size of about 2 acres.

Low-Density Residential:

Low-density residential ranges from 1 to 3 dwelling units per acre, with uses restricted to single family detached units. Lot sizes typically range from approximately 12,000 sq. ft. to 1 acre. Smaller lot sizes are possible using clustered development, although the overall density should not exceed 3 dwellings per acre. (The cluster development option is explained in Subsection 6.5.4, below.)

Medium-Density Residential:

Medium-density residential development includes housing densities between 3 and 8 dwellings per acre. It can include a mixture of residential uses including single family detached uses, semi-detached units, single family attached units, duplexes and triplexes, townhouses, and low rise apartments.

High-Density Residential:

High-density residential contains housing at densities of anywhere from 8 to 30 units per acre, depending on where the high-density dwellings are located (see Subsection 6.5.2). Typical uses include townhouses, condominiums, apartments, and possibly duplexes or triplexes. In some cases, higher housing densities may be necessary to support future regional rail transit stops, high-volume bus transit stops, or to support regional activity centers or major employment centers.

Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND):

(A) Definition:

Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) refers to the traditional American neighborhood patterns that typified the pre-World War II era, which were characterized by a highly-connected street pattern, often based on a grid. Traditional neighborhood development refers principally to a particular development style and design, and is not necessarily indicative of a particular residential density -- although in general traditional neighborhood developments have higher gross densities than do conventional low density residential developments. (Chapter 7 describes the design features of traditional neighborhood development in more detail.)

In a traditional neighborhood development, streets tend to be somewhat narrower and emphasize a pedestrian orientation and scale. Streets are lined with street trees and sidewalks on both sides of the street. Diverse housing types and lot sizes are intermixed throughout the neighborhood. Houses are located close to their fronting street, often with porches looking out at the street. Single-family lots tend to have narrow frontages, allowing housing densities to increase to medium-density levels, while still maintaining single-family character. More use is made of ancillary buildings such as "in-law apartments" over garages. There may also be some degree of nonresidential uses mixed in among the residential uses in the neighborhood, such as a home-based doctor’s or law offices.

Public spaces, such as formal neighborhood parks, squares, or village greens are essential features, serving as focal points for community interaction and compensating for smaller lot sizes. Some types of traditional neighborhoods emphasize the use of alleys to provide parking areas and access for household public services. Most traditional neighborhoods emphasize the use of on-street parallel parking throughout the neighborhood, which helps to reduce traffic speeds, buffer sidewalk pedestrians from traffic, and to supply daily, overflow, or guest parking.

In the ideal model, traditional neighborhoods have what is effectively a neighborhood activity center at the center of the neighborhood, where day-to-day grocery and convenience shopping, an elementary school, places of worship, a town green, and the higher-density housing are located. For purposes of differentiating this type of activity center, we call it a traditional neighborhood activity center. In some cases, the traditional neighborhood activity center may be located at the edge of the neighborhood, with direct access to an arterial or through secondary street.

(B) The Motivation for Using Traditional Neighborhood Development in Cary:

The residential development market trend over the past decade has been towards ever-decreasing single-family lot sizes. Cary has not escaped this trend. Unfortunately, small-lot single family developments are frequently built using the same design features that typify large-lot single family developments, often without success. Small-lot development has a significantly different feel and sense of place than large-lot development, and should not always be "shoe-horned" into the conventional large-lot design model.

Traditional neighborhood development offers a much improved model for creating small-lot neighborhoods, where small lots are turned to the advantage of the neighborhood, helping to create vibrant streets with a strong sense of place. Rather than ignore the market trend towards smaller lots, this Plan therefore encourages and recommends that small-lot residential development be built using traditional neighborhood development designs. (Small-lot residential development is defined here as lot sizes that fall below the guidelines for Low Density Residential; see Subsection 6.5.2)

(C) Recommendations for Use of Traditional Neighborhood Development:

Traditional neighborhood development is available as an option in all areas marked as Low Density Residential on the Growth Plan Map. The fact that traditional neighborhood development can be used as an option in all areas marked as Low Density Residential does not imply a specific change in residential density, although in general TND densities are somewhat higher than conventional low density residential developments. The table in Subsection 6.5.2, below, shows the wide range of densities that may be possible in TND’s, depending on the specific location and context for the particular traditional neighborhood development. The specific maximum TND density that would be appropriate in a given area will depend on the transportation, environmental, and infrastructure impacts that would be expected.

There are distinct areas in the Growth Plan Study Area that are more suitable for traditional neighborhood development than are others. Figure 6.9 shows the areas most suitable for TND uses, due to proximity to major arterials and the potential for establishing an arterial grid around those areas. These areas will most likely be able to support the widest range of TND densities.

In particular, for the area east of the Very Low Density Residential land near Jordan Lake (see Growth Plan Map) and west of the area marked as "most suitable for TND" (see Figure 6.9), the overall TND densities should not exceed Low Density Residential densities.

6.5.2 Criteria and Characteristics Common to All Residential Categories

Dwelling Types, Densities, and Lot Sizes, by Category

Locational Criteria

Unless otherwise indicated on the Growth Plan Map, the locational guidelines for medium- and high-density residential areas are:

Siting and Layout Criteria, and other Neighborhood Uses and Elements:

• High density and most medium-density residential uses should be located within neighborhood, community, and regional activity centers (e.g., in the support area), unless otherwise indicated on the Growth Plan Map. Residential densities should be highest nearest the focus area, transitioning to lower densities with increasing distance from the focus area.
• Residential densities should transition gradually between high, medium, and low density.
• Each neighborhood should have a neighborhood park, recreation area, or other public open space.
• Institutional uses, such as churches, schools, and daycare facilities should ideally be located in the neighborhood’s activity center. However, such uses may be intermixed with residential uses in a neighborhood, provided that they are sufficiently buffered from adjoining residential uses and do not impose undue negative impacts on the neighborhood.
• Neighborhoods should include a diverse housing stock, with housing available for a wide range of family income levels, age groups, and family needs, in order to meet the housing requirements of all Cary citizens.

6.5.3 Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Criteria

The criteria given in this subsection for traditional neighborhood development is in addition to the criteria specified in the previous subsection, "Criteria and Characteristics Common to All Residential Categories." Design features which distinguish traditional neighborhood development from conventional development are given in Chapter 7; this subsection focuses only on unique aspects of the types and mix of land uses in a TND.

Since a traditional neighborhood activity center is essentially a neighborhood activity center (or a community activity center, if the commercial core serves a community-sized area), the criteria given in Subsections 6.2.1 - 6.2.3 for neighborhood and community activity centers generally apply to traditional neighborhood/community activity centers as well, and are not repeated in this subsection.

Types and Mix of Land Uses

• Traditional neighborhood developments should contain a mix of housing types, such as: single-family detached houses, single-family attached dwellings (duplexes, townhouses, patio homes, etc.), and multifamily dwellings (apartments or condominiums). However, as with all residential development, the high density uses (esp. attached and multifamily) should be concentrated close to an activity center, as specified under the general residential criteria above.
• Multifamily, attached, and single-family detached residential uses can be intermixed with each other about the neighborhood, subject to reasonable density transitions and/or design and architectural compatibility.
• Throughout the neighborhood, formal public outdoor spaces, such as parks or village greens, are critical, and should be used as central design elements and focal points for the neighborhood.
• Ancillary residential uses, such as "granny flats" over outbuilding garages, may be provided.
• Some small home-based businesses or businesses in residential structures can be accommodated, intermixed among the neighborhood, provided that they are in residential[-type] structures comparable in design and bulk with the rest of the neighborhood, and that they do not have an undue noise, traffic, or activity impact on the neighborhood. (e.g., home dental offices, law offices, etc.)
• Neighborhood institutional uses, such as churches, an elementary school, and daycare facilities may be intermixed with residences in the neighborhood if they adhere to traditional neighborhood design guidelines. (However, whenever possible, these uses should be located in the neighborhood activity center.)

6.5.4 Low Density Cluster Development Criteria

Areas indicated on the Growth Plan Map as low-density residential may be developed in a clustered manner, in order to preserve rural and forest land. In a cluster development, a significant portion of the development remains undeveloped, preserving natural areas and providing common open space, and development occurs only on the remainder of the site. However, the total number of dwellings that could have been built, had the entire site been used for residential development, are still permitted, and the overall development density remains the same. (See Figure 6.10.)

For example, suppose a 40-acre site would accommodate 120 lots of 12,000 sq. ft. each, if developed in a conventional manner. The site, however, contains 20 acres of forest and natural areas that the developer wishes to preserve. Using clustering, those 20 acres are maintained in their natural state, and the remaining 20 acres are used to accommodate the 120 homes, by using smaller lot sizes and/or different building types.

Cluster development in areas designated for low density residential development offers several benefits: It can be used to help preserve sensitive natural areas, it enables a developer to make use of a site having significant amounts of unbuildable areas (steep slopes, floodplains, wetlands), and it can reduce the infrastructure costs for the development.

Sites developed as cluster developments should not exceed the overall density allowed under the low-density residential definition, and should generally meet the applicable design criteria that apply to that definition. In addition, the following criteria should be met:

• A significant portion of the total site is dedicated to a permanent open space easement, the dedicated area being the undisturbed portion to be preserved.
• Most of the reserved open space is left in its undisturbed, natural state.
• A forested buffer, dedicated as open space and at least 100 feet in width, is preserved or established between the development and adjacent property lines and at least a 50 foot forested buffer is preserved or established between the development and the fronting roadway.
• Neighborhood building heights should not exceed the height of the forest canopy.
• The site design preserves, as far as practicable, large and healthy specimen trees.

6.6 Parks, Greenways, Conservation Corridors, and Open Space

This section defines and describes parks, greenways, conservation corridors, and open space, which are four critical elements of the Growth Plan and Map. The parks and greenways definitions (given below) and the Growth Plan Map locations for these three types of parks are taken from the draft Cary Parks and Greenways Plan, and may change as work on that plan progresses. The reader should refer to that Plan for more detailed and updated information.

6.6.1 Parks

The Growth Plan Map shows locations for three distinct categories of parks -- neighborhood, community, and metro (or regional) parks. In addition to these parks, this Growth Plan envisions other smaller public spaces which are not mapped -- such as greens, plazas, and small mini-parks -- located in activity centers, office/industrial park focus areas, and scattered about neighborhoods. These small public spaces are described in other parts of this Chapter -- principally in Sections 6.1 - 6.3 and 6.5.

Neighborhood Parks

A neighborhood park is a small park intended to serve the casual recreational needs of a neighborhood . These parks serve an average of 5,000 people within a radius typically ranging from one-half to one mile. The size of these parks normally ranges between 10 and 20 acres. Facilities within these parks can be either active or passive and are normally small in size. Typical examples include playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, and picnic areas.

Community Parks

A community park is a medium-sized park intended to serve the more diverse recreational and sports needs of a community. This type of park serves approximately 20,000 people, typically within a two-mile radius. The size of the parks is usually between 25 and 100 acres. Facilities vary, but focus on large athletic fields. Larger parks may also include a community center and aquatic facilities.

Metro or Regional Parks

A metro or regional park serves the entire Town and would normally comprise an area over 100 acres. These parks should contain a wide range of facilities, with emphasis on resource-oriented activities, like boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.

Specialized Parks/Facilities

These facilities are normally devoted to a single use and vary in size. Examples include nature parks, golf courses, and arts centers.

6.6.2 Greenways

Greenways are linear, relatively undisturbed natural areas that meander in and around built areas within the town. Commonly, the only built improvement in a greenway is a pedestrian or bicycle path. By providing an ample amount of interconnected greenways, the town seeks to obtain a network of paths and trails throughout the town. Pedestrians and bicyclists could then use greenway paths to move between neighborhoods and commercial areas, and could also use them for hiking, biking, and jogging.

6.6.3 Conservation Corridors

Conservation corridors are also linear, undisturbed natural areas used to preserve environmentally sensitive or hazardous areas, such as floodplains, streams, and riverine natural areas. They differ from greenways in four significant ways: (1) They always correspond to natural vegetated buffers adjacent to perennial stream channels⁶¹; (2) They may be either publicly or privately owned; (3) They may include paths, trails, or bikeways; and (4) They may or may not necessarily be accessible to the public.

Outside of water supply watersheds, conservation corridors are recommended to occupy about 50 feet on either side of the stream channel. Within water supply watersheds, conservation corridors are recommended to occupy about 100 feet on either side of the stream channel.

Conservation corridors serve several purposes: (1) They provide essential protection for our water resources, acting as natural filtration areas for runoff and pollutants; and (2) They provide "wildlife corridors" which preserve habitat for many species and allow for their migration.

6.6.4 Open Space

Preserved natural areas are referred to as open space. These differ from parks in that open space generally does not have any built recreational improvements, such as trails or play areas. Open spaces are often used as buffers between incompatible land uses.

6.7 Special Opportunity Sites (SOS)

Special Opportunity Sites (SOS) are areas that present unique opportunities for development, redevelopment, and/or preservation. Special Opportunity Sites are often located around areas having historic structures or unique settings. SOS sites are subject to the base land use designation for the site as given on the Plan Map, but may present opportunities for reasonable variations in that designation, including land uses not yet considered (but consistent with the Plan). See Figure 6.11.

The SOS designation does not imply the designation of an historic district, in which historic structures are preserved in their present uses. Rather, the SOS designation signifies that these locations possess special characteristics that present opportunities for redevelopment and reuse of historic structures.

6.8 Major Employment Centers

Major Employment Centers are combinations of several plan-making elements which, taken as a whole, identify areas of very large concentrations of employment and mixed land uses. These may include significant office, commercial, and industrial employment areas, as well as supporting high- and medium-density housing areas. A major employment center is made up of one or more adjacent office/industrial parks, one or more high- or medium-density residential areas, and one or more neighborhood or community activity centers (and/or possibly one regional activity center), all in close proximity to one another. Thus, a major employment center differs from an office/industrial park in that it:

• offers a wider range of employment types -- office, retail, service, institutional
• offers a wider range of land uses -- office, industrial, commercial, institutional, residential, and park.
• accommodates a significantly greater amount of employment than a single office/industrial park
• may occupy a larger physical area than a single office/industrial park

Major employment centers not only accommodate large-scale employment, but also provide ample higher-density housing in close proximity to these major employment sites. This reduces commute distances and traffic congestion, and provides opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle home-to-work trips. It also provides employers in the major employment center with a nearby labor force. Further, since the major employment center also contains one or more neighborhood or community activity centers (or possibly a regional activity center), both the workers and residents have convenient access to crucial commercial and institutional services. This helps to reduce home-to-shopping and work-to-shopping trip distances within the activity center.

Major Employment Centers serve as a concept internal to the Plan, but are not specifically denoted on the Plan Map. One identifies major employment centers on the Plan Map by examining it for the elements which comprise such a center.

Examples of major employment centers include the "Regency Park-MacGregor Park-Western Wake Hospital" area, and the "Weston PUD-SAS Campus" area. The first of these two major employment centers illustrates the concept: Regency Park contains a zoned but unbuilt neighborhood activity center and a sizable office/industrial area with significant residential support. MacGregor Park contains a neighborhood shopping center and an industrial/office area. Western Wake Hospital is an institutional land use. Also included in this Major Employment Center are the community activity centers of Waverly Place and Audubon Park and the Crescent Commons Shopping Center and its ring of related apartments called Crescent Arbors. Thus, this major employment center contains two community activity centers, two neighborhood activity centers (one as yet unbuilt), several thousand acres of office/industrial area, a hospital, several large high density residential developments, and other sizable areas of office development (Keisler Drive area) and specialized retail (Asheville Avenue).