Overview
The Alston Regional Activity Center is located around the future interchange of N.C. 55 and the Interstate 540 Outer Loop, at the southwestern edge of Research Triangle Park. The Alston area will someday draw people throughout the region for shopping, offices, housing, parks and other public places. In March 2006, Town Council adopted a special Mixed Use Overlay District and an associated Activity Center Concept Plan in order to proactively plan for and pre-zone this area for state-of-the-practice mixed use development.
See a vicinity map pinpointing the future interchange and a zoomed in view of the Alston Regional Center area.
Adopted Plan
Alston Regional Activity Center Concept Plan, adopted March 23, 2006 (HTML)
The adopted Alston Concept Plan includes specifications about the land use types allowed under the plan, including development limits for commercial, office and residential space. In addition, the plan includes detailed design guidelines that address things such as public streetscapes, building placement, public spaces, roadway network, trails and open space and public art. The plan’s design guidelines apply both to development plans submitted under the Overlay District, as well as development plans submitted under existing base zoning.
History
The 2002 Northwest Area Plan called for a mixed-use regional activity center at this location. In late 2004, Town Council approved a process to proactively create a detailed Concept Plan and Overlay District for Alston.
An Activity Center Concept Plan (or ACCP, also known as a Mixed Use Sketch Plan) effectively “activates” specific types and amounts of uses in a mixed use overlay district. Land owners within the Alston overlay district can develop their properties either under the pre-existing base zoning or under the Alston Activity Center Concept Plan. In either case, future development will adhere to the design guidelines outlined in the Alston ACCP.
The Alston Regional Activity Center is the last of Cary’s four regional activity centers. At 960 acres, it is larger than our other regional centers: Cary Towne Center, Crossroads, and Harrison Square Shopping Center/SAS Institute campus.
Contact
Scott Ramage, AICP
Senior Planner, Long Range Planning Division
Planning Department, Town of Cary
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512
(919) 462-3888
scott.ramage@townofcary.org
Meredith Chandler
Urban Designer/Senior Planner
Planning Department, Town of Cary
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512
(919) 460-4983
meredith.chandler@townofcary.org