Comprehensive Transportation Plan - March 2019

EXISTING CONDITIONS

INTRODUCTION Transportation is not only a critical component of our daily life, but also represents a crucial part of a region’s social fabric and manmade infrastructure. Residents rely on transportation to access education, health care, and jobs, while surrounding cities, towns, and industries rely on a functioning network to keep the region moving. The Town of Morrisville Comprehensive Transportation Plan considers how Morrisville will grow in the next 25 years and offers strategies to guide improvements to the Town’s transportation system including its roadways, transit services, sidewalks, bike facilities, and greenways. The initial step of the planning process is establishing a robust understanding of the geographic, administrative, operational, environmental, social, and temporal context of Morrisville today. This understanding, along with input obtained during the public engagement process, will set the stage for the development of recommendations that will be responsive to the needs and values of the community. This chapter is intended to present a snapshot of Morrisville as it is today and includes facts and figures depicting the land uses, development constraints, community characteristics, travel patterns, and mobility options that characterize the Town. Effective transportation planning acknowledges the critical relationship between land use and transportation: the way land is used places demands on the transportation network, and the layout and character of the transportation network drives the type, density, and location of development. The first section of the Existing Conditions Summary describes the LAND of Morrisville, how it is currently being used, and constraints on its use. This section also identifies important community facilities that the Town of Morrisville Comprehensive Transportation Plan will need to consider when emphasizing connectivity and accessibility. The next section describes the PEOPLE of Morrisville. Morrisville’s population is diverse, highly educated, and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Also included is an investigation of where Morrisville’s residents work, how they get there, and how long it takes to get there. Finally, the TRANSPORTATION section describes Morrisville’s transportation network, including its roadways, sidewalks, on-street bikeways, multi-use paths, and transit routes. Estimations of traffic volumes and congestion, an understanding of crashes occurring in the last 3 years, and an inventory of existing infrastructure will provide a foundation for the development of the Town of Morrisville Comprehensive Transportation Plan . LAND The Town of Morrisville is located in northwest Wake County and along the southern border of Durham County. Morrisville rests in the midst of the Research Triangle Region, which is anchored by three major universities; the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill; and Research Triangle Park (RTP). Research Triangle Park, a 7,000-acre research park west of Morrisville, employs over 50,000 people across 260 companies. Bordering the west, south, and east sides of Morrisville, the Town of Cary houses several worldwide company headquarters and, like Morrisville, has seen continual growth. Raleigh-Durham International Airport, one of North Carolina’s two primary airports, is located on the north side of I-40. Morrisville’s proximity to RTP, the interstate, and RDU has attracted several major companies including Lenovo, Time Warner Cable, NetApp, and Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD). Paired with its community facilities including several parks and schools, it is no surprise that the Town’s population growth continues to outpace Wake County’s. Morrisville’s regional context is shown in Figure 2-1 . Unincorporated Wake County and unincorporated Durham County are shown in dark gray. Land Use and Zoning

Table 2-1: Land Use Classifications Classification

The Town of Morrisville classifies every parcel based on the land use classifications described in Table 2-1 . The majority of Morrisville’s land is classified as residential (33%) or vacant (21%). Morrisville adopted their Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) in 2013. A Town-wide rezoning was completed in 2014 to make the Town’s zoning map consistent with the UDO. The UDO combines the Town’s zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance into one document to simplify communication and enforcement. Zoning west of NC 54 includes low, medium, and high density residential uses with a strong emphasis on neighborhood and community spaces. Zoning east of NC 54 includes the majority of Morrisville’s industrial, office, and commercial areas.

Acreage Percent 409.6 7.9% 671.2 12.9% 243.4 4.7%

Commercial Industrial Institutional Mixed Use Multifamily

13.8

0.3%

393.1 7.6%

Office 365.1 7.0% Public/Private Open Space 705.5 13.6% Single-Family Attached 149.7 2.9% Single-Family Detached 1154.9 22.2% Vacant 1094.2 21.0% Total 5200.6 100%

The Town of Morrisville’s zoning includes two Airport Overlay Districts, a Floodplain Overlay District, and a Town Center Conservation Overlay District. The Airport Noise Overlay District, shown in Figure 2-3 , restricts certain principal uses, resulting in the majority of residences and schools being located west of NC 54. Airport Overlay District A’s western border is NC 54, and Airport Overlay District B is located almost entirely west of NC 54. The Floodplain Overlay District encompasses the area within the 100-year floodplain, and the Town Center Conservation Overlay District includes the area surrounding Morrisville-Carpenter Road’s intersections with Town Hall Drive and NC 54, detailed in the 2007 Town Center Plan. The Town of Morrisville’s Zoning and Land Use maps can be found by visiting the Town Planning Department’s website.

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