Morrisville Land Use Plan 2009

2.4 Development Constraints Understanding Morrisville’s development constraints prior to beginning the planning process can avoid unnecessary negative impacts on the environment and capital- ize on the assets of the community. Water Features Lake Crabtree, a major man-made lake, is located just east of Morrisville (Figure 2.4). A County Park on the north side of the lake provides boating and recreation access (see photo at right). Crabtree Creek flows east into Lake Crabtree, crossing through the southern portion of Morrisville. Topography in Morrisville gently slopes down to Crabtree Creek, with few steep slopes. The tributary streams of Indian Creek and Sawmill Creek feed Crabtree from the north, forming broad floodplains and wetlands along the eastern and southern portions of the Town. Wake County has preserved much of the wetland and floodplain land northwest and southwest of Lake Crabtree as part of a wetland mitigation project, restricting it from any future development. Two smaller lakes, one near the Airport Boulevard interchange at I-40 and one adja- cent to the Preston Golf Course, are also owned by Wake County. Crabtree Creek has been identified by the North Carolina Department of Natural Re- sources (NCDENR) as a 303(d) impaired stream, which means that the water quality does not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality standards. As a re- sult, NCDENR has created a specific management plan for this stream in order to improve the water quality. This management plan may affect how much and where development can occur near Crabtree Creek. Airport Noise Overlay Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is located adjacent to Morrisville’s eastern boundary, on the opposite side of Interstate 40. Several of the airport’s flight patterns cross over Morrisville, creating substantial noise. To avoid negative impacts, RDU has been work- ing with neighboring jurisdictions for years to restrict sensitive land uses in noise impacted areas. These restrictions are in acknowledgement of the fact that excessive noise has been shown to cause hearing and other physical problems over a long period of expo- sure. In addition to protecting its citizens, Morrisville’s implementation of the Airport Noise Overlay District protects it from legal liability for allowing substantial negative impacts to occur. Generally speaking, residences, schools and other sensitive uses like daycares, should not be located in areas with greater than 65 decibels of airport noise (shown by yellow diagonal lines in Figure 2.4). For Morrisville, this area covers approximately 26% of the town, much of which remains undeveloped. Nonresidential uses, such as offices, retail and industrial facilities are allowed in these areas. Hotels are permitted if soundproofing is installed. The Town Council has recently changed the Town’s ordinance to permit resi- dential uses within the 65 decibel areas west of NC 54 if soundproofing is installed and the right to overflight is granted. Railroad Corridor The railroad through the center of Morrisville, as described earlier, has been an integral part of the town’s history and success. The tracks currently separate the town into two halves, with limited crossings restricting automobile, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The North Carolina Railroad Company owns the rail corridor and has taken the position that there can be no expansion of auto traffic crossing the railroad at-grade (without an over- pass), and that no sidewalks or greenways may cross at-grade. Thus, east-west connectiv- ity is limited in the town until funds can be secured to build additional overpasses. Areas of Historical Significanc Morrisville has two areas of historical significance, neither of which has yet been given a formal designation, such as inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The Shiloh area near the north end of town is a historically black community dating from the 1820s, with a church and other historical buildings. The Shiloh Heritage Preservation Area was es- tablished by the town through the adoption of the North Morrisville-Shiloh Small Area Plan on January 6, 2003. In addition, there are numerous historic buildings in the Town Center area, the preservation of which have been addressed in more detail in the Town Center Plan, adopted in 2007. Superfund Site Just south of the Shiloh area, on the northwest corner of McCrimmon Parkway and NC 54 is the former Koppers Co., Inc. plant. The plant, which dates to 1896, processed and treat- ed wood products, releasing contaminants into the soil, groundwater and surface water. Contamination at the site was discovered by the EPA in 1980, and cleanup was performed from 1990 to 1997. Cleanup involved removal of contaminated soil; bioremediation, car- bon adsorption and filtration to treat water onsite; and revegetation. The property is being actively monitored by EPA before it can be formally removed from the Superfund list, but there is currently no environmental hazard at the site. The site is currently owned by two companies, with part of the site actively operating as a wood laminating facility, while the other is vacant. Now that the site has been cleaned up, it represents an opportunity to find a more appropriate community-oriented use.

Lake Crabtree, from Lake Crabtree County Park.

Development Restrictions Floodway : Undevelopable

100-year Floodplain : 1% chance of flooding in any given year. Development is acceptable if building is located at least 2 feet above base flood elevation (FEMA elevation certificate is required). NationalWetlands Inventory : Require permits from state agencies for any major development, such as subdivisions or commercial development. May require developers to mitigate wetland losses.

Crabtree Creek, just east of the crossing with NC 54.

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2 Background