Morrisville Land Use Plan 2021

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Land Availability Throughout public engagement, stakeholders voiced a concern that Morrisville has little room to grow. One individual described Morrisville as “landlocked, heavily developed, and developing,” highlighting a common concern that opportunities for development within the community are shrinking fast. While the Town does have some opportuni- ties for outward expansion included within its planning area, growth from Cary, Durham, and Research Triangle Park (RTP) has entirely enclosed Morrisville. In the past 20 years Morrisville has experi- enced rapid growth, expanding from under 1,500 residents in 1990 to almost 30,000 in 2019. As the community continues to grow, the availability of land will be a central constraint for development in the future, closely interconnected to other challenges. For example, while the Town has an estimated 870 acres of undeveloped land, approxi- mately half of that land is located within the airport AO-A overlay district which prohibits residential development. Also, the majority of the available acreage is northeast of the railroad corridor, which features predomi- nantly office and industrial uses. As a result, the availability of land, particularly for certain uses like housing, is becoming increasingly limited.

Key Considerations ⊲ Utilize the Land Use Plan to ensure future development in the few remaining vacant areas of Morrisville are in sync with the Town’s vision. ⊲ Review and align future community facility needs with both the Land Use Plan and available land to ensure ongoing develop- ment does not hinder the Town’s ability to provide quality services to residents. ⊲ Be proactive in identifying undeveloped land that should be preserved for future community facilities and amenities. This may require the Town to purchase specific properties to reserve for long-term development. ⊲ Maintain close coordination with property owners of undeveloped land to under- stand their plans and intent for future development. ⊲ Carefully steer infill development in a way that minimizes impacts on surrounding uses and does not overburden critical infrastructure. ⊲ Identify areas where natural features need to be protected, as the few remaining forested areas in Morrisville lie within these vacant lands.

As Morrisville continues to grow, manage­ ment of remaining developable land will be critical to ensure the community has the capacity to accommodate preferred uses as well as necessary facilities and amenities. Equally important, careful consideration should be given to protection of natural features, as many of these last remaining vacant land tracts also contain the few forested areas left in the community. The Land Use Plan should be utilized as a guide for all future development in these few remaining areas. In addition, as the need for new facilities are identified, these should be carefully aligned with both the Land Use Pla n and available land to ensure ongoing devel­ opment does not hinder the Town’s ability to provide quality services to residents. This should include public facilities, emergency response facilities, schools, and parks and may require purchasing specific properties to save for long-term development. Finally, as the last remaining parcels of vacant land in Morrisville are built out, market forces will likely shift growth inward in the form of redevelopment. The Land Use Plan should be used to carefully steer this infill devel­ opment in a way that minimizes impacts on surrounding uses and does not overburden critical infrastructure.

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Note: This map includes new construction projects with issued building permits as of May 2020

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39 Morrisville Land Use Plan | Chapter 5 – Land Use Considerations