Morrisville Town Center Plan - 2007

Chapter 1: Existing Conditions

Core area in the Town Center area to the east, south, and west are newly-developing residential, retail, and office projects, all of which compete to some extent for market share with the Town Center. These are detailed in the full report in Appendix 4. Physical Constraints: Several key physical constraints impact the market potential for new development in the project area. These include: • The railroad, which reduces physical development potential. In particular, this occurs along NC 54 near the intersection with Morrisville-Carpenter Road on the west side of the tracks where the railroad grade reduces visibility from lots that back up to the tracks. • The lack of safe pedestrian crossings of the railroad tracks, which greatly reduces opportunities for a traditional retail “Main Street” shopping district in this location. • The flood zone, which significantly reduces the development potential in the southeast portion of study area.

• Excellent visibility on main roads • Limited visibility from side streets

• Significant traffic volumes, allowing retail visibility to regional and destination commuters Location and Access: Morrisville, and the Town Center in particular, has a superior, central location that offers significant advantages for residents commuting to employment as well as for businesses serving customers or clients throughout the Triangle region. Town Center attributes include: • Superior regional location, at heart of Triangle markets; • Extremely proximate and accessible to RTP, a major economic driver for the region; • Proximate to RDU Airport and related employment base; • Easy commuting distance to Raleigh (State government center), Durham (university and medical center), and Chapel Hill (university and medical center) employment centers; • Easy commuting distance to Cary and upper-income residential areas; • Good regional access, but threatened by traffic that reduces ability to access individual parcels; • Internal access hindered by roads neces- sitated by railroad; • Extremely poor pedestrian access and inadequate pedestrian safety provisions throughout study area. Heritage Value: Morrisville offers certain heritage value, although its historic character has been compromisedby fires anddemolition over the years that have negatively impacted the overall identity of the Town Center and its sense of place. The Town Center also has: • Good remaining vintage building stock, some of which is under-appreciated;

Visibility: The impact of visibility was assessed as it relates to the marketability of uses throughout the Town Center study area. Key findings include: The railroad tracks that have long provided an important corridor for passengers and freight also create a barrier to automobile and passenger traffic moving east and west through the Town Center. (Photo: Ben Hitchings, Town of Morrisville)

11 │ Town Center Plan

January 2007