Morrisville Town Center Plan - 2007

Chapter 2: Planning Process & Concept Design

Concept Design The following section provides context for and explanation of the key features of the Concept Design diagram and accompanying solutions, sketches, and ideas produced during the design workshop. Based on public input to the greatest extent possible, and grounded in market reality as well as the input of transportation and design professionals, the Concept Design incorporates the following key features and ideas. Historic Crossroads: The historic rural crossroads would contain a mix of small professional office and residen- tial uses that re-use existing, traditional or historic houses. On vacant sites in this area, there could also be small, new but compat- ible infill structures that mimic the scale and character of the existing traditional pattern. Office and residential uses would be delib- erately limited in scale so that their parking and vehicular access needs do not noticeably

affect the landscape and layout of sites. Cer- tain notable houses and sites may be used as community amenities. For example, one of these could be the area around the Page- Ferrell House, surrounded by a green lawn and public park shaded by large ash trees, which could serve as a rural heritage park and outdoor gathering spot. Another may be the Christian Church that could serve as a small museum or interpretive center. One or two other notable houses might be re-used as bed-and-breakfast establishments. Land- scape features of the historic rural cross- roads, such as backyard fruit trees and out- buildings, ribbon pavement with swales, and the deep-cut road profile of Church Street, would preserve a sense of the community’s history for residents and visitors. Civic/Cultural Area: The civic/cultural focus would contain a mix of public, semi-public, special commercial and workplace uses in a collection of small-

The top photo shows how lower Church Street looks in July 2006. The bottom photo is a visualization of how it might look in the future with architecturally compatible infill development added, as recommended in the Town Center concept design. (Photos and visualization: Sean Eno for the Town of Morrisville)

18 │ Town Center Plan

January 2007