Morrisville Town Center Plan - 2007

Chapter 2: Planning Process & Concept Design

at a slightly higher density than that found elsewhere in the vicinity, so townhouses and small-lot detached dwellings are shown.

jor advantages. It would facilitate pedestrian crossing of the road within the historic rural crossroads, and it would allow all the older or historic structures sited along both sides of Morrisville-Carpenter Road to be retained. These would have to be removed or relo- cated if the road were more conventionally widened without the one-way pair. In short, the one-way pair option may be a workable way of addressing transportation needs while also allowing the preservation of large areas of the vernacular historic context that would be altered or removed entirely with a con- ventional road-widening solution. The com- munity gave a strong indication of its sup- port for this approach, with 7 of the 8 citizen planning teams from the design workshop endorsing some version of the concept.

Transportation Improvements: The intersection of Highway 54 and Morrisville-Carpenter Road could bemanaged with a one-way pairing of Highway 54’s travel lanes. The potential advantages of this design are several. First, it would allow the preservation, rather than the removal or relocation, of the central visual element for which Morrisville is known: the remarkable collection of vernacular houses, stores, and outbuildings in their original locations at the rural crossroads and along the railroad tracks. Second, the roadway design would send a clear signal to motorists of their arrival in a unique place, underscoring the town’s identity as the best surviving example of an end-of-the-19th-century rural railroad village in Wake County and enhancing that identity as a market advantage and resident or visitor experience. In addition, the one-way pair could reduce pavement width on Morrisville-Carpenter Road west of the intersection with NC 54 to Town Hall Drive, which has two potential ma- The Concept Design includes transportation improve- ments, including roundabouts such as this one. Round- abouts keep traffic moving while maintaining a slow speed that is safer for pedestrians, and can help mark the entrance into the core of the Town Center. (Graph- ic: Raybould Associates for the Town of Morrisville)

Parks and Greenways: The larger study area should be tied together with a network of parks and greenways, sidewalks and historic sites – another theme strongly supported by the citizens. Interpretive markers, special signage and visual elements, and public art (including, for example, an iconic water tower sculpture) could be placed at appropriate locations throughout the study area. The site where Civil War soldiers dug rifle pits could be preserved as a historic park and natural area, The Concept Design recommends establishing a rural heritage park that could provide a site for festivals, historic reenactments, and other community events. (Photo: Town of Morrisville)

21 │ Town Center Plan

January 2007