Morrisville Town Center Plan - 2007

Executive Summary

In 1852, Jeremiah Morris donated three acres of land to the North Carolina Railroad for a train depot, and Morrisville was born. In the modern day, as the Triangle’s population has exploded, so too has that of Morrisville, growing from a community of several hundred residents to nearly 15,000 in the past 25 years. Yet, it still remains a small town in the heart of the Triangle. This plan describes a vision for creating a vibrant Town Center at Morrisville’s historic crossroads to help ensure that residents continue to enjoy the best qualities of small- town living as the community grows. The plan was developed with extensive public input and the help of a team of design professionals. The resulting physical design reflects the needs and desires of the public as well as a variety of design considerations, including physical features such as the railroad line, current and projected market conditions for new development in the project area, and implementation feasibility.

heritage park; • Linking the parks and other destinations with a network of sidewalks and greenways; • Investing in a variety of transportation improvements, including reworking Chapel Hill Road (NC 54) into separate northbound and southbound segments in the Town Center area, improving the intersection of Morrisville-Carpenter Road and Chapel Hill Road, and installing roundabouts at selected locations to mark the transition into the Town Center.

Town Center Concept Design (Graphic: Raybould As- sociates for the Town of Morrisville)

In these ways, this plan calls for leveraging the elements of Morrisville’s historic crossroads village to create a distinctive and inviting center of community. The plan concludes with a series of implementation steps to systematically pursue this vision over time. By working together to implement the plan, the Morrisville community has a rare opportunity to enhance its small-town character and create a dynamic focal point for current and future generations of residents.

Key elements of this plan include: • Protecting the historic structures around Church Street; • Creating a community gathering place lined with small businesses and anchored by a civic/cultural facility; • Establishing a Civil War park and a rural Sample streetscape from the Town Center Concept Design (Graphic: Raybould Associates for the Town of Morrisville)

│ Town Center Plan

January 2007