Issue link: http://townofcary.uberflip.com/i/791958
HISTORIC CARPENTER SPECIAL PLANNING AREA The sec on of Cary Parkway shown to the le provides a very finished, manicured landscape suitable to suburban development. Note the regular spacing of ornamental shrubs in the median, linear concrete sidewalk, and neat lawn areas. The rural thoroughfare pictured to the le has a very simple median, planted with grass. This sort of median landscaping is more appropriate for historic contexts. Note also the use of a very simple curb to stabilize the outer edge of the pavement. 9 Local Roads Within and Adjacent to the Crossroads Village • Within the Crossroads Village, Carpenter Upchurch Road, Carpenter Fire Sta on Road, the original sec on of Morrisville-Carpenter Road, and Saunders Grove Road should be retained in their current design and configura on. That is, they should be retained with the appearance of county roads typical of the area up through the 1970's, namely as two-lane roads without curb, gu er, or sidewalk. New local streets within the Crossroads Village should be similarly designed. Street ligh ng should be compa ble with the historic character of the area. (The ra onale is twofold. First, urban features such as curb, gu er, and sidewalk are contextually incompa ble with the historic character. Second, many of the contribu ng historic structures have li le or no setback from the fron ng street, making the addi on of such features impossible.) • Therefore, in lieu of conven onal urban sidewalks, pedestrian access should be provided via connected and meandering paths within the Village, connec ng sites, buildings, and parking as required. Materials used for pedestrian paths should be evoca ve of the context, such as bonded aggregates, pea gravel, or similar. (Conven onal urban/suburban sidewalks are not appropriate within the Village.) Such pedestrian paths should connect to pedestrian facili es outside the Village. • Proximate to and connec ng with the Crossroads Village, new local streets in Neighborhoods South should provide appropriate transi ons when tying into the roads within the Village. Curb and gu er can be appropriate treatments in new residen al areas close to the Village if narrow setbacks are used. 10 Village Trail • The eastern edge of the Crossroads Village should be defined by a "Village Trail" – a special public greenway/ trail that will serve as the primary, direct north-south pedestrian route. That is, this trail will provide a direct north-south pedestrian connec on linking the sidewalks on Carpenter-Upchurch Road at the entrance to the Olde Carpenter subdivision with the future pedestrian paths along the planned realignment of Morrisville-Carpenter Road. (The trail will provide a cri cal pedestrian route, in lieu of having sidewalks along the remainder of Carpenter-Upchurch and old Morrisville-Carpenter Roads.) • The network of meandering pedestrian paths within the Crossroads Village should provide direct connec ons with the Village Trail. • Materials used for the trail should be evoca ve of the context, such as bonded aggregates, pea gravel, or similar. (Conven onal urban/suburban sidewalks are not appropriate within the Village.) • A typical, standard greenway pavement width should be used for the trail, and a right-of-way easement sufficient to provide the landscape buffering described under Neighborhood South. 191