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Cary Community Plan 2-23-17 Part 2

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HISTORIC CARPENTER SPECIAL PLANNING AREA Carpenter Road be improved to a 4-lane median divided highway, (b) that on the last 2,000 feet or so of its westward approach to NC 55, the road should be realigned northward to e into Carpenter Fire Sta on Road at NC 55, and (c) that the road should have a grade-separated crossing of the CSX Railroad line that parallels NC Hwy 55. Current func onal alignments call for Morrisville- Carpenter Road to tunnel under the CSX RR. In order to achieve this, the new alignment of the road will need to begin dropping below grade immediately west of Saunders Grove Lane. This major roadway project will have a profound impact on Carpenter, presen ng both challenges and opportuni es. One benefit to the project will be that it will pull east-west through- traffic out of the historic Carpenter Crossroads, avoiding impacts on its vital historic buildings. The key challenge will be that the road will cleave some farm parcels, and separate contribu ng historic structures from their context. Widening the road may also bring the road surface perilously close to historic structures that front along it. Finally, by its very nature a 4-lane highway can be an incongruous facility within the heart of an historically rural area. Small Parcel Sizes in the Crossroads The amount of remaining developable land in and around the historic Crossroads is quite limited, and includes only a handful of parcels. It will be a challenge to preserve the historic context of the Crossroads, while allowing a small amount of context- sensi ve infill development. In addi on, some of the historic structures at or near the Crossroads are on very small parcels – some less than half an acre. Such sites tend to present an "all or nothing" situa on for preserva on, since the site lacks room for the landowner to use addi onal, new development on the site to help offset the costs – real or perceived – of preserva on. Preserva on of such sites will require different approaches than were tried in Green Level since 2004. Parks, Open Spaces, and Greenways Current plans for Carpenter include a network of exis ng and planned parks, protected open spaces, stream buffers, and greenways. This network connects the Carpenter community to other parts of Cary and the greater region, and also provides a natural network within the Carpenter area. Cary's longest greenway spine – the Research Triangle Park to Middle Creek Greenway corridor – runs north-south through the Carpenter area. This provides an opportunity for unique historic interpreta on and recrea onal experiences along this stretch of the corridor. The buildings and landscape, taken together, informs and defines the special history of Carpenter. 181

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