77 / 634
TOWN OF MORRISVILLE
5-2
infiltration, and corridors for wildlife movement. Impacts to floodplains will be limited,
because of the Town’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), and floodplain overlay
zoning district, as described in Section 6.
5.2
Soils
As land is developed, clearing and grading will result in soil disturbance. By using heavy
equipment on development sites, soils will be compacted. During grading, soil will be
moved; in some areas, it will be removed, while in other areas it will be replaced. The
Triassic soils found throughout the Planning Area require particular construction
considerations. Thus, the location of soil types may change. During clearing and grading,
some soils will be eroded, but the impacts from this will be minimized by following an
approved site plan in accordance with the County’s erosion and sediment control program
described in Appendix B.
5.3
Land Use
The Town’s 2035 Land Use Plan was used to estimate future build-out land use conditions
(Louis Berger Group, 2009a). A land use plan is a guidance document that illustrates the
land use the Town would like to see in a given area if development occurs. This does not
mean that all land in a given area will be developed. Figure 5-1 illustrates general land use
categories within the Planning Area. Table
5-1 provides details on the area (square
miles) within each general land use category.
Given the proximity of the area to RTP and a
strong local economy, it is very unlikely that
the existing land use characterization would
remain. The pattern and rate of growth
without infrastructure will be different;
growth without infrastructure may be less
dense than growth supported by
infrastructure and the Town’s 2035 Land Use
Plan, but it may be spread over a larger area.
Currently, 19 percent of the Planning Area is
undeveloped, which is defined by the Town
as land that has potential for development.
Even without the proposed infrastructure, conversion of this vacant land to low-density
residential land is likely to occur in the Planning Area. Undeveloped land may be forested
or cleared. The most heavily urbanized areas lie along the NC 54 corridor. Commercial and
industrial growth is planned for the area between NC 54 and I-40, while low- and medium-
density residential growth is planned for the western portion of the Planning Area closer to
RTP, as described in the Town’s 2035 Land Use Plan. This will also include growth
facilitated by NC 540.
As development occurs and land uses change, open space will be preserved by a number of
measures. A public open space requirement is part of the Town’s UDO and is described in
Section 6.
TABLE 5-1
Planning Area Future Land Use
General Land Use Type
Square
Miles
Percent of
Planning
Area
Residential Developed
3.3
34%
Non-residential Developed
1
5.4
55%
Open Space
1.1
11%
Total
9.8
100%
Town of Morrisville, 2014
1
Transportation and mixed use are included within
the Non-Residential category.