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6
Community Areas
Local office building.
environment for pedestrians and cyclists on adjacent paths.
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Higher densities of nonresidential uses would be needed to compensate
for the substantial private investment needed to complete the street net-
work and provide utilities in this undeveloped area.
This Plan proposes to largely maintain the existing industrial uses and provide for
limited expansion in this area, but this represents a departure from previous plans.
There is also potential for redevelopment within the Morrisville East area, where
low-density development may be replaced with more intense uses. In particu-
lar, public comments noted that the area south of Aviation Parkway adjacent
to Lake Crabtree may be appropriate for low-density residential development,
with neighborhood retail closer to the intersection with Evans Road. This area is
currently actively used for industrial and office uses, so any redevelopment in this
location most likely would occur in the long-term.
6.6 Perimeter Park
This northeast area of Morrisville covers the Perimeter Park office complex, the
Airport Boulevard corridor, and properties with frontage on the northern portion
of NC 54. The area is characterized by office complexes and retail uses at the
I-40 interchange. Recent development includes additional office buildings, a large retail
center, including a Wal-Mart, on the north side of the NC 540 interchange, and a hotel
and small retail center at NC 54 and Carrington Mill Boulevard. Perimeter Park has an
approved master plan to build more office buildings, which accounts for most of the re-
maining undeveloped land in this area. Wake County Technical Community College has
purchased land north of Watkins Road on the east side of NC 54 for a future community
college campus. Since much of this area is covered by the Airport Noise Overlay District,
which does not permit residential uses, having this area develop as the center of office
and institutional uses in Morrisville, anchored by major retail at the interchanges, makes
sense. Some vacant land exists along Slater Road outside the noise restriction area, which
this Plan recommends for medium density residential use because of its proximity to em-
ployment centers and existing transit service.
To address traffic congestion on NC 54, the Transportation Plan recommends a four-lane
roadway with possible later expansion to six lanes on one segment if approved by Town
Council (Figure 6.5 provides an illustration). Grade separations (overpasses) are planned
for NC 54 at Airport Boulevard, McCrimmon Parkway, Carrington Mill Boulevard and Morris-
ville Parkway to facilitate traffic flow from east to west. Airport Boulevard will be improved
with bike lanes, a planted median, and multi-use paths. Carrington Mill Boulevard will be
extended northeast to Slater Road, and an extension of Marcom Drive is planned to con-
nect to Watkins Road.
Redevelopment possibilities in the area include the Morrisville Outlet Mall, some of the
older one to two story office buildings, and some industrial facilities. An illustration of what
a redevelopment of Morrisville Outlet Mall might look like is presented in Figure 6.6 on the
following pages.
Figure 6.5 NC 54 Streetscape Illustration
This example shows the redevelopment potential along
NC54 as it transforms into a four-lane roadway with
bike lanes and sidewalks. Planted medians and street
trees complement the new roadway environment and
corridor commercial land uses fill in along both sides
of the road to support increased pedestrian use.
Existing roadway
6.5 Morrisville East, cont’d