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Town Center Plan
January 2007
Chapter 1: Existing Conditions
Core area in the Town Center area to the
east, south, and west are newly-developing
residential, retail, and office projects, all of
which compete to some extent for market
share with the Town Center. These are
detailed in the full report in Appendix 4.
Physical Constraints:
Several key physical
constraints impact the market potential for
new development in the project area. These
include:
• The railroad, which reduces physical
development potential. In particular, this
occurs along NC 54 near the intersection
with Morrisville-Carpenter Road on the
west side of the tracks where the railroad
grade reduces visibility from lots that back
up to the tracks.
• The lack of safe pedestrian crossings of
the railroad tracks, which greatly reduces
opportunities for a traditional retail “Main
Street” shopping district in this location.
• The flood zone, which significantly reduces
the development potential in the southeast
portion of study area.
Visibility:
The impact of visibility was
assessed as it relates to the marketability
of uses throughout the Town Center study
area. Key findings include:
• Excellent visibility on main roads
• Limited visibility from side streets
• Significant traffic volumes, allowing retail
visibility to regional and destination
commuters
Location and Access:
Morrisville, and the
Town Center in particular, has a superior,
central location that offers significant
advantages for residents commuting to
employment as well as for businesses serving
customers or clients throughout the Triangle
region.
Town Center attributes include:
• Superior regional location, at heart of
Triangle markets;
• Extremely proximate and accessible to
RTP, a major economic driver for the
region;
• Proximate to RDU Airport and related
employment base;
• Easy commuting distance to Raleigh
(State government center), Durham
(university and medical center), and
Chapel Hill (university and medical center)
employment centers;
• Easy commuting distance to Cary and
upper-income residential areas;
• Good regional access, but threatened
by traffic that reduces ability to access
individual parcels;
• Internal access hindered by roads neces-
sitated by railroad;
• Extremely poor pedestrian access and
inadequate pedestrian safety provisions
throughout study area.
Heritage Value:
Morrisville offers certain
heritage value, although its historic character
has been compromisedby fires anddemolition
over the years that have negatively impacted
the overall identity of the Town Center and
its sense of place.
The Town Center also has:
• Good remaining vintage building stock,
some of which is under-appreciated;
The railroad tracks that have long provided an important
corridor for passengers and freight also create a barrier
to automobile and passenger traffic moving east and
west through the Town Center. (Photo: Ben Hitchings,
Town of Morrisville)