Morrisville Town Center Plan

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Town Center Plan

January 2007

Appendix 12

Morrisville Cultural & Civic Area Parking Study

The purpose of this study is to determine how to provide an adequate amount of shared parking to

support the land uses proposed within the new Cultural and Civic Area while maintaining a compact,

pedestrian-friendly development pattern as recommended in the Morrisville Town Center Plan.

The use of shared parking – for both on-street parking and multiple off-street parking areas – located

throughout the site is critical in maximizing parking availability while minimizing impacts on pedestrian

travel, building location and stormwater runoff. The basic indication of this study is that, depending on

the development scenario used, between 179 and 206 shared parking spaces are needed. In contrast, a

conventional suburban approach to parking would require between 229 and 295 parking spaces.

Study Area

For parking demand and on-site parking facilities, the study area is bounded by the future E Street to the

north, Church Street to the east, the Chamber of Commerce building to the south and Town Hall Drive

to the west. For off-site parking, the study area extends along Town Hall Drive south to Morrisville-

Carpenter Road and north to Downing Glen Drive. Off-site parking along Town Hall Drive reflects an

area within a ¼-mile radius of the proposed development. This distance represents a 5-minute walking

trip. Although Church Street and other streets located in the historic core are also within this walking

trip radius, neither additional parking nor traffic are desirable for this area, so no accommodations for

either are to be provided.

Development Scenarios

At-a-glance

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Children’s theater – 425 seats

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Park/playground – ½ acre playground + picnic shelter

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Commercial space – 25,000 square feet total, consisting of:

Food service/restaurants – 2,500 to 5,000 square feet

Retail – 5,000 to 10,000 square feet

Professional offices/studios/services – 10,000 to 17,500 square feet

Overview

. Although the Town Hall Drive corridor provides access to a number of subdivisions and is

expected to carry even more traffic once connected with I-540 and Morrisville Parkway, the potential for

commercial development dependent on drive-by traffic remains low. It is simply not competitive with

nearby developments in existence or in progress.

The centerpiece of the cultural and civic area is a proposed children’s theater. This theater should serve

as a catalyst for other development and is anticipated to be a critical destination and traffic generator.

The theater as envisioned would be a regional destination needing good regional accessibility but not

high visibility. The proposed location has access from major regional highways (I-40, I-540, NC 54,

NC 55 and Davis Drive).