14 / 125
14
│
Town Center Plan
January 2007
Chapter 1: Existing Conditions
demand for residential space, particularly
in the centrally-located Morrisville area.
• Morrisville’s reputation has changed from
“poor stepsister” of Cary to a desirable
and centrally-located place to live with
good schools.
• Apartmentmarket drivenby job relocations.
Many rent for one year while deciding where
to buy. Morrisville is seen as particularly
desirable by newcomers and many choose
to purchase in this area.
• Area was over-built for condominium and
townhouse development, but demand
is now aligning with supply. Townhouse
(higher density housing) absorption in
area has been relatively strong, with
nearby development averaging seven
units per month.
• Affordable 1-story houses (e.g., “patio
homes”) are extremely popular with
families and will increasingly satisfy
demand from boomers/empty nesters
for easy-to-maintain affordable housing.
Carpenter Park is good example of this
mass-market product that would be
even more marketable in a Town Center
neighborhood setting.
• Patio homes might be complemented with
mid-rise senior housing on the periphery
of the Town Center area to accommodate
growing demand as the area attracts
the relocation of senior parents of the
professionals who work in RTP and live
in the Triangle. Senior living associated
with area religious and other “affinity
group” designations would be logical in
the study area. It is also logical to place
senior housing within walking distance or
a short drive of the cultural, professional
(i.e., medical, insurance), and retail uses
within the town center.
• The Town Center’s vintage, single-fam-
ily detached homes are desirable and the
strengths of this community can be ex-
panded upon through infill or addition.
Some infill higher-density product would
also perform well, depending on design.
There is one somewhat competitive Tradi-
tional Neighborhood Development (TND)
product in the immediate area, Carpen-
ter Village. However, this community has
a much more “urban” context and high-
density development envelope than the
existing “rural” Morrisville Town Center.
Retail:
• The area’s overall retail potential will
increase as more residential development
comes on line in the near future.
• There may be neighborhood retail and
service opportunities generated by this
growth. However, convenience retail and
restaurant markets will be largely captured
by existing and planned competitive
developments within a short walk or drive
of the study area.
• The central location does provide
opportunities for destination retail, but
roads are not capable of handling capacity
for large-scale destination retail.
• There are opportunities for highway
convenience and specialty retail, but those
are generally confined to the two main
roads. Although these have good visibility
and high traffic volumes that would support
One residential market opportunity in the Town Center
is to provide new options for senior living. (Photo: Ben
Hitchings, Town of Morrisville)