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Town Center Plan
January 2007
Chapter 2: Planning Process & Concept Design
to medium-scale buildings arranged in
an informal but organized way around an
outdoor plaza. This plaza or gathering place,
which was the single most frequently named
need among those identified by the public
during background meetings and the design
workshop, could serve a variety of functions
depending on the season. In good weather,
Morrisville residents could enjoy outdoor
movies and concerts. Fall and winter might
bring pumpkin and Christmas tree sales, while
weekend farmers’ markets could be featured
throughout the long local growing season.
Although the collection of buildings may be
clearly oriented around this public space, the
physical settingwouldbedeliberately informal
and vernacular rather than monumental, to
fit with the character of the nearby historic
rural crossroads. A variety of rooflines,
outdoor rooms created by the spaces between
buildings, and covered porches would ensure
that this new area resembles old Morrisville
in its human scale and rural village character.
Even the parking areas could be deliberately
broken up into small lots tucked behind and
among buildings.
Uses in this area should be those that
need good access but do not require
highway visibility: a children’s theater or
other performance space, live-work space,
special office space, arts uses, and flexible
and incubator space for startups or small
businesses needing a location with special
character, along with a few specialty shops
toward the most visible section of this district
at the Town Hall Drive end. Live-work space
would ensure round-the-clock occupancy and
safety of the public areas, with owners using
their ground floor businesses during the day
and heading upstairs to their living quarters
in the evening. A café or restaurant may
survive in this location if surrounding uses,
such as a theater and associated classrooms
or programs, have enough active and regular
programming throughout the day and week.
Because the nearby region is already
abundantly supplied with high-visibility retail
and service uses, a conventional shopping
destination or downtown mix is unlikely to
be viable in this somewhat out-of-the-way
location. The key to the success of the civic
and community heart would be to assemble
an assortment of complementary uses that
need and can take advantage of the unique
location, perhaps with a creative or arts
emphasis, and provide synergy and activity
among each other.
New Residential District:
The new residential transition area between
the historic crossroads and the civic/
cultural focus may be marked with public
art, footpaths, and vehicular connections.
A dogleg in the vehicular street would
slow traffic while still allowing access. A
children’s park might occupy a key location
in the transition area and could be enhanced
with a water element (perhaps serving as a
play feature) as well as a notable work of
public art. South of the park and footpath,
new streets should permeate the area and
open it up for use and redevelopment. This
location would be well suited for new housing
A venue like the community arts facility pictured above
could host performances, artist studios, classrooms,
galleries, and other civic functions. (Photo: Ben
Hitchings, Town of Morrisville)