5 / 125
│
Town Center Plan
January 2007
In 1852, Jeremiah Morris donated three acres
of land to the North Carolina Railroad for a
train depot, and Morrisville was born. In
the modern day, as the Triangle’s population
has exploded, so too has that of Morrisville,
growing from a community of several
hundred residents to nearly 15,000 in the
past 25 years. Yet, it still remains a small
town in the heart of the Triangle.
This plan describes a vision for creating a
vibrant Town Center at Morrisville’s historic
crossroads to help ensure that residents
continue to enjoy the best qualities of small-
town living as the community grows. The
plan was developed with extensive public
input and the help of a team of design
professionals. The resulting physical design
reflects the needs and desires of the public
as well as a variety of design considerations,
including physical features such as the
railroad line, current and projected market
conditions for new development in the project
area, and implementation feasibility.
Key elements of this plan include:
• Protecting the historic structures around
Church Street;
• Creating a community gathering place
lined with small businesses and anchored
by a civic/cultural facility;
• Establishing a Civil War park and a rural
heritage park;
• Linking the parks and other destinations
with a network of sidewalks and
greenways;
• Investing in a variety of transportation
improvements, including reworking Chapel
Hill Road (NC 54) into separate northbound
and southbound segments in the Town
Center area, improving the intersection
of Morrisville-Carpenter Road and Chapel
Hill Road, and installing roundabouts at
selected locations to mark the transition
into the Town Center.
In these ways, this plan calls for leveraging
the elements of Morrisville’s historic
crossroads village to create a distinctive
and inviting center of community. The plan
concludes with a series of implementation
steps to systematically pursue this vision
over time. By working together to implement
the plan, the Morrisville community has a
rare opportunity to enhance its small-town
character and create a dynamic focal point for
current and future generations of residents.
Executive Summary
Sample streetscape from the Town Center Concept
Design (Graphic: Raybould Associates for the Town of
Morrisville)
Town Center Concept Design (Graphic: Raybould As-
sociates for the Town of Morrisville)