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Town Center Plan
January 2007
Appendix 4
they were found primarily along Aviation Parkway closer to RTP.
The overall payroll of these businesses was almost $1.0 billion in 2004, up by 187 million or 23.9% from
1998. The average wage increased at a somewhat slower rate of 15.6% in current dollars over this
period, from $42,100 in 1998 to $48,660 by 2004. Morrisville-area wages are significantly higher than
those in Wake County as a whole, which averaged $36,480 in 2004 or 75% of those in Morrisville. But,
Wake County wages are rising slightly faster than those in Morrisville.
Site Analysis
The following summarizes key findings from a SiteAnalysis conducted to assess the existing inventory and
overall factors impacting on the marketability of the Town Center Study Area, surrounding the intersection
of Chapel Hill Road (NC54) & Morrisville-Carpenter Road / Aviation Parkway.
Existing Inventory
The following summarizes an inventory of existing uses within the Town Center study area as well as of
areas on the periphery of the town center. A more detailed inventory is provided in the Appendix of this
memorandum.
•
Town Center
. Within the town center, there are residential and civic functions, but only a few
business uses. As such, the area is not definable as a “business district” in the traditional sense of
a commercial town center. The town center also lacks identity and presence because of the lack
of building massing and any sense of scale. Key uses include:
o
Residential. Existing houses were inventoried in the town center area, most of which are
clustered in two residential neighborhoods located south of NC54 on either side of Morrisville-
Carpenter Road. The houses offer significant historic and vintage architectural value but are in
various stages of maintenance. There is also an 80-unit townhouse community (Church Street
Townes) under construction in the north-western portion of the study area.
o
Retail & Service. There is only one retail business located in the historic core of the town
center, Ben’s Bargain Barn, initially built as the Red & White Food Store (adjacent to the
former Jones’ Hardware Store). There is also a small auto repair shop (Bill’s Auto Body),
located off of NC54.
o
Office. There are two private office uses in the town center, Yard-Nique, a landscaping design
and installation company, and The Orchid Trail, an orchid nursery. Yard-Nique occupies three
of the most visible historic (ca 1901) buildings in the town center, with a total of almost 5,000
square feet of office and related business space along NC54.
o
Civic. The town center has a strong presence of civic buildings, including a fire station, town
hall, police station, church, and chamber of commerce. Other than the fire station, however,
the presence of these buildings is not felt because they are mostly located off of the main
roads. A small park (Ruritan Park) is barely definable as a public space from NC54.
•
Peripheral Areas.
Just outside of 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 Appendix and summarized below:
o
Within a short (5-minute) walk:
•
South/East – Portion of Weston with (new) strip shopping center & restaurants, offices,