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Town Center Plan
January 2007
Appendix 4
Appendix
Town Center Inventory
•
Retail & Service
o
Ben’s Bargain Barn. Building purchased in 1993, formerly a bicycle shop. Originally built as
the Red & White Food Store (grocery), adjacent to the Jones’ Hardware Store. The closing of
Cedar Street (now Franklin Upchurch, Sr. Street) due to a train wreck forced the store to move
its entrance to the back, on Morrisville-Carpenter Road. Sales dropped precipitously after 9-
11, but the business still attracts a regular clientele from throughout the region and Morrisville
itself.
o
Bill’s Auto Body. Garage-based business located off of Chapel Hill Road.
o
Gas station (planned for intersection of NC54 and Aviation Parkway).
•
Residential
o
22 houses inventoried with vintage or historic value. Several houses built prior to or during the
19
th
century. The two small residential neighborhoods on either side of Morrisville-Carpenter
Road provide a very pleasant and desirable, small-town environment. A new townhouse
community, Church Street Townes, is under development in the northwest portion of the study
area.
•
Office
o
Yard-Nique. This landscaping business occupies 3 historic and vintage (ca 1901) buildings with
high visibility along NC54. The buildings have 1,600, 800, and 2,200 (main office) square feet,
respectively. The landscaping business started in Raleigh in 1998 and moved to Morrisville
in 2002, drawn by the availability of these houses which already had business zoning. The
business serves a regional market, focused on residential growth in the Morrisville area.
•
Civic
o
Fire Station. The most visible building in the town center area, the fire station provides an
excellent civic use as an anchor for enhancing the small town identity.
o
Town Hall. The town hall is nicely designed and landscaped but is not immediately visible,
integrated, or associated with the town center.
o
Police Station. Same as above.
o
Chamber of Commerce. Same as above.
o
Ruritan Park. The idea of a park at this location is logical, but the park lacks presence, identity,
and even a sign on NC54. It is difficult to tell where the park ends and the fire station’s parking
lot begins. It would be helpful to know if the gazebo is actually used by the community.
•
Other
o
Vacant land. There are vacant lots scattered throughout the town center area. Some of this
vacancy was created due to the demolition of buildings.
Uses within a short walk from Town Center
•
Weston (western border)
o
Little Pros Academy
o
Strip shopping center
Asuka Japanese Restaurant
Cleaners