Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Master Management Plan - 2014

TOWN OF MORRISVILLE

infiltration, and corridors for wildlife movement. Impacts to floodplains will be limited, because of the Town’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), and floodplain overlay zoning district, as described in Section 6. 5.2 Soils As land is developed, clearing and grading will result in soil disturbance. By using heavy equipment on development sites, soils will be compacted. During grading, soil will be moved; in some areas, it will be removed, while in other areas it will be replaced. The Triassic soils found throughout the Planning Area require particular construction considerations. Thus, the location of soil types may change. During clearing and grading, some soils will be eroded, but the impacts from this will be minimized by following an approved site plan in accordance with the County’s erosion and sediment control program described in Appendix B. 5.3 Land Use The Town’s 2035 Land Use Plan was used to estimate future build-out land use conditions (Louis Berger Group, 2009a). A land use plan is a guidance document that illustrates the land use the Town would like to see in a given area if development occurs. This does not mean that all land in a given area will be developed. Figure 5-1 illustrates general land use

categories within the Planning Area. Table 5-1 provides details on the area (square miles) within each general land use category. Given the proximity of the area to RTP and a strong local economy, it is very unlikely that the existing land use characterization would remain. The pattern and rate of growth without infrastructure will be different; growth without infrastructure may be less dense than growth supported by infrastructure and the Town’s 2035 Land Use Plan, but it may be spread over a larger area. Currently, 19 percent of the Planning Area is undeveloped, which is defined by the Town as land that has potential for development.

TABLE 5-1 Planning Area Future Land Use

Percent of Planning Area

Square Miles

General Land Use Type

Residential Developed

3.3

34%

Non-residential Developed 1

5.4

55%

Open Space

1.1

11%

Total

9.8

100%

Town of Morrisville, 2014 1 Transportation and mixed use are included within the Non-Residential category.

Even without the proposed infrastructure, conversion of this vacant land to low-density residential land is likely to occur in the Planning Area. Undeveloped land may be forested or cleared. The most heavily urbanized areas lie along the NC 54 corridor. Commercial and industrial growth is planned for the area between NC 54 and I-40, while low- and medium- density residential growth is planned for the western portion of the Planning Area closer to RTP, as described in the Town’s 2035 Land Use Plan. This will also include growth facilitated by NC 540. As development occurs and land uses change, open space will be preserved by a number of measures. A public open space requirement is part of the Town’s UDO and is described in Section 6.

5-2