Morrisville Planning Department

Historic Crossroads Committee Releases Recommendations on Historic Preservation

Posted: 6/9/2008

Recommendations: In February of 2008 the Planning & Zoning Board convened a special Historic Crossroads Committee of residents to develop recommendations on incentives and standards for the preservation of historic properties in the Town Center.

The goal of this work is to provide recommendations on how to turn the historic preservation goals of the Town Center Plan into action, and help create a vibrant, beautiful, and authentic central gathering place in Morrisville.

The HCC met four times and conducted one walking tour of the historic area during the spring of 2008. It began its work by reviewing the historic preservation strategies currently available to North Carolina communities, then discussed the merits of the different techniques, and concluded by developing recommendations on how best to protect historic properties in the Town Center.

The recommendations on incentives provide input on voluntary preservation programs that the Town might establish. The recommendations on standards serve as input into the preparation of the Town Center Development Code that is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2008.

Next Steps: The recommendations of the Historic Crossroads Committee will be presented to the Planning & Zoning Board at its monthly meeting on June 12th, 2008. The meeting starts at 6 PM, and will be held in the Town Hall Board Room at 100 Town Hall Drive. The Planning & Zoning Board will hold a public comment session on the recommendations at this time.

Immediately prior to the Planning Board meeting on June 12th, there will be an Open House open to the public from 5 to 6 PM in the Town Hall Board Room. We will have displays presenting the Historic Crossroads Committee recommendations, and staff and committee members on hand to receive input and help answer any questions that folks might have. Light refreshments will be served. We hope you can join us!

Documents of Interest:

- Summary of Historic Preservation Tools

More Information: If you have any questions or comments on this project, please don’t hesitate to contact Ashley Jones ajones@ci.morrisville.nc.us or Ben Hitchings bhitchings@ci.morrisville.nc.us, or call the Planning Department at 463-6194.

Historic Crossroads Committee Created to Study Historic Preservation Strategies

Posted: 2/8/2008

Updated: 2/22/2008

To help implement the Town Center Plan, Morrisville is convening an Historic Crossroads Committee (HCC) to study historic preservation strategies. The HCC will meet four times during the spring of 2008 to review the historic preservation techniques currently available to North Carolina communities and develop recommendations for what is desirable in Morrisville. The Committee will focus on two kinds of strategies -- Voluntary Historic Preservation Incentives and Community Historic Preservation Standards.

The Committee will present its recommendations to the Planning & Zoning Board, which will review them and make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners. Recommendations on Voluntary Preservation Incentives will help guide the development of a historic preservation incentive program. Recommendations on Community Preservation Standards will serve as valuable input in the preparation of the Town Center Development Code, slated to begin later in 2008.

- Description of Project

- Committee Members

- Committee Schedule

Open House for Potential Cultural Arts Center

Posted: 10/4/2007

We have seen the Town Center Plan develop, taken surveys about a possible Cultural Arts Center as an anchor for the Main Street, and now it is time to see what the consultant recommends to respond to this input and analysis! Some exciting potential components for a Morrisville Cultural Arts Center include an outdoor amphitheater, art studios, conference spaces, a family theater, adult hobby classes, and much more...

Please join us for an informal Open House next Monday, October 8th from 5:30-6:30pm for a chance to eat, mix and mingle, and see the final recommendations from our consultant. You will also have the opportunity to talk with our consultant and staff, and then we invite you to stay for the beginning of the Board of Commissioners meeting for a short formal presentation.

Town Center Plan Recognized

Posted: 8/1/2007

Morrisville's Town Center Plan has won a 2007 State Planning Award from the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association! This award "recognizes plans, programs or processes of unusually high merit, adopted or enacted in the current or past two calendar years". The award will be presented at the annual NC Planning Conference. Congrats to all the citizens, elected officials, staff, and consultants who participated in this process.

Complete Survey for Cultural Arts Center

Posted: 7/20/2007

One of the early implementation projects for the recently adopted Town Center Plan is to study the need and benefits of a possible Cultural Arts Facility. What do you think? Complete this survey and tell us how you feel about a place that could: provide a place for the Town of Morrisville and its citizens to gather for social and arts activities; Help anchor the planned Main Street included in the Town Center Plan; provide a performance space for a non-profit family theater; and serve as a destination to draw residents, visitors, and businesses to the Town Center.

Town Center Plan Finalized!

The final version of the Town Center plan can be viewed here. Or, take a look at the condensed four page summary.

Morrisville has grown from a rural crossroads village to a town of 15,000 residents in a few short decades. To help create a dynamic focal point for the community, the Town involved hundreds of residents and other participants in a year-long planning process to develop a Town Center Plan. The resulting document describes a vision for creating a vibrant, walkable gathering place at Morrisville’s historic crossroads to help ensure that residents continue to enjoy the best qualities of small-town living as the community grows.

Implementing the Town Center Plan

Now that the Plan is adopted, the project is entering its "Implementation" Phase. Early projects include the following:

	Convening a Historic Crossroads Stakeholders Group to develop historic preservation options. This group will look at financial incentives available for historic preservation and appropriate standards for new construction in the historic crossroads area of the Town Center. This project is slated to start early this spring.
	Preparing a Town Center Development Code. The Town will work with community stakeholders to establish new development standards for how develop can occur in the Town Center area based on the guidance in the Town Center Plan. This project will start in late spring.
	Restoring the Christian Church. The Town will restore the old Town Hall so that it can be used again as a community facility. This scoping work for this project is now underway.
	Acquiring parkland. The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department is working to secure funds to acquire potential parkland identified in the Town Center Plan from willing sellers. This project is underway.
	Conducting a preliminary needs assessment for a possible Cultural Arts Facility. In this project, the Town will partner with the Chamber of Commerce and a nonprofit arts organization to explore the potential for establishing a Cultural Arts Facility to help anchor the civic/cultural street planned in the Town Center.
	Preparing the Town Center Transportation Element as part of the update to the town-wide Transportation Plan. This project will refine the transportation improvements identified in the Town Center Plan in order to improve traffic flow through this area and create a safe pedestrian and bicycle network in this area. This project will begin in late spring with the start of the update to the Transportation Plan.

The Town looks forward to working in partnership with the community to pursue these projects and begin implementing the community vision for this part of town. Together, we have the opportunity to create a distinctive and inviting center of community that enhances Morrisville's small-town character and creates a dynamic focal point for current and future generations.

Informational Resources	Maps
Project Summary	Downtown Area (Coming Soon!)
Land Use Plan Resolution	Historic Properties Map (Coming Soon!)
Land Use Plan Amendment Briefing Sheet

We want to hear from you! Email information@ci.morrisville.nc.us with any feedback!

- Archive