Rift over Maplewood School land deepens between Cary District 26 and village
Cary-based School District 26 continues planning for a new bus transportation center at the old Maplewood School property, but the village of Cary may stop those plans.
The district has requested an amendment to existing zoning to allow school-related transportation centers. It also seeks a conditional use permit and some variances for the project, including an increased fence height from 8 to 10 feet and a request not to install landscaping around the fence line.
On Thursday, Cary’s board of zoning, planning and appeals voted 4-2 to recommend denial of the district’s request. The final decision will be made later by the village board.
The property is zoned as a single-family residential district, according to village documents. The elementary school that has been closed for almost 14 years, along with the district’s transportation building and the concession and restroom building used by the Cary-Grove Youth Baseball & Softball are all scheduled to be demolished before June 1, according to district documents.
“The current facility is falling apart. The transportation center is a used trailer that was bought used in the early 1990s, I believe,” said David Shepherd, director of finance and operations for District 26.
The new Maplewood Transportation Center, which is planned for a neighboring property, is set to include parking spaces for 40 school buses, a fuel pump, car parking, vehicle service and wash bays and an office area.
The district secured a $374,500 bid for demolition in January.
Maplewood School, located at 340 W. Krenz Ave., will be turned into a vacant grassy lot.
Village officials expressed that they would like to see future residential development on the land, but the district plans to hold onto the land, potentially for a new school, Shepherd said.
“At this time, there is no present plan to build an educational facility at that site, but it is an option as the landowner that we hold available to us,” Shepherd said.
The village of Cary proposed multiple scenarios to assist with the redevelopment of the property, which sits in the village’s downtown TIF that was created in August.
The district declined all offers, with Superintendent Brandon White citing in an Oct. 31 email to the village the potential future need for property, the desire to stay on the construction schedule and the impact of the TIF on the school district’s finances. Mayor Mark Kownick said this has been “a very disappointing thing for the village of Cary.”
Some collaboration between the district and the village might still happen, as the village hopes to increase downtown accessibility with a Maplewood Access Road Extension project. The village requested District 26 reserve land north of the property for the road and use the future road as the main access point for the transportation center.
Shepherd argued that preparing plans for a main entry point to the future access road “would not be practical.”
Some resident concerns included more light pollution. New LED lights would be “dramatically improved” from the lighting at the current transportation center, said principal architect Greg Stahler from Cashman Stahler Group, which works for the district.
Board member Eric Kretschmer asked why the district wouldn’t build the new transportation center at the Cary Junior High School property.
Shepherd noted “logistical challenges” for Deer Path Elementary and the junior high traffic, soil quality concerns and traffic congestion.
“We’d have to build a separate entry and exit for those buses,” he said, “which would dramatically alter the landscape of that campus, taking away possible outdoor learning spaces for our students.”