After heated 5-hour meeting, vote delayed for Cary apartment complex with controversial road extension

The Cary Village Board is expected to vote on a proposed mixed-use luxury housing community on Tuesday, Oct. 28, after leaving many residents concerned about a road extension that would connect a neighborhood street to Route 31.

The village board met Oct. 21 with an expectation that trustees would vote on the development. But officials agreed to resume the meeting next week after it lasted over five hours.

The proposal, called Seasons at Cary, includes nearly 5 acres of commercial space and 360 units of what’s been described as luxury rental housing with a pool house, pickleball courts and other amenities. It would be on the Damisch Farm property, east of Route 31.

Residents from the neighboring Cambria subdivision have been pushing back against the development, specifically the northern access point that would extend New Haven Drive west to Route 31 with a full intersection.

Opponents have said that it would disrupt their neighborhood by increasing traffic and road maintenance and potentially reducing property values.

The village’s zoning, planning and appeals commission has unanimously recommended the plan, with a stipulation that the road would be “uni-directional” and only connect to the subdivision through westbound traffic.

More than 130 residents packed the Oct. 21 meeting. Things got heated during the meeting, with yelling from the crowd and Mayor Mark Kownick banging his gavel multiple times.

Fiduciary Development Vice President Tony DeRosa said he is willing to build the estimated $100 million project without the road extension to New Haven Drive, but said “the desirability and marketability is not as good without it.”

The plan includes up to 32,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. Without road connectivity or a traffic light, national retailers might not move into the space, DeRosa said.

A traffic study estimates that almost 1,700 cars would flow through New Haven Drive at the originally proposed two-way extension per day, or 900 cars per day if the road is a westbound one-way, Community Development Director Brian Simmons said.

Despite the zoning commissioners’ attempt to find a middle ground, many residents continue to oppose the road extension. A group of community members along Cimarron Drive started an online petition at stoprt31.com. Over the months, they’ve gathered “hundreds of signatures,” sent more than 1,500 emails, and put up road signs and billboard ads, according to the website.