Cary ZPA continues hearing on 360-unit Damish Farm mixed-use proposal amid New Haven Drive traffic dispute

The Village of Cary Zoning, Planning and Appeals board on July 17 continued public hearings on a proposal to redevelop the Damish Farm property on Route 31 into a mixed-use project that would combine about 4.7 acres of commercial frontage with 360 apartment homes behind it.

The petitioner, Fiduciary Real Estate Development, asked the ZPA for five actions: an amendment to the village comprehensive plan to change the site’s future land use from commercial to commercial plus multifamily; a zoning map amendment to rezone most of the site to R-3 multifamily; approval of a final plat of subdivision; approval of a planned-unit development with five zoning departures; and a variance to the McHenry County stormwater ordinance allowing longer detention drawdown times. The board continued the hearing to Aug. 21, 2025, to allow time for additional analysis and review.

Why it matters: Residents of the adjacent Cambria subdivision said the proposal — and specifically the developer’s request to extend New Haven Drive to Route 31 — could change traffic patterns, safety and neighborhood character. The board and staff repeatedly framed the dispute as a balance among the village’s comprehensive-plan guidance, developers’ market assumptions, public-safety access and traffic-calming options.

What the proposal would do: Tony DeRosa, vice president of Fiduciary Real Estate Development, said the firm proposes two phases: 234 apartments in phase one and 126 in phase two, for 360 units total; a retail pad area of about 4.7 acres that could accommodate roughly 32,000 square feet of retail; and a townhouse-style apartment design with private entries and attached garages. DeRosa said average asking rents are currently projected between $1,600 and $2,900 per month. He said the developer reduced unit count since a neighborhood meeting in April and moved stormwater ponds and buildings to increase buffers for adjacent single-family yards.

Zoning…