Cary residents oppose proposed New Haven Drive cut-through, cite safety and transparency concerns

At the May 6 Village of Cary board meeting, multiple residents urged village officials to halt or rethink plans to create a cut-through on New Haven Drive to serve a proposed apartment complex, saying the neighborhood’s street design and limited visibility would create safety risks and reduce property values.

The concerns were raised in public comment by residents who live on or near New Haven Drive. "I'd like to talk about the proposed cutway for adding onto our street, New Haven Drive, from the new proposed apartment complex. The street design and neighborhood is not conducive to handling increased volumes of traffic, and this would definitely pose a safety risk," said Tina Napolitano, who gave her address as 1373 New Haven.

Why it matters: residents said New Haven is a low‑speed (25 mph) residential street with curves, blind spots and frequent school bus stops and outdoor play. They said more traffic would increase crash risk and noise and asked the village to study alternatives and improve public engagement.

Several speakers proposed alternatives or mitigation. Napolitano suggested reopening a shoulder lane at the 3 Oaks Road intersection for a right‑turn only lane, extending Letter Road to provide an in/out connection and building a direct entrance on Route 31. "Some alternatives to consider: open up the shoulder lane on the 3 Oaks traffic intersection to right turn only lanes … extend Letter Road, already existing to be an in out road," Napolitano said.

Resident David Arvind said he started a petition five days earlier to oppose converting New Haven into a cut‑through and told the board he had collected 262 signatures. "I started a petition 5 days ago … I have a petition with 262 people," Arvind said, and asked for more transparent outreach and for the board to meet with neighborhood representatives.

Not all speakers opposed the connection. Michael Schaeff, who lives on Perth Road, said he supports routing traffic through New Haven, arguing the adjacent commercial parcel at Route 31 could increase the village tax base and bring businesses. "I'm actually in favor of New Haven drive going through, especially with the commercial property at the end … I think it will really benefit the village as far as a tax base and bringing new businesses here," Schaeff said.

New residents also called out sight‑line and safety problems: "I live on the first curve down the street on New Haven, and there's a lot of blind spots … If we're going to add another 40, 50, 60 cars down through that way, even at 25 miles per hour, it's tough already to get across the street," said Joe Windsor.

Residents repeatedly raised concerns about transparency and notice for developer meetings. Arvind said he learned about a developer meeting by word of mouth and that some residents believed the mayor and board supported the roadway. He asked the village to meet with residents and form a committee to discuss the plans.

Board response and outcome: remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; trustees did not take formal action on the matter at the May 6 meeting. Village staff and officials said they would take notes and follow up; no vote or direction to staff to approve or deny a cut‑through was recorded. The mayor interrupted one speaker to enforce the three‑minute public‑comment limit and told commenters the village would provide information when available.

Ending: Residents asked the planning committee and mayor to reconsider the proposed connection, provide clearer notice and data, and meet with a neighborhood committee. The board did not take a formal vote on the proposal during the meeting; future board or planning meetings will determine next steps.