Cary residents oppose concept to route Route 31 traffic onto New Haven Drive; village says no petition filed

Residents of the New Haven Drive neighborhood told the Cary Village Board on March 4 that a concept floated to open Route 31 onto New Haven Drive would magnify speeding and safety problems in their residential street.

"Routing the overflow traffic off of 31, which is already a nightmare, and sending it through a residential neighborhood is not a solution," said Susan Clark, a Cary resident and president of her homeowners association, during the public-comment portion of the meeting. She added that the neighborhood already sees speeding and drivers running stop signs and that many children live on the street.

Mayor (unnamed) and village staff emphasized that the idea remains only a concept. "Nothing's been decided yet. We talked to a developer that was interested in it. They haven't submitted anything," the mayor said.

Brian Simmons, who oversees the village's zoning and planning appeals functions, told the board that the concept presented in December was an early step and that any developer must submit a formal petition before the village begins the public hearing process. "Once they submit a formal petition to the village, there's a public hearing ... There's public notice required for that hearing. And also part of our development process, there's the opportunity for the developer to host an open house," Simmons said, adding that the open house would be advertised to the public.

Residents asked whether they would receive advance notice. The mayor and staff said neighbors would be notified when a petition is filed and encouraged residents to attend committee meetings and public hearings to provide input.

No formal petition or application related to changes at Route 31 was presented or voted on at the March 4 meeting.