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Neighbors urge Cary Council to reject or tighten Trenton Road rezoning; hearing continued to planning board
Summary
At a packed public hearing, residents raised traffic safety, environmental, and infrastructure concerns about a developer’s proposal to rezone 21.7 acres on Trenton Road for up to 175 dwellings. The council took no final action and referred the request to the Planning & Zoning Board for further review.
A public hearing on a rezoning request for approximately 21.7 acres along Trenton Road (25REZ12 / Roscoe Trail) drew lengthy neighborhood opposition centered on traffic safety, drainage, environmental impacts, and compatibility with adjacent single-family areas. No decision was taken; the request was referred to Cary’s Planning & Zoning Board.
Planning staff explained the proposal would rezone land now designated Office & Institutional (O&I) to Residential Multifamily Conditional Use (RMFCU), with conditions that would cap the development at 175 dwellings, limit building height to three stories and to a maximum of 12 units per multifamily building, and set aside 5% of units at 80% of area median income for 30 years. Staff highlighted volunteered commitments such as a 12‑foot shared-use path along the site frontage, nine EV charging spaces, and 10,000 square feet of outdoor community gathering area.
Residents and environmental advocates urged the council to withhold approval or require stronger conditions. Speakers from nearby neighborhoods repeatedly cited the triangular Trinity–Trenton–Arrington intersection — described by multiple residents as a known safety hazard — and questioned whether the traffic analysis sufficiently accounted for special-event traffic from nearby venues (Lenovo Center, stadiums) and existing development proposals. Jean Spooner, chair of the Umstead Coalition, highlighted floodplain and sedimentation concerns draining toward Richland Lake and called for stronger impervious-surface limits and tree‑corridor preservation.
The applicant, Ryan Blair of Heritage, said the proposal had been revised substantially from an earlier higher-density concept and argued the reduced proposal better transitions to the neighborhood by offering townhome-style products, reduced unit counts and site commitments including multimodal improvements. The developer said they reduced the initial scope from roughly 350 units to 175 and met repeatedly with neighbors, SAS representatives, and Raleigh transportation staff where feasible.
Council members sought more information about multimodal connectivity, NCDOT requirements for safety devices (e.g., RRFBs), stormwater controls and post‑development pollutant loads, and the distinction between what the town can require and what is controlled by state or private owners (for example, bridge crossings and some adjacent streets). The mayor and several councilmembers noted that denying the request could leave the property available for office development under existing zoning — a possibility with different impacts — and urged continued engagement among residents, the applicant and staff.
Outcome: The council closed the public hearing and referred the rezoning request to the Planning & Zoning Board for recommendation; no final zoning action was taken by council that night.
Representative quotes: Dan McWhorter (neighborhood resident) said the proposal "would add over 1,500 automobiles on Trenton Road" in conservative estimates, calling for a moratorium on development along the corridor. Developer Ryan Blair said the team "reduced our application by 50% down to 175 units" after neighbor meetings.
Next steps: The item will be scheduled for Planning & Zoning Board review and public input there. Town staff indicated that state and regional agencies (NCDOT, CAMPO) and further traffic and environmental analyses will inform decision-making prior to any council action.
