Residents press Cary council over multiple rezoning proposals, citing traffic, stormwater and well concerns

Residents urged the Cary Town Council on Oct. 23 to slow and scrutinize several proposed rezoning and development projects, citing traffic safety, stormwater and potential impacts on private wells and septic systems.

Several public speakers used the meeting’s public comment period to press the point. Rosalind Elwood, speaking on behalf of neighbors near the Kaix Senior Living proposal, said the developer “have consistently refused to consider any and all of the Melody Lane community’s major concerns,” and accused the applicant of withholding a geological survey the neighborhood requested. Elwood told council she and neighbors worry that the project’s “sprawling concrete monolith” and a 50-foot cleared buffer would threaten wells, septics and privacy.

Chad Bowers, a resident of Vexley, told council the rezoning labeled 24 ReZ14 (a parcel near Western Parkway and Evans) “isn’t just a zoning adjustment. It’s a complete redevelopment,” and warned that plans that started as lower‑density concepts have shifted toward proposals he said would bring significantly greater intensity adjacent to long-established single‑family neighborhoods.

At the meeting staff presented rezoning case 2508, a request to rezone roughly 3.31 acres at 8732 Green Level Church Road from R‑40 to R‑12 Conditional Use. Principal planner Aaron Puckett described the proposal as limited to detached dwellings at a maximum density of 1.9 dwelling units per acre (up to six homes), with perimeter buffers placed in common open space, a 750‑square‑foot community gathering area and a commitment to curb, gutter and sidewalks on both sides of streets within the development.

Neighbors in the Tuscana and adjacent subdivisions pressed technical concerns during the public hearing. Gail Johnson said past development in the area had produced persistent drainage problems at her property and urged the town to commission an engineering review. Julie Jackra, president of the Tuscana HOA, said the neighborhood’s maintenance of four stormwater ponds is a significant cost and warned that six additional lots could shift expensive BMP obligations onto a small number of homeowners.

Town staff and councilors responded with information about process and standards. Mayor Harold Weinre and staff noted Cary’s stormwater rules require facilities designed to handle a 100‑year storm event; staff emphasized that required stormwater control measures would be addressed at the development‑plan stage. The mayor and staff also clarified that traffic studies provide data but do not by themselves compel developers to make improvements: “Traffic studies provide information. They do not require improvements,” a councilmember stated during the discussion.

Councilmembers asked staff for additional analysis of how the proposed curb‑and‑gutter, sidewalk design would interface with older nearby neighborhoods that were built with swales rather than curbing. Several councilmembers also asked staff to explore whether cumulative traffic studies or NC Department of Transportation warrant analyses might be appropriate for the corridor. The council did not act on case 2508; the item will go to the advisory Planning & Zoning Board for a recommendation and return to council later.

The meeting’s comment period also surfaced related neighborhood concerns about a separate proposed senior‑living project (Kaix) and about a Highwoods‑related parcel where initial plans fluctuated between townhomes and larger multi‑family options. Councilmembers repeatedly invited residents to continue working with staff and applicants and emphasized that the planning board’s review and later council action would consider public input, staff review and adopted community plan guidance.

Next steps: case 2508 will be reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Board and return to the council with a recommendation; residents were directed to contact Principal Planner Aaron Puckett for updates and documentation they requested.