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Council presses Wake County on traffic, access and parkland in proposed Aviation Parkway convenience‑center plan
Summary
Wake County proposed leasing roughly 5.9 acres of town‑owned Aviation Parkway property to build a full‑service convenience (solid‑waste) center and would provide 6.9 acres to the town’s Cedar Fork District Park via an ILA. Council asked for more detail on traffic access, signal warrants, emergency access, wetlands mitigation and cleanup of the existing facility; staff will return with an FAQ and technical analyses.
Wake County officials have proposed building a full‑service convenience (solid‑waste) center on or adjacent to town‑owned land at Aviation Parkway; the county would fund construction and operations but seeks a lease of roughly 40 years and use of about 5.9 acres of the town parcel, engineering staff told the Morrisville council on July 22.
Mark Spanoli, the town’s director of engineering, presented a conceptual site plan and explained constraints: the town’s Aviation Parkway parcel totals roughly 13.7 acres with about nine acres currently developable but roughly three acres of wetlands that may require mitigation. The county’s proposed build footprint sits nearer Aviation Parkway to avoid floodway and limit mitigation, and would preserve portions of the town’s laydown yard, Spanoli said.
Spanoli said the county would, as proposed, carry all development costs and has offered to convey about 6.9 acres of adjacent county parcels into the town’s Cedar Fork District Park interlocal agreement (ILA) as partial offset for use of town land.
Council members raised multiple concerns before any formal land‑use approvals. Several members objected to the loss of a direct driveway connection that earlier agreements contemplated and warned that removing that connection could concentrate traffic onto a single International Drive access and increase conflict points near HSNC event traffic. Council members also asked whether North Carolina DOT signal warrants would be met and whether the county could provide on‑demand signal or temporary traffic‑management options during large events. Fire/emergency access was raised repeatedly as a mandatory design requirement.
"If we do not allow them to use the property, they're going to find another property and move elsewhere," Spanoli said when asked about the county’s timeline and appetite. The county indicated a desire to move fairly quickly if council provided positive direction, and staff said the county would request a special‑use permit and a revised traffic‑impact analysis as the next formal steps.
Council directed staff to return with a written FAQ and detailed follow‑up on traffic‑impact alternatives (including signal warrants and on‑demand options), emergency/fire access alternatives, wetlands/mitigation cost estimates, possible uses for the 6.9 acres the county offered, and cleanup responsibilities for the county’s existing convenience‑center parcel. Staff will prepare those materials ahead of the next council meeting and an MOU or MU amendment if council wishes to pursue the partnership.
What’s next: staff will assemble technical responses and an FAQ for council; the county expects to present an MOU to the town and take the proposal to its county commission quickly if council signals tentative support.
