Town of Cary Councl/Staff Retreat Minutes

January 15-16, 2009

Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center

Cary, NC

Council Members Present: Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, Mayor Pro Tem Julie Robison, and Council Members Gale Adcock, Don Frantz, Ervin Portman, Jennifer Robinson and Jack Smith

Staff Present: Town Manager Ben Shivar, Assistant Town Manager Mike Bajorek, Associate Planning Director Ricky Barker, Planning Director Jeff Ulma, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Director Mary Henderson, Parks Planning Manager Doug McRainey, Town Attorney Chris Simpson, Fire Chief Allan Cain, Assistant to the Manager Lana Hygh, Finance Director Karen Mills, Human Resources Vee Willis, Police Chief Pat Bazemore, Public Information Officer Susan Moran, Engineering Director Tim Bailey, Budget Director Scott Fogleman, Inspections and Permits Director Russ Overton, Public Works/Utilities Director Steve Brown, Public Works Director Scott Hecht, Utilities Director Jamie Revels, Technology Services Director Bill Stice, Associate Director of Engineering Lori Cove, and Town Clerk Sue Rowland

Facilitator: Phil Boyle

The agenda follows:

Weinbrecht welcomed the group at 8:08 a.m. on January 15.

Shivar reiterated some points in his letter to council about the retreat (Exhibit A attached to and incorporated herein, which also contains the background materials from the retreat notebook).

The future of Cary

Weinbrecht comments:

• Ultimate population for which the water and sewer is designed is about 230,000
• We’re about 90% built out in land area
• Future development must be dense, but where does that occur
• People have typically moved to Cary for the suburban environment; need to determine how to protect this quality of life feature and allow continued growth
• Where are the places we can revitalize; it’s time to revitalize and reshape the core (i.e., downtown)
• Downtown needs a destination
• Doesn’t envision changing historic Academy Street
• What will Walker Street be like; will it be a main thoroughfare and what will development look like there
• Will the area near Raleigh be a big office park; there’s lot of land in this area for destination point
• Where will density be for transit stops; downtown is a given, but what about the Morrisville and Cary border; the plans do not show a lot of density at this location; how will it build out
• Will the area south towards Regency become more residential or office
• What will be constructed in Cary headed towards Holly Springs/Apex
• Council needs to be open to innovative ideas.

Robinson comments:

• Washington, DC is a frenetic community with no peace, a lot of people in a small space, and a lot of concrete; compare this to the relaxing qualities of Cary, some of which are being threatened today
• Need to aggressively protect Cary’s qualify of life, ranging from the style of development to the little things (i.e., monolithic vs. planted medians).
• Council and staff need to keep a close watch on all issues that could change the look and feel of Cary; it’s important to be proactive and work with state representatives on these issues.
• Mandate high quality building products
• Continue the harmonious transitions between densities
• Northwest area plan seems too dense
• Make sure we’re building the community according to what citizens want
• There’s a lot to do in Washington, DC. Cary should work to expand dining and cultural arts opportunities with a focus on downtown
• Bundle amenities in downtown
• Pursue themes in downtown (i.e., branding)

Frantz comments:

• Agreed with Weinbrecht and Robinson comments
• Ensure we remain the attractive community that attracted people here
• Maintain nice streetscapes, cul-de-sacs, and safe neighborhoods

Portman comments:

• People perceive Cary to be a better value in the area
• Most of the changes in the past 20 years have made the community better
• Maintain exceptional value (i.e., public services, how does it feel to live here, etc.)
• Green: aesthetically impressive
• Kinds of boulevards, streets and avenues that are remarkable enough on which to comment
• Respectful of environment, topography and the beauty of the area
• Exceptional schools
• High quality of life initiatives beginning with safety and thought-leading innovation
• Comprehensive transportation solutions
• Believes we are seeing limits of adequate public facilities ordinance (apf)
• Take responsibility for more master planning of transportation infrastructure to be cohesive instead of piecemeal
• Model mixed uses; Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) in 1970s and 1980s were innovative
• Challenge ourselves to determine the innovative mixed use of the future; referenced Highwoods in the Chicago suburbs – small town known for 10 great restaurants, which create the environment and bring people in
• Actions should be guided by metrics. Go back to 1990s and look at the major metrics at that time based on population; review this as we do budgets
• If we do nothing now will we decline in these amenities; it’s important to have a benchmark and use a realistic budget collar so we can do what we say we will do
• We achieve all these things with a much more master planned comprehensive transportation approach, great new jobs where we create the great environment and great jobs come; we strategically target certain job sectors
• Build on sports niche
• Strong environmental leadership
• Cary and Morrisville should merge by 2030
• Council should learn how to modify future plans by reviewing why some areas have not met expectations (i.e., Waverly, etc.); recognize that pressure of mediocrity will come to Cary; it’s cheaper and unremarkable, and council should not allow that to happen.

Adcock comments:

• Understand that what happens around us has a direct impact on Cary
• Need more regional collaborative planning for infrastructure and design
• Increase ability to be aware of what’s going on around us and be proactive and responsive; for example, if we had known the median issue was coming (monolithic), we could have been proactive about it; need to be at the table in the beginning
• The train tracks bisect downtown, which will result in difficulty with redevelopment
• What’s going to bring people to Cary in the future; it may be different than what brought people to Cary in the past
• People have different definitions of quality of life, and it creates dynamic tension. A piece of this is generational. There needs to be some agreement on the core quality of life issues.

Smith comments:

• Cary’s neighborhood concept was important in the past in bringing people to Cary (i.e., safety, cul-de-sacs, etc.); this is Cary’s look and feel, and the growth has attacked this (pace and volume of growth in the region)
• We have a growing senior population
• Does the younger generation want the same thing as the older generation (i.e., housing stock, etc.)
• Step back and understand global values that should be consistent
• Thinks Cary is pricing itself out of the market; a negative consequence is cheaper building material, clear-cutting, small lots, etc.
• What do we want to model and what do we value that draws people here
• Is downtown at the right place; towns have been known to move their downtown area.
• Quality of life is changing
• Look at realities facing Cary and what we can afford
• Consider aging infrastructure
• We have communication challenges with citizens
• The council must be grounded and look at what’s good for the greater Cary.

Robison comments:

• Focus more on regional decision making
• Cary should lead regional collaboration and planning
• Feels things are passing us by, and we need to be drivers at the table
• Become actively engaged in future planning opportunities
• Staff is very engaged on regional issues, but the Town Council should be a greater influence in this arena.
• Pay close attention to state and federal actions (i.e., water resources, which will impact future development in Cary)
• Get ahead of these types of issues with policy discussions
• We need to get ahead on the transit issue
• In 2030 she sees a Town government that has been exercising strong leadership and setting the stage
• Concurred with downtown comments
• Look at the old downtown Cary model at the Page Walker as a rail stop town (i.e., focus on Cedar Street); main thoroughfare was across the street from the rail station and not at the current location
• Would like to see the redevelopment of the Cedar Street area to replicate that old Cary model; this area should be an historic destination.
• The Western Wake Expressway is taking up much of council’s time; what will Green Level West and 540 will really look like; get ahead of this and determine if we’re doing what we need to be doing to ensure quality
• Arboretum is a model for future mixed use
• Look at what’s working in Cary

Boyle asked council to name one thing from the prior conversation that stuck with them.

Portman: The contrast of what works and doesn’t, and use it as a guide for future

Robinson: Small town charm; big city amenities

Frantz: Everyone wants the same thing but may have different ideas on how to get there

Smith: Maintaining charm and uniqueness

Adcock: Regionalization

Weinbrecht: Impressed by ideas; together the council can come up with good ideas

Robison: Pay attention to how we’re doing with retail centers

Cary’s Profile: Where We Are Now? And Where Might We Be Heading?

Refer to the PowerPoint presentation on current state and potential future state (Exhibit, which is attached to and incorporated herein).

Land use and development: Where we are now, key trends, and major opportunities and challenges

Refer to Exhibit attached to and incorporated herein for the PowerPoint presentation.

Council comments: Where do we want to be in 20 years (land use and development)?

The council discussion follows:

Weinbrecht comments:

• In some cases he’s seeing a cheaper product in Cary

Robinson comments:

• High density is fine as long as it’s softened by ample open space.
• With more dense development, we should increase the amount of open space per person to make it feel livable.
• The Town should move forward with the special legislation we have to require open space with multi-family development.
• A lot of the development in the northwest plan is high density and small lots; there doesn’t seem to be any balance in that area.
• Some multi-family development in Cary might look good from the road but not from within the development.
• An urban downtown requires units with urban design.
• The council adopted ordinances prohibiting slab development for single family homes but not to multi-family, attached housing or senior housing. It may be a good idea to explore expanding this.
• The nine elements of design standards for commercial development give people more latitude with design decisions. Perhaps we can apply that type of concept to residential development.

Portman comments:

• High density with incredible aesthetics, landscaping, gardens and parks around the use is another potential vision (i.e., it’s like looking at a French villa out each unit’s windows).
• The council needs to determine what Cary wants to be within the region.
• It’s not good to compete with low cost housing with a base of high cost land.
• Perhaps Cary’s role should be like Lake Forest near Chicago.
• Identify what’s important for Cary to offer going forward and protect that.
• A high-end, aesthetically pleasing look made Cary successful. The council shouldn’t categorize this as single family large-lot homes.
• Cary’s niche should be incredible places with high standards.
• The length of time to build-out is not as important as becoming a more incredible place to live.
• Council should ensure that what is built increases the quality of life no matter how long it takes.
• It may be good to compare the Kildaire Farm PUD that was developed in past decades vs. some of the more recent PDD developments. This would provide a good opportunity to council to see the differences and what they like and don’t like.
• Development should be less prescription and more visionary.
• The earlier PUD rules allowed for creativity.
• Cary should consider less rules-based development and more vision-based development.
• It’s fine if the rigid rules are in effect as long as waivers can be granted for exceptional developments with a “wow” factor.

Frantz comments:

• The council should determine Cary’s role in the metro area.
• It’s possible that Cary’s role is to provide suburban family housing stock of large-lot single family development with some variety intermingled (i.e., office parks, etc.).
• Maintain the positive elements about Cary that are successful.
• The obesity problems will increase with more sedentary lifestyles. Cary should plan ahead to try to combat that trend.

Smith comments:

• We should preserve our neighborhood feel.

• Cary’s code requirements may contain overcomplicated rules, which results in higher costs, which may deter good developments.
• Does staff understand the lost opportunities in Cary?
• Good decisions may have unintended consequences.
• Cary has so many rules that it may take away the purpose of the PUD.
• Determine how to codify lost opportunities.

Robison comments:

• There is a lot of redevelopment opportunity in Cary.

• It’s important to determine how to maintain Cary’s positive elements as the Town grows.
• We may want to consider going back to our roots where earlier Planned Unit Developments were built within the topography constraints of the land.

Boyle comment:

• The vision should add value – not just be standard.
• Not everything is quantifiable.
• Determine how to integrate the language of staff and council as part of guidelines that also allowing creativity and flexibility.

Council’s and staff’s follow-up comments on the “wow” factor follow:

Ulma comment:

• It’s important to define the “wow”.

Robinson comments:

• It’s not uncommon for council to approve a great plan and then agree to modifications that reduce the wow factor.

Adcock comments:

• If we’re going to have more dense development, then we should be intense with green space and high end amenities (i.e., shops and great restaurants; like Arboretum).
• As long as the Town allows development ranges (low to high), then developments will always develop to the high end of the range.
• We should set a maximum at the lower end instead of using ranges.
• It’s council job to think about all factors that are part of the development decision.

Frantz comments:

• We need guidelines for the vision and wow factor.
• Citizens at public hearings don’t talk about quality; rather, they are interested in traffic, schools, buffers, etc.

Barker comments:

• The staff is currently working on site design standards, and this is a great opportunity to set the bar higher.

Weinbrecht comments:

• Suggested one idea may be to require a “wow” development to require a super-majority vote of council to approve it.

Portman comments:

• A super-majority vote would be a huge disincentive to innovative development.
• There’s often a big fear factor with truly thought-leading innovative ideas.

• It’s the Town’s responsibility to ensure adequate infrastructure is in place.

Council’s comments about the school issue follows:

Portman comments:

• The Town should lead and ensure that as the community grows that the funding for school seats occurs. If not, every new project could be derailed due to school overcrowding issues. It’s a symptom to problem.

Adcock comments:

• Cary officials are not the school decision-makers. The Town’s role with schools should be focused on developing great relationships and other things within its control.
• Dialog between local governments and school officials is missing.

Robinson comments:

• Cary officials need to encourage those who are responsible for school issues to take the lead on this issue and bring all parties together to come up with the best mechanism for generating tax dollars and then go to the legislature with a united voice.

Boyle asked what this conversation has prompted council to think about. Council’s discussion follows.

Robinson comments:

• Cary officials should invite Morrisville to explore the idea of a full merger.

Portman comments:

• Cary officials should invite Morrisville to participate in a study to identify pros and cons to both communities.

Weinbrecht comments:

• The mayors association is having breakfast next week with school board officials. Cary officials may want to consider a similar idea.  

Portman comments:

• It’s more effective for the mayors to meet with school officials than it is for council members to meet with them.
• Now is the time for this dialog because the school capacity situation is better than anticipated.

The group broke for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and resumed the meeting at 12:24 p.m.

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources (PRCR): Where we are now, key trends, and major opportunities and challenges

Staff’s PowerPoint presentation is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

Council comments: Where do we want to be in 20 years?

Portman comments:

• Do metrics show that in the past 10-20 years the Town has enriched and expanded or declined in its PRCR offerings?

Henderson comments:

• Greenways have grown.
• The Town has maintained parks and is ahead on acquiring property for future park sites.
• The Town is behind on community center development.
• The Town’s program offerings are excellent.

Adcock comments:

• There is 660 acres of land banked for 11 future parks. She asked what type of parks are planned in these areas.

Henderson comments:

• Most are neighborhood parks.

Adcock comments:

• Multi-generational community center with a variety of programs with emphasis on extended hours and an array of opportunities may be a vision to pursue.
• Consider providing a variety of programs for a single fee.

Robinson comments:

• The Town might dovetail to meet a need that the private sector can’t provide.
• District A could use more PRCR resources. The staff should pursue advance design concept when as soon as possible.
• Staff should look at the land use plan and plan for well situated hotel space (i.e., intersection of Green Level West and 540).
• Cary should provide amenities at gateways.

Frantz comments:

• He likes neighborhood/community parks.
• He asked about future plans to expand Lexie Lane Park.

Henderson comments:

• Lexie Lane park is a good redevelopment opportunity. It does not currently meet Cary’s park standard.

Smith comments:

• The staff should consider PRCR programs in relation to the growing senior population.

Henderson comments:

• The future will more than likely not include senior centers; instead, facilities will have more integration of users.

Robinson:

• Turf maintenance is difficult for people from different countries to understand. A class would help them.

Henderson comments:

• The PRCR dept gets numerous inquiries about offering a larger variety of sports.

Weinbrecht comments:

• One of the biggest bang for our bucks is greenways/trails. He would like to work on greenway connectivity to span the Town.

Henderson comments:

• This involves grade separation issues.

Robinson comments:

• The PRCR master plan should include a preferred timeline for the east/west and north/south grade separated route.
• We need private partnerships, and we might want to consider sponsorships for sections of greenways.

Shivar comments:

• How does the council feel about non-traditional areas, such as identifying problems in the community by implementing recreation programs to attempt to address them?

Council response:

• The PRCR staff and police staff should work together on this issue, and it may involve communication with schools.

Infrastructure (transportation, storm water and utilities): Where we are now, key trends, and major opportunities

Staff’s PowerPoint presentation on utilities is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.  

Council comments: Utilities: Where we want to be in 20 years

Portman comments:

• Do we have adequate capacity for 20 years?

Brown comments:

• Cary has adequate capacity either approved or built.

Portman comments:

• He keeps hearing from individuals that the Town can save $500,000 if we unplug the biosolids dryer.

Brown comments:

• Staff has evaluated how to treat and dispose of biosolids. Thermal drying is always the cheapest option. We would need 2,500 acres to land apply, and if it’s too wet, we wouldn’t be able to land apply, which leads to excess inventory.
• Biosolids dryer reduces volume. Current dryer has always exceeded cost benefit expectations.

Portman comments:

• How do we do a better job communicating facts on this issue?

Shivar comments:

• Staff has continually responded to this issue with facts.

Staff’s PowerPoint presentation on stormwater is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

Council comments: Stormwater: Where we want to be in 20 years

Portman comments:

• What’s needed to identify how many homes are at the highest risk of flooding, and prioritize them from highest to lowest risk?
• How much land would the Town have to buy to eliminate stormwater flooding?

Bailey comments:

• The highest risk is in flood zones, and these people may purchase flood insurance.

Frantz comments:

• This issue needs a work session to allow council the opportunity to better understand the scope and severity of the problem.
• Water coming inside the homes should be the highest priority.

Portman comments:

• People seem to believe they have a right to buy steep sloped, mature woods land and expect to bulldoze it to flatten it.
• He’d prefer to use the concept that flat, buildable land has a certain value, while unbuildable topography has another value and the property owner just has to work within the constraints of the land.

Bailey comments:

• The council may analyze and adjust the land use plan accordingly if this is council’s goal.
• There are practical limitations (i.e., community centers and fire stations in western Cary).
• The Town has regulations in place for steep slopes.
• The rolling slopes are predominant in western Cary.
• It would be basically impossible to do any slab-on-grade construction without some grading in western Cary.
• The Town has good regulations in place for single-family development, but this might can’t be done with every type of development in all locations.

Robison comments:

• She asked about the function of private lakes as part of the stormwater management system.
• The council should understand what stormwater issues should be public and what should be private.
• It may be possible to utilize existing private lakes or basins better to help the Town manage some of its stormwater problems.

Bailey comments:

• Most private lakes are required by ordinances as BMPs for some rule.
• The Town adds between 50 to 100 BMPs each year.
• It would be a huge issue for the Town to assist with these private devices.
• All these devices were built to provide a water quality benefit.
• For the Town to get involved in maintaining these structures would shift the burden from the private sector to the government.
• It’s not necessarily an equity issue, because everyone should have some share of stormwater maintenance unless they are in a very low density and low impervious surface area.

Smith comments:

• People who take care of their private devices are not happy when the Town bails out a homeowners association.

Robinson comments:

• What can the Town do to ensure BMPs are more aesthetically pleasing?

Bailey comments:

• Planning staff is working on this through the site design standards process.

Frantz comments:

• Does silt build-up impact water storage capacity?

Bailey comment:

• In most cases it does not impact the capacity. If it starts impacting the pond’s surface area, then something needs to be done because the settling out of solids is reduced at that time.
• The Town requires a professional engineer to inspect all BMPs annually, and they look at the sediment levels, the safety of the dam, floatables being removed (i.e., bottles, etc.).
• The Phase 2 rules requires this annual inspection.
• The Town’s inspection program is very good but does require a lot of work on the staff to ensure it’s done.

Robison comments:

• Are there lakes that can be more efficient because of upgrades the Town might do?

Bailey comments:

• The Town is required to do retrofit in the Jordan area and will likely be a requirement in the Neuse Basin.
• Converting old farm pond BMPs is one way the staff does this. There are also stream restoration projects.

Staff’s PowerPoint presentation on transportation is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

Council comments: Transportation: Where we want to be in 20 years

Portman comments:

• He wants a work session to focus on transit to understand the issues.
• It will be helpful for the appropriate officials to brief all council members on what’s going on in this area.
• He knows a local gentleman who he’d recommend speak about the issue.
• It must be done right or it fails.
• Cary should participate in the transit discussions.
• The council needs to be more informed.
• All groups working on transit issues must have already identified the pros and cons.
• He’s looking for information on how they came to their conclusions.
• He wants to understand any potentially conflicting ideas
• The council will need to determine what they want the density to be along the corridor.

Weinbrecht comments:

• A Triangle Transit leadership team is working on the transit issue.
• They don’t yet have information on how to get riders and stops.

Adcock comments:

• There is more than one group, and there are competing priorities.
• At a work session she wants to learn if the council is working under correct assumptions.

Robison comments:

• Cary will be pressured to make all grade separated crossings or close the current crossings.
• David King talked to her today and stressed the importance of Cary responding to this issue.
• The Triangle area may get millions of dollars for the high speed rail project.
• Council needs a work session as soon as possible to determine the most critical issues for which a council decision is necessary.

Robinson comments:

• It’s alarming that some council members have no knowledge of some of these issues.
• Communication is critical; council members need to convey important information to the full council.

Shivar comments:

• There are numerous organizations working on the transit issue, and it’s difficult to know who’s doing what and why.
• The county will be the point organization on this issue.
• Potential interlocal agreements may be pursued.
• Cary’s density will play an important part in all this. He’s hearing that others don’t think Cary has the density to support this.

Bailey comment:

• Staff has developed a strategy with the federal legislative agenda to study the issue and potential impacts on downtown and alternatives. Staff will present this agenda to council in the near future. 

Council’s direction on a transit work session:

Adcock comments:

• Synthesis and integration of the data that staff provides council regarding all the different groups involved in transit
• Council needs to know all the players, their preferred outcome and political pressures
• She wants to know if we’re duplicating efforts.

Frantz comments:

• Information on planned timelines
• He wants to see a similar example to Cary (i.e., a community similar to Cary that’s part of a metropolitan area and how it’s worked for them).

Robison comments:

• It’s been suggested that Cary do a rail corridor study. She’d like more in-depth information on stops and crossings in Cary and the implications.
• Council should come to a consensus on their transit goals.

Robinson comments:

• There’s an idea to get Cary, Apex and Morrisville together and talk with Durham about planning for the future line that will run along the 55 corridor.
• She wants to learn how to get Cary ready for the transit that someone else will implement.

Portman comments:

• He wants to understand the issues of when and how and who pays and how. He wants to understand the options, how it’s funded, and if it’s in the Town’s best interest.

Weinbrecht comments:

• The transit discussions are multi-modal.

Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance for Roads Discussion (APF):

Portman comments:

• Looking 30 years out, are we on the right track with the APF?
• Where does the APF work and where does it not work?

Bailey comments:

• Council had a work session a while back on this issue.
• At that time council’s determined they liked most of the ordinance with some minor tweaks.
• He hears Portman suggesting some potential major changes.

Portman comments:

• He wants alternatives for more comprehensive and flexible planning of transportation and how it’s paid for – in terms of roadways.

Robison comments (Robinson concurred):

• There’s a rail stop planned at James Jackson in the northwest corridor.
• The council has not commissioned a small area plan for this vicinity.
• She requested that council add this small area plan to their wish list in anticipation of it being identified as a rail stop.

Portman comments:

• Portman asked if council also wants to do a small area plan/gateway plan for the intersections of the Western Wake Expressway (Green Level West and Morrisville Parkway).

Frantz comments:

• He asked the cost of these area plans.

Shivar comments:

• Staff can do these plans internally.

The council concurred with staff proceeding with these small area plans.

Police and Fire Protection: Where we are now, key trends, and major opportunities and challenges

Fire Department

Cain’s PowerPoint presentation is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

Weinbrecht comments:

• Is the fire department seeing more false alarms as more people use alarm technology?
• Should we think about charging people for false fire alarm calls?

Cain comments:

• He concurred that false alarms have increased, but it is not problematic and is not a workload problem. 
• If there’s a penalty for false fire alarms, then there’s a danger that people will turn their alarms off.

Robison comments:

• Does the fire department anticipate more training for its staff for EMS response issues or even adding medical staff?

Cain comments:

• The fire staff is doing things now that in past years higher trained staff handled.
• The training for these increased EMS-type duties is included in the department’s current training program.
• In NC the county is responsible for supervising EMS, so Cary does not anticipate adding staff for this purpose.

Frantz comments:

• He asked about the potential for sprinklers in existing residential homes.

Cain comments:

• Existing homes can be retrofitted, but there are costs to do that.

Police Department

Bazemore’s PowerPoint presentation is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

Bazemore gave the following statistics:

• The Town of Cary is safe.
• Cary is ranked as one of the safest large cities in the US.
• Cary is the safest city in NC.
• Cary is the safest city in the southeast.
• In 2009, the police department stopped 16,550 motorists for traffic law violations. Officers issued citations to 10,511 of these motorists.
• In 2009 there were 3,618 traffic accidents.
• Larceny is the crime that occurs most frequently in Cary.
• In 2009 there were 1,481 larcenies in Cary, but in 2008 there were 1,819. The police department continues to offer programs to education people.
• There are 156 identified gang members in Cary, and 92 of them are validated gang members. There are 8,256 identified and validated gang members in Wake County.
• In 2009 there were 141 juveniles (under the age of 16) who were charged with crimes in Cary.
• In 2009 there were 88 vehicles stolen in the Town of Cary.
• In 2009 officers arrested more than 260 individuals for drug related crimes in the Town; that number was 232 in 2008.
• Ten years ago approximately 10% of the people who committed crimes in Cary actually lived in Cary. In 2009 that number was 58%.
• Since 2005 the canine teams have been involved in 600 cases in Cary.

Portman comments:

• Is it possible to cite people for not locking their vehicles or not taking any other general precautions to prevent crime against them?

Bazemore comments:

• The police department would not want to do this.
• Instead of fines, the police department is already being proactive by contacting people who have left their vehicles unlocked, their garage doors open, etc.
• The police department’s goal is to educate and raise awareness instead of penalize.

Bazemore general comments during presentation:

• The police department is seeing a direct correlation between how well properties are maintained and the crime occurring in those areas.
• The Town needs to provide some kind of interaction with at-risk youth to divert them from gang activity.
• The Town’s police and PRCR departments work with the Wake County department that works with the gang issue as well as the southwestern gang partnership in Wake County.

Robinson comments:

• Are there particular schools where more drug arrests occur?

Bazemore comments:

• The police department’s drug arrests are not in the schools at all.
• There are School Resource Officers (SROs) in middle and high schools in Cary.
• SROs work with the officers in the districts to identify at-risk youth.
• Cary’s drug-related activities for the most part are not related to the schools.

Bazemore gave this history of the Wrenn Drive area as follows:

• The police department noted that crime in this area was increasing 2000.
• In 2003 the police department formed a partnership with all apartment managers in this area.
• The police department opened a substation on-site (at no cost).
• As a result, crime began decreasing; the apartment occupancy rate also decreased.
• In 2007-2008 the apartment manager no longer wanted the police substation at this location, because it was becoming difficult for them to rent the units.
• When the police department vacated the substation, crime began increasing again.
• Now there is one apartment complex that is not working closely with the Town on lease requirements.

Portman comments:

• Can the police department rent a unit for a substation at the Wrenn Drive apartments?

Bazemore comments:

• She does not know the legal implications or answer to the question at this time.

Shivar comments:

• The police department has been working with code enforcement staff on properties in this area.
• Staff is code enforcing some things that are costing quite a bit of money for people to correct.
• Staff is receiving some kick-back from the apartment managers as a result of some of the code enforcement.

Overton comments:

• The Wrenn Drive area has the most code violations for the inspections and permits department.

Portman comments:

• How can the Town be more aggressive on these code violations?

Overton comments:

• Raleigh has a rental registration program.
• There are staffing implications with such a program.

Bazemore comments:

• The police department conducted 159 community meetings in 2009 and made 153 neighborhood contacts.
• They are getting out and telling people what’s going on in their neighborhood and the community.
• The purpose of the crime alerts is to inform people of the crime that is occurring.
• The Town has one active canine team, one has recently retired, one currently in school, and a third will begin school in the spring of 2010.
• Cary is very proactive with its canine teams. The two canine teams were responsible for as much as six canine teams in our neighboring jurisdictions combined.
• The council recently authorized six additional officers for western Cary.
• The Corral Program is for at-risk teenaged girls, and the program is in Cary and uses horses.
• The Sidekick Program is done with the police department, the PRCR department and White Tiger Tae-Kwon-Do. Every Wednesday they provide free tutoring to at-risk children from the Wrenn Drive area at the Cary senior center, and they also receive tai-kwon-do lessons. This program has recently been extended to the Village Greenway area.
• The police and PRCR departments in conjunction with the Cary area Rotary Clubs will conduct a summer camp program for at-risk youth.

Bazemore comments:

• The Town recently implemented a healthy neighborhoods initiative to respond to the issues resulting from aging infrastructure.
• Every Cary resident deserves a safe, health neighborhood.
• This initiative crosses multiple departments.
• The program is not yet fully funded.
• The Town applied for but did not receive a federal grant in 2009.

Portman comments:

• What resources does the police department need to address the needs in the higher crime areas?

Bazemore comments:

• The police department has resources, including the healthy neighborhood initiative, canine teams, and working with the PRCR department are to provide programs for at-risk youth. The main problem with the at-risk youth is that they don’t have transportation to off-site programs.

Adcock comments:

• What would it take to be the #1 safest city.

Bazemore comments:

• The police department constantly changes based on trends.
• Irvine, CA was the safest a few years ago, and Cary modeled its geo-policing after their program.

Adcock comments:

• She asked if it’s possible to reduce the gap of when we need new officers and when we actually hire them and bring them on-line.

Bazemore comments:

• Cary needs to add 28 to 32 additional police officers in the next five years if you only base it on population – not considering other factors.
• Historically the Town has justified the need for additional officers, hired the officers, and then gauged the actual impact of the new officers prior to requesting additional officers.

Shivar comments:

• There’s about a year’s worth of training that police and fire staff must complete before they actually begin performing their duties.
• The staff must plan early for future needs.

Shivar comments:

• The council will be faced with many high level, competing priorities.
• In addition to police and fire, the council has discussed stormwater issues.
• We’re looking at moving into non-traditional areas (i.e., police and PRCR working to identify and intervene with at-risk youth).
• The utility system is aging, and we’ll move more into a maintenance mode.
• The financial situation probably won’t improve a lot in the next two budget years. These competing priorities will place a lot of demand on the operating budget.

Frantz comments:

• It’s important to educate the citizens (i.e., lock their vehicles, close and lock garage doors, etc.).

Portman comments:

• Staff’s challenge is educating the council about the conflicting priorities and the associated operating budget expenses so the council can weigh in on value decisions.
• It’s impossible for council to get to that conclusion through the budget documents.
• Council needs the key programs/initiatives and key staff drivers put on the table with resource implications.
• The manager gets the budget “wish list” and does a lot of this vetting in the initial stages of the budget preparation.
• Council must be clear on competing priorities and needs that might drive a change in tax rate.

Robison comments:

• The performance management system might help the council understand and make value tradeoffs.

Smith:

• The council cannot say yes to everything.
• In order to make value decisions the council needs a good understanding of the impacts on the community and the citizens.

Boyle comments:

• There may be marginal gain by tweaking performance issues; however, Cary already has a high performing system.
• Cary is faced with horizontal integration and is now faced with initiatives that are multi-departmental.
• Instead of saying the council is providing a certain level of funding for this one department, the council might instead want to consider funding the initiative that cuts across many departments.

Shivar comments:

• He concurred with Boyle.
• This was the intent of the healthy neighborhood initiative.
• The departmental lines have blurred due to the numbers of things that have crossed department lines.

The first day of the retreat meeting ended at 5:14 p.m. The group had dinner at the Matthews House in Cary.

The second day of the retreat began at 8:16 a.m.

Police and Fire Wrap up from Day 1:

Bazemore comments:

• The Town applied for federal funds for the healthy neighborhoods initiative but did not receive those funds.
• The Town will apply again in the future.
• One of the pieces of this program is the crime free neighborhoods, where officers go into the high crime area and work with apartment complex managers on rental agreements. The agreements stipulate if there are any crimes on the property, then they are automatically evicted.
• This requires officers to check in every day with apartment managers to build a good working relationship with them.
• There are program models on-line that Cary can learn from.
• The up-front work will take time to complete.
• The police department needs five additional officers to carry out this program.
• Other departments are also impacted (i.e., minimum housing and code enforcement), and this program may also have resource implications for these other departments.

Shivar comments:

• This is a budget issue that staff can bring to council at the appropriate time.
• Staff could not bring this issue forward last year due to the economy.

Portman comments:

• The importance of implementing solutions that involve numerous departments is critical vs. operating in a “silo” mentality.
• Code enforcement is important and the Town staff should strictly enforce these issues.
• The decline of apartment standards leads to lower rents, which leads to more problems.
• If the older units are not economically viable, then perhaps code enforcement will encourage redevelopment.

Shivar comments:

• The Town has usually been reactive with code enforcement due to staffing implications required to be proactive.
• Staff handles the enforcement issues brought to their attention.
• Staff thinks they should be more proactive with these issues.

Adcock comments:

• She asked if other code actions are reactive (i.e., sign ordinance, etc.).
• It’s important to be consistent in enforcing all ordinances.

Shivar:

• The staff is more proactive in enforcing the sign ordinance.

Adcock comments:

• If staff is going to be proactive in enforcing ordinances, then staff should be proactive in all areas of enforcement.

Portman comments:

• There’s probably an opportunity now in code enforcement due to the downturn in the economy impacting inspections and permits workload to continue to redirect resources to code enforcement.
• Whether it’s legal to go into an apartment complex to be proactive in enforcement is an important question.
• If code enforcement will help this problem, then good government supports doing so.
• We should not be constrained from being effective because someone might argue that we’re focusing on their area more than other areas in the Town.
• It’s clear we’re focusing on an area because there’s a problem in that area.

Frantz comments:

• If an apartment complex goes out of business, then we’ll have an empty building that will lead to further decline of an area.

Shivar comments:

• Staff has reviewed the potential for requiring registration of rental properties.
• There’s a strict legal process that must be followed on enforcement issues, and if we’re proactive there will be a lot of work that will require additional staffing.
• Shivar has reassigned personnel to the program and will look at continuing to do that when possible.
• Cary has repeatedly tried to get local bills to help in this area, but the legislators have not approved this request. He stated other towns have this local authority.

Robison comments:

• She suggested a work session to be prepared for budget discussions about the healthy neighborhoods initiative.
• The Town should explore various grant programs that might help fund this program (i.e., NLC).

Portman comments:

• Council does not think the discussion should be about what resources are needed in addition to the base budget.
• Staff and council should prioritize and de-prioritize, which may lead to discussions about additional resources.
• If it’s determined that projects cannot be de-prioritized to make way for new, important initiatives, then that leads to a justification process for additional resources.
• Council discussed many topics yesterday, and all are important and should be built into the work plan for the next few quarters.

Robison comments:

• The NLC has technical assistance that might help  with public safety issues.
• She supports continuing the Fire Department CERT training.

Smith comments:

• Cary should have a reputation that they will be diligent and enforce its ordinances.
• This does not mean that staff goes door-to-door; but, rather when staff gets complaints people know that Cary will react to those complaints.
• The Town should look at opportunities to think “across the silos”.
• At the same time, look at everything else to determine what makes Cary great.
• We don’t want a 2% problem to become a 50% problem in the next 30 years. Now is the time to address it.
• The Town does not need to spend a lot of money on super-initiatives for a 2% problem.
• Everyone needs to work together to find the best solution.
• Wrenn Drive may be a good test area.
• We can’t solve this problem overnight.

Boyle comments:

• Cary is becoming more socio-economically diverse.
• This creates greater randomness in the system.
• How will Cary sustain the same level of safety in a much more variable environment?
• This requires a completely different way of thinking if Cary is going to be the Cary it has been and the Cary that council members want it to be.

Robinson comments:

• It makes sense to be aggressive now in the one small area as a test case.
• More houses will age, which will lead to more situations similar to Wrenn Drive.
• The Town should attempt to tackle this issue now and develop Best Practices.

Frantz comments:

• He asked if the Town could rent a home near the Wrenn Drive apartments to be close that community on a daily basis.

Bazemore comments:

• Police are in that area daily.
• This does take resources away from other areas of Town.

Portman comments:

• Council is looking at staff to review their resources and make the decision about what is appropriate and how many resources are available to keep us the safest city.
• Staff should be creative and find a what around the owner who doesn’t want the police there because it discouraged some renters.

Bazemore comments:

• There are other areas in Town that are having problems similar to Wrenn Drive.
• Many issues the police department deals with are not police issues, but they become police issues if they’re not effectively handled.

Boyle comments:

• He suggested this is a multi-faceted problem beyond what the police department can solve on their own.
• Staff may want to consider using a cross-cutting (multi-departmental) approach to crime conditions.

Council’s list of synergies and cross-cutting opportunities and areas in which staff should focus:

Weinbrecht comments:

• Technology is very important; the younger generation expects it.
• Plan now for what will engage future generations (i.e., social media, RSS feeds, etc.).
• We need a seamless on-line way to pay for everything (i.e., click a “pay” button).
• We do a lot on cable TV, but numerous people use satellite. Consider streaming video to connect with more people.
• Consider threaded discussions with the understanding that it requires resources.
• Perhaps technology can enhance public transportation in the future (i.e., the driver can use a GPS to find a specific house to pick up a passenger).

Robinson comments:

• The Town should develop economic development materials for the various departments (i.e., accolades, etc.). This information should be easily accessed on-line, and it should be included in a printed package.  
• We may need to review the C-Tran stops. For example, a senior citizen is more likely to use C-Tran if it drops them off at the community center door instead of at Academy Street, which would require them to walk some distance to get to their destination.
• This issue may be the reason that public transportation in this area is not more viable. Neighborhoods are so large, and a lot of walking is often required even to get to a bus stop.
• In the future as we design neighborhoods we should better plan for buses to actually go through the neighborhood for passengers.
• The partnership with the PRCR and police departments to meet the needs of at-risk youth was intriguing.
• The Town should work with the business community to potential partnerships in to address the issue of at-risk youth.

Adcock comments:

• The multi-generational approach to community centers as an example of a new concept for bringing people together was eye-opening. This concept will allow more green space and improve water quality and stormwater runoff because there’s less impervious surface.

Robison comments:

• Triangle Transit is experimenting with adding Wi-Fi to their express routes. Cary may want to consider this for C-Tran.
• The NLC youth education and families program assists communities develop partnership programs.
• The Town will soon have a sustainability manager on staff. Everyone should consider how this new resource can help facilitate the cross-cutting approach initiative. This is an opportunity for total cross-collaboration with all departments.

Frantz comments:

• The private sector should be given an opportunity to participate in sponsorships (i.e., ads on C-Tran buses, park facilities, etc.). This will offset costs and may free up money for some of the initiatives discussed at this retreat.
• The Citizens’ Assisting Police (CAP) Team is a great way to effectively utilize volunteers.
• Citizen frustration is because of reassignments instead of school over-capacity.

Smith comments:

• The concept of solutions and programs across silos was interesting. Continue to develop this multi-departmental approach.
• Use technology to promote Cary for economic development purposes.
• 80% of economic development in Cary is small business. Use technology to tell Cary’s great story to attract these businesses.
• Micro-plans to focus on unique areas is a good idea. These recognize the unique areas in Cary.
• PRCR is a key area for harnessing citizens and getting them involved.
• Businesses aren’t involved on a large scale with school issues.
• Groups that are involved tend to be on a small scale and are very political.
• He suggested working with the chamber to harness their energy and integrate them more effectively into the solution process.

Portman comments:

• The Town should bring back the PUD “wow” factor to provide design flexibility to create future developments.
• This would create incredible places with signature projects.
• He does not like the terminology “mixed use”.
• Cary needs to be a regional leader to deal with bigger issues that go beyond Cary.  
• The Wake County mayors should drive the concurrency of school construction.
• The council should not be involved in any school issues except the concurrency of construction.
• The Wake County mayors should drive the county’s growth management task force report. He would also like to personally contact other area council members and ask these governments to adopt a resolution supporting this initiative.
• The county commissioners and school board should focus on getting the job done. The solution is county-wide and does not rest with any one municipality.
• Portman will write some talking points for Weinbrecht to use at the mayors’ association breakfast meeting with the school board.

Frantz comments:

• He asked that these talking points be shared with all council members before Weinbrecht uses them to speak on behalf of the entire council.  

Ulma comments:

• The mixed use district provides an avenue for the wow development.

Downtown

The Downtown session began at 10 a.m. Staff’s PowerPoint presentation, given jointly by the PRCR, planning and engineering departments, is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

Bailey comments on regional rail:

• Cary is one of the only places along the high speed rail corridor for which an environmental impact statement has been done.
• It could be eligible for stimulus funding.
• There is a NCDOT group looking to pursue stimulus funding for a portion or all of the NC high speed rail.
• There’s a lot of discussion about linking the regional rail initiative to the high speed rail initiative.
• There’s not a lot of detail at this point.

Shivar comments:

• Council should understand that the regional and high speed rail are two different projects.
• It’s easy to confuse the two projects when discussions are vague.

Robison comments:

• The region is hoping to get stimulus funding for the southeast high speed rail project.
• An announcement should be made in a few weeks about which metropolitan area will receive this funding.
• This will allow high speed rail from the northeast corridor (Boston, D.C., Richmond, Charlotte), which will pass through Cary at high speeds with a stop in Raleigh.
• The current plan is not to stop in Cary unless Cary justifies a stop with high density near the potential stop.
• Raleigh asked for a new rail station with this project.
• This project is driving the need for Cary to do a corridor rail study.
• The Federal Transportation Administration and the NC Railroad wants all rail crossings closed or dealt with in some (i.e., grade separated).
• This project will facilitate a commuter diesel line between this area and Durham instead of light rail.

Portman comments:

• Is it a prerequisite for high speed to have grade separated crossings?

Bailey comments:

• Above a certain speed there is a requirement to improve the safety of rail crossings.
• There are several ways to accomplish this.
• This is a separate project with separate funding.
• The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) plan focuses on light rail.
• The TTA focus may change if high speed rail is funded, because it will build a set of tracks than can potentially run regional rail when it’s not being used for high speed rail.
• They are linked, but whatever happens first will set the stage for the second.
• The station issue is about ridership. If they can pick up enough people in Cary, then they offset the loss in time with ridership. It must be time-competitive to be viable.
• The rail people like to eliminate traditional crossings and/or grade-separate them. They are using the light and high speed rail discussions as ways to close the at-grade crossings.
• If the downtown at-grades are closed, then it would have impacts to Walker Street.
• Other closings throughout Town would also have negative impacts.
• Staff is working to ensure that Cary’s interests are included in their rail safety study.
• Cary is seeking federal funding to allow options (i.e., depress the rail corridor, etc.).
• Cary is working on a legislative agenda item to request federal funding, which will hopefully lead to federal support to keep prevent the safety issue from driving the issue.
• It is critical for Cary to continue pushing this issue.
• The state rail staff is attempting to get a separate smaller project to accomplish their goals. They’re contacting some individual council members about a study, but if the Town goes along with this at this time, then it will more than likely just be a typical study. He suggested that instead the Town press for a Cary type of study. The state wants an answer by the latter part of January, which puts staff in a predicament because it’s difficult to get any issue to council by that time.

Weinbrecht comments:

• There are many players regarding transit, in addition to the groups mentioned by Bailey.
• It’s difficult to understand who wants what and why and their motivations.
• He hopes this will all be clarified at the upcoming transit work session.

Portman comments:

• This information reinforces the need for the work session.
• Council is concerned about how to revitalize the downtown, and the high speed rail issue could be great for high speed rail but could devastate the downtown community.

Adcock comments:

• The Town should agree to a study, but on Cary’s terms.

Bailey comments:

• A lot is happening before the council can have a work session on this topic.
• Council may have to make some small decisions prior to the work session.
• Staff would love to be able to hold any decision about a study until after a council work session to give the council an opportunity to look at the big picture; however, NCDOT will more than likely not want to wait that long to get a decision on this issue.
• The at-grade crossing issue is very important to Cary.
• Cary needs to keep the long-term focus in mind to provide the guiding principle to help the council cross the various hurdles.
• The worst potential outcome would be to make Walker Street six-lanes and close the Academy and Harrison crossings.
• The state does not need the Town’s approval to close rail crossings.

Downtown Exercise

Staff’s PowerPoint presentation on the small group downtown activity is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit.

The council broke into three different groups with staff, and discussed their vision for the following areas of downtown: downtown south, downtown north, and downtown Chatham area.

After lunch the council presented their small group recommendations for each section of downtown as indicated below:

Robinson and Frantz comments on behalf of the on downtown south group:

• This area is from Ashworth’s Drugs to Cary Elementary School.
• The group discussed a paradigm shift to move development one street over (eastward) to Walker Street to protect the historic properties on Academy Street.
• The group liked the idea to put the new library across from the Town square, which would be a viable anchor.
• The group recommended that condos with green roofs be built on top of the parking deck and that there be studio space or something equivalent on the side of the parking deck that overlooks the park. They did not want to have cars overlooking the park.
• They came up with four potential locations for the performing arts center, and they prefer options 1 and 2:

(1) At the former Cary News building on the corner of Walker and E. Chatham St.:

This area is close to shops.

The group thought this location would be good for the senior population.

It would be important to work with the Methodist Church officials on a shared parking arrangement on their site.

(2) Work with the Methodist Church on their add-on efforts:

Instead of the church building a larger worship space, we could allow them to use the performing arts center on Sunday mornings.

The performing arts building would face the park.

The northern part would be deck, and the southern part would be performing arts center

(3) Put the performing arts center on the park site at the corner of Academy and Park Streets:

The group was not very excited about this option.

There are a couple of houses at this location, and one is historic.

(4) Put the performing arts center south of Walnut Street across from the parking deck:

The major downside with this option is that it would be a long walk from Chatham Street.

• The group preferred locating the performing arts center south of the tracks vs. the north part, because they want to keep the cultural amenities tied together.
• Robinson personally envisions the area north of the tracks being more of the office buildings/restaurants and less of the arts district.
• Locating the performing arts center near Cary Elementary and the library might create a partnership opportunity with the school system to provide an arts magnet school.
• The library will be more of a draw from sunup to sundown.
• Frantz is not personally opposed with a performing arts center on the Town Hall campus in order to utilize the existing parking deck, but he concurs with Robinson’s comments about desiring to keep it near the park and have one cultural center.
• The current library site can be sold to offset some cost, and this site may be a good site for a restaurant.
• Use some type of trolley or other transit system to transport people to destination points.
• In additional to a digital center, the library could include some type of arts space.

Smith and Adcock comments on the downtown north group discussion:

• This is an area of great potential anchored by the Town Hall complex.
• The group discussed the need for an attractive gateway into Cary in this vicinity.
• A performance arts center would provide a great gateway at this location, and we could utilize the existing parking deck and supplement it with additional parking. It would also ensure activity after the office workers go home at the end of the day.
• We’d like a hotel in this area.
• The train noise wouldn’t impact the performance arts center as much in this location.
• Many properties in this vicinity are rental, and the group thought that many of these property owners may be willing to sell.
• There should be balance, and this option allows flexibility to design a downtown and does not destroy the original intent and character for Cary Elementary and the library.
• There are opportunities for residential and retail around the performing arts center at this location.
• This location is close to the train station for transit purposes.
• They support a trolley type of system.
• This location provides opportunity for innovation.
• Smith personally thinks if the downtown concept is revised, then it may spark redevelopment near Cary and the library sooner.

Portman, Robison and Weinbrecht reported on the downtown Chatham area group discussion:

• The group was excited about moving the center from Chatham and Academy to Walker Street, and making it broad and walkable and much more dense.
• They liked the idea of moving the performing arts center to downtown north and sharing parking with the deck on Town Hall campus.
• They thought it would be good to “theme” this area in order to differentiate it from other retail/shopping centers in the region.
• They liked the idea of an historic downtown.
• They thought a good theme would be to mimic the architecture of the Page Walker Hotel so it has a particular era feeling (i.e., similar to a Georgetown look with a lot of landscaping with an emphasis on restaurants, outdoor dining, entertainment, etc.).
• They like the idea of presenting this concept to development companies so they can come back tell the council what kinds of incentives might be needed to achieve that goal.
• The group discussed the Town acting like a developer and assembling land to drive the process.
• They thought Walker Street should be a major four-lane thoroughfare with the focus on walkability in other areas in this vicinity.
• The orientation needs to be aesthetically pleasing so that if people are looking at this area from downtown north they don’t see parking lots.
• It’s important that we don’t put parking right along the rails, because that will be the first impression of Cary for those riding the rail. Instead, this area is suitable for office, because office workers don’t mind the train noise. Retail could be in front of this office area.
• This reinforces the concept that this is a main street; the train track compliments the main street.
• The group thought that Chatham Street should be a destination and not a thoroughfare; instead, the east/west traffic would use Chapel Hill/Maynard Roads.
• The group thought this project should be remarkable.
• The construction cost differs in this area as compared to other areas due to land assemblage.
• The development community should let the Town know what incentives are needed for downtown development to be viable.
• Portman would personally prefer to use some of the money designated for streetscapes as incentives to spur downtown development.
• Determine sooner rather than later if revitalization can occur for the entire downtown area or on a smaller scale. This will depend on the level of development that the Town can attract to downtown.
• They liked the idea of two to three story with retail, dining, etc. on the bottom with office and housing above it.
• This area should be a vibrant center for people to live.
• The group thought it would be good to use Cary’s international diversity in this area.
• The group suggested downtown marketing targeted to sports tourism as a destination point.
• The group favored wide streetscapes along this corridor for sidewalk cafés.

General downtown comments:

Portman comments:

• The Town might consider a business improvement district (funding borrowed and repaid under an incremental tax on the property).
• The downtown should be unique to serve as a draw.
• Draw on the sports venue crowd that visits Cary.

Robison comments:

• The Town may want to consider relocating the train depot to the Walker Street intersection, where there will be a natural place for people to enter/exit the station.
• Downtown redevelopment will be a good incentive for a Cary rail stop.
• A Page Walker similar design would be an interested residential characteristic.
• Higher density around the rail station fits with the land use plan.

Weinbrecht comments:

• Walker Street should be a major thoroughfare.
• The east/west route might be a traffic square going down Dry and using one-way designs.
• The downtown should be easily accessible from a thoroughfare and from pass-through traffic.

Adcock comments:

• The artist concept for art work on the bus shelters stems from the original wallpaper from the Page Walker, which fits with the Page Walker theme.

Robinson comments:

• She’s always had concerns about someone developing so that the downtown looks contrived.
• Details are critical if we want downtown to be a remarkable place.
• She does not want to be overly prescriptive by telling a developer that what they build should be the architectural style of the Page Walker. Instead, she would prefer that they have the opportunity to pull elements from the Page Walker.
• If everything follows the Page Walker pattern then it would result in repetition, which would result in the downtown not being a unique place. She also thinks this would make the Page Walker unremarkable.
• Instead of being prescriptive, she favors using the design guidelines and allowing people to artistically create genuine architecture.
• On a recent intercity visit to California, participants learned that the Town brought in 20 different architects and told them generally to develop a certain story development, which resulted in different architecture. This did not look contrived. Cary needs artistry to be a part of the downtown development.
• The downtown should have a theme (i.e, if it’s water fountains, then we’d do all BMPs in a fountain style, etc.). Developers could work with that theme and apply artistry to it. She further referenced Charleston as the place with the big front porches.

Portman comments:

• The idea is the Town comes up with an idea and then depends on the market to tell us what we need to change.

Boyle comments:

• The council seems to want the development to be remarkable and have a theme.

Robinson comments:

• The downtown area should be fun and dynamic.
• With the original town center area plan the downtown area is quaint, but there’s a difference in quaint and dynamic.

Frantz comments:

• He likes the idea of including the development community in determining how to make the vision a reality.
• He is struggling with moving downtown to Walker Street.
• He envisions Chatham Street being redeveloped from end to end.
• He does not want to plan anything else for the Walker Street extension until we know the status of the rail crossings. He does not want this extension to negatively impact these other crossings.
• He’s open to pursuing the business improvement district concept to leverage resources.
• He is glad the council postponed the streetscape project, because it’s allowed the council to look at things that may be a higher priority.
• He thinks the park should be the downtown priority.
• He thinks the developers who build will pay for the streetscapes on their property frontage.
• Downtown must be a destination.
• He thinks limiting Chatham Street to three stories is not a good idea, and thinks it must be four to five stories or more to be viable.

Weinbrecht comments:

• Academy Street has several historic structures that will not change.
• The traffic should not be funneled to Academy Street.
• Pedestrian traffic should be encouraged on Academy Street.
• North/south traffic should be away from Academy Street.
• It makes sense to funnel the traffic to Walker Street.

Frantz comments:

• He does not want to discourage traffic on Chatham Street.
• Businesses in this area need drive-by traffic.

Weinbrecht comments:

• The vision was to have restaurants with outdoor seating so when people drive through they don’t feel like they’re on a major thoroughfare.

Robinson comments:

• Officials and staff from Carmel, Indiana described a road with a garden-style walkway over the road. In this setting people don’t feel they’re traversing over a highway. Walker Street should be developed with this feature.
• She has a lot of concerns with locating the performing arts center at downtown north. People will not feel comfortable traversing on a four-lane median divided road to access the center. To combat this, there will need to be a lot of shops on the southern side of Chapel Hill Road. If not, it will feel like the area is just very large boxes that don’t provide a sense of place.

Portman comments:

• He complimented Robinson on her sense of scale and scope.
• He stated one-way traffic may be one way to address Robinson’s concerns.
• The brainstorming session was productive.

Smith comments:

• There does not need to be unanimous council consensus.
• He thinks it’s okay for development to be quaint and contrived. It’s in the eye of the beholder.
• The agreement is that development should be remarkable, and that should drive everything.
• Design flexibility is good.
• For the first time he sees real opportunity to have a true vision for downtown.
• There are pieces to tackle now instead of doing everything at one time.
• The council should be able to address the issues that in the past felt like constraints (i.e., trains, etc.).

Robinson comments:

• She took a train trip once and was embarrassed at the way Cary looked to train travelers.
• She recommended that council members take the train from Cary to Durham to see the viewshed.
• The rail line is Cary’s front door.
• Cary needs to strongly endorse the downtown plan and show that we’re moving forward, even if we don’t have the funds to commit to it at this time. Show that the Town plans to spend millions on the rail corridor so the rail people will see that they’d be destroying a real plan.
• She likes the idea of high speed rail. The federal government needs to pay for grade separated crossings, and they will only do this if they understand the need to respect a viable downtown.
• High speed rail would solve the problem of businesses being reluctant to relocate in downtown Cary. It would allow the Town to market downtown with more strength due to the easy access.
• She wants staff to look at one-way streets as a last option. These types of movements are confusing to drivers.

Robison comments:

• Cary needs to drive the shape of the rail issue. Focus on what we want and drive that vision.
• A Cary stop would only add four minutes to the D.C. to Charlotte route.

Questions/comments from staff on council’s feedback about downtown development:

Bailey comments:

• He thinks the downtown plan does not contain adequate parking.
• He thinks one-way traffic is confusing.
• Downtown is a destination and is not a stop along the way.
• The Maynard Road loop provides an access to downtown.
• The original scope in the town center area plan suggests another parallel route that’s two lanes and small scale instead of attempting to direct traffic to one spot.

Robinson comments:

• Concealed parking in downtown should be encouraged (i.e., wrap the building around either surface or stacked parking).

Henderson comments:

• There seems to be consensus to move the performing arts center but not necessarily on the north end.

Robinson comments:

• Staff should evaluate the options for the performing arts center location (north, Cary News site and the church site).

Boyle comments:

• Council seems to like the joint, integrated ideas.

Portman comments:

• The scale and scope of the library seems key to viability.

Ulma comments:

• Staff can follow up with council and provide the pros and cons with the various performing arts center locations to help council make that decision.

Robison comments:

• She’s interested in staff laying out a logical staging for potential downtown development. This will help show and market the vision.

Closure on downtown discussion:

Adcock comments:

• She likes the new library concept looking out on the park, green roofs and hidden parking
• She likes the performing arts center near the Town Hall parking deck.
• She thinks a decision on the performing arts center location will be a driver to help raise private funds.

Robison comments:

• She’s like advice from staff and consultants on a strategic plan and cost benefit (what we should do first and why).
• She likes the performing arts center next to Town Hall, but she’s open to other options. She’d like staff to develop location options with pros and cons in the near future for council’s consideration. She wants this decision made early in the process to show a cogent plan.
• She wants to see estimates on the number of citizens in downtown who might be impacted by today’s discussion.

Frantz comments:

• He doesn’t want to decide now on the exact location of the performing arts center. Instead, he wants to acknowledge that it will be a key component of downtown. However, he’s not opposed to getting information on location options as long as staff does not spend a lot of money on this and then later determine that it needs to be somewhere else.
• He wants to acquire the rest of the property and get the park done, which will send a positive message to the county about the library.
• He wants information from staff on TIFs, BIDs, etc. (i.e., how much money we would receive if we did certain things).

Robinson comments:

• The architect of the west regional library is also the architect for Cary Elementary, and he’s been secured to do the new downtown library.
• She wants to acquire the land for the new library.
• She urged caution with putting the potential location of the performing arts center on a map until the staff has acquired the land for it. She thinks doing so may drive up the land cost.
• It’s important to have a good grid system.

Smith comments:

• Cary needs to let the county know that we want to be a team player with the library.
• He concurs with having a conceptual model of the performing arts center location, while being flexible.
• The Town needs a tool to market downtown.

Portman comments:

• He wants information about financing options and how they might not be subject to debt limits.
• He suggested showing all alternative locations for the performing arts center on the plan.
• He’s interested in learning how quickly we can get information to the market.
• He wants to move forward with a plan independent of the transit issue.
• Council should be involved with the transit issue and strive to drive it.
• It makes sense to consider the major demographics and the aging of the population with regard to housing design.
• Market value senior housing near a beautiful park and a great library and a walkable environment is very attractive.

Weinbrecht comments:

• He’s concerned about traffic.
• He thinks there needs to be a north/south roadway with a major employment center and residential around it. If not, he thinks people will avoid the area.
• He wants to make it easy for people to decide to visit downtown.
• He is concerned about us waiting for NCDOT and the rail people to make rail decisions before the council makes a decision.

Ulma comments:

• Staff will bring a schedule to council.

Robinson comments:

• She asked if the council still wants a downtown manager.

Portman comments (Frantz concurred):

• He thinks we don’t need one until we get viability of what that person is managing.

Bailey comments:

• There may be options without the multi-lane in tracks are depressed in the future.
• The DOT and rail officials brought up the issue of depressing tracks. It’s still an open question regarding who would do this.

Retreat Closing comments

Weinbrecht comments:

• The council covered a lot of material in a short time period.
• He appreciated Boyle’s facilitation.
• He appreciates the staff staying focused.
• He appreciates the council staying engaged and involved.
• He thought this was a good retreat.
• He thanked the staff for the quality of the presentations and for structuring the retreat to help the council provide good direction.
• He thanked Shivar for his leadership.
• He thinks the council and staff does a great job as a team.

Frantz comments:

• He liked focusing on the vision instead of the details.
• He thinks council gave staff good feedback.
• He looks forward to staff’s follow-up reports to council so council can continue their work on these important issues.
• He looks forward to the work sessions that came out of the retreat.
• This is the best retreat he’s attended.

Adcock comments:

• She agreed with prior comments.
• The retreat was a good balance of staff directed information and council conversation and conclusion to the appropriate point.
• She suggested that next year the staff not provide paper copies of presentations to the council. She would instead prefer to focus on the speaker and after the retreat get the presentations electronically.

Robinson comments:

• She read an e-mail from a Morrisville resident who is interested in the Cary/Morrisville merger. In the e-mail the writer states he is one of many who are interested.

Portman comments:

• He wants a punch list of what council agreed to do and quarterly status updates from staff.
• He thought the retreat was excellent.
• Even though the downtown issue was divisive at times, in the end it was a powerful way to work through important issues.

Smith comments:

• He appreciates the constant engagement and the balance between the information staff presented and the dialog among council.
• He thanked Shivar for having the courage and confidence to challenge council’s thinking.
• He appreciates that council brought forth issues with some detail to help focus the council.
• He thinks the council worked well together and had a productive retreat.

Robison comments:

• She concurred with prior comments.
• She thanked staff for the substantive information.
• She liked the format of the state of affairs on the different issues and the challenges and opportunities and next steps.
• She is relieved that council had a conversation about transit, and she looks forward to the work session, which she hopes will lead to council developing a shared vision and the council driving this vision.

Robison stated Portman, Robinson and herself met with a Turnpike Authority chief engineer early this morning regarding some Cameron Pond issues. Since that meeting the chief engineer has sent an e-mail to his project manager indicating they need to discuss the noise barrier situation. In the e-mail he further states that the Turnpike Authority needs to install the wall and figure out the funding.

Portman added that Steve Dewitt is the chief engineer, and he has been very responsive to the situation. He stated Dewitt drove to Cameron Pond after this morning’s meeting. Following that he issued a note to their engineers to not touch the entrance until they talk in an attempt to save the landscaping. He also told his engineers that they needed to be very sensitive to anything done in that neighborhood.

Shivar comments:

• He stated the downtown session exceeded his expectations.
• He thanked council for giving clear direction on key issues.
• There may be other issues in addition to stormwater and transit in which he may want to follow up with a work session.
• He will be deliberate this year in following up with council about the status of the retreat direction.
• Next year he plans to start planning for the retreat much earlier.
• He appreciates the time staff spent in preparing for how to organize and present the materials.
• He thanked Boyle for forcing the staff to think through what they needed to do to ensure a successful retreat.

Summary of key retreat points

Land Use and Development

• More open space to balance density
• More dense “gardenesque” to enhance quality of life with older population housing needs
• Don’t compete for low-cost housing with high cost land
• Define our role/place in the larger metro area
• Determine how to preserve our neighborhood feel
• Pursue more and better density (different than what we have now)
• Stop using ranges for development standards
• Invite Morrisville to discuss merger
• Mayors continue dialog with school board officials
• Determine how design/technology relate to the population’s health and wellness
• Factor topography/natural resources into mixed use and dense development
• Determine how to balance between rules-based development and vision-driven development
• Be dense and intense but have guidelines for vision and “wow” development
• Leadership for linking growth and schools
• Incredible places with high standards
• Determine lost opportunities for incredible places when we’ve allowed “lesser” development
• Quality of remaining build-out is more important that how fast we can build out

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources

• Multi-generational, multi-purpose, multi-choice
• Dovetail with private efforts
• Plan and design for the town’s gateways
• Neighborhood parks provide good “bang for the buck”
• Trend towards “integrated” rather than “segregated” facilities (i.e., age, etc.)
• New cultural influences/interested (i.e., activities such as classes on turf maintenance, etc.)
• Greenway connections to encourage greater social and economic activity
• Engage corporate/philanthropic sponsorships
• Linkage with schools and law enforcement (i.e., programs for at-risk youth)

Infrastructure

• Better understand the kinds of stormwater problems citizens have and what role the Town has or should have
• Determine the size of the stormwater problem (prioritize risk/prone to flood, etc.)
• Determine the role of private lakes in stormwater runoff (i.e., becoming sedimentation basins, etc.)
• Strike a proper balance between public and private responsibilities (i.e., what’s Cary’s role and responsibilities)
• Determine if there are efficiencies in upgrading ponds/lakes
• Conduct a work session on stormwater issues
• How does/should density relate to transit in Cary
• Provide alternatives for more comprehensive/flexible roadway transportation planning and funding
• Small area plans for James Jackson area (northwest Cary) and the Western Wake Expressway area
• Conduct a transit work session (synthesize, summarize, information, timelines, players, interests/roles, corridor study (i.e., Hwy. 55), determine Cary’s goals)

Public Safety

• Crime-free neighborhoods
• Emphasize cross-departmental solutions
• Maintain standards utilizing code enforcement
• Be proactive and consistent with enforcement issues (across the Town)
• Determine if code enforcement should be complaint-driven
• Take a thoughtful, cross-cutting approach to crime conditions
• Citizen education and awareness

Synergies

• Technology will transform how we work and who we hire
• Seamless “pay” system
• Use technology to reach “less wired/connected” citizens (and those who use alternate technologies)
• Marketing and economic development information from each department
• PRCR multi-generational approach and expanding greenways helps with land development and stormwater issues
• PRCR/Police joint approach to at-risk youth
• Partner with business/private sector to reduce costs/spending
• “PUD Wow” idea to create incredible places and signature projects
• Regional/county-wide leadership (i.e., school construction, etc.)
• Integrate businesses more effectively
• Opportunities for solving problems across departments
• Tell/share our “great story” to small businesses
• Less one size fits all and more differentiation (i.e., micro plans)
• Engage citizens and capture volunteers
• Determine how sustainability manager can help facilitate the cross-cutting approach/initiative

Downtown

• New library concept with art space looking out on the park, green roofs and hidden parking
• Provide options on performing arts center location with pros and cons
• Strategic plan and cost benefit (what we should do first and why)
• Determine the number of citizens in downtown who might be impacted by the plan
• Acquire the rest of the property and get the park done
• Acquire land for new library site
• Financing opportunities; Business improvement district
• Good grid system
• Develop a marketing tool(s)
• Drive the transit issue
• Consider major demographics and the aging population with regard to housing design
• Market value senior housing
• Traffic patterns that encourage people to visit downtown
• Hold off on downtown manager position until the downtown plan is more than conceptual
• Determine how Walker Street best fits in the downtown plan
• Trolley-type system to move pedestrians
• Hotel space
• Develop a downtown theme
• Aesthetically pleasing building orientations (i.e., hidden parking, etc.)
• Remarkable – not contrived
• Development community involvement to determine what’s viable and what incentives would help (i.e., land assemblage, etc.)
• Potentially use some of the streetscape money designated for streetscapes as incentives to spur development
• Determine if development will occur on a small or large scale
• Target Cary’s international diversity and sports tourism
• Location of train depot
• Use design guidelines instead of prescriptive rules
• Vibrant residential areas
• Fun and dynamic
• Should developers pay for streetscapes on their property frontage?
• Rail corridor aesthetics
• Rail crossing issue is outstanding; strongly endorse downtown plan to influence rail decisions
• Grade separated crossings
• Joint use/integration (i.e., parking deck, etc.)

The retreat ended at 3:44 p.m. on January 16.