To: Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and Members of the Cary Town Council

Cary Town Hall

316 N. Academy Street

Cary, NC 27513

Dear Mayor Weinbrecht, Mayor Pro Tem Robinson, Council Members Bush, Kohn-Johnson, Craig, Smith, and Bansal:

 We, the undersigned residents of the Weston Pointe, Weston Manor, and Bexley neighborhoods – over 500 households strong – respectfully urge you to deny the high-density multifamily component of the proposed Weston Planned Development District Amendment for Tract 4 at 7001 Weston Parkway (Case 24-REZ-14). This 8.7-acre site, currently zoned and occupied as commercial office space, sits at the heart of our established community, steps from North Cary Park and the Black Creek Greenway. As lifelong Cary residents and recent families who've chosen this area for its safe, walkable access to recreation, we appreciate the council's decade-long commitment to balanced growth under the Imagine Cary Community Plan. Your recent approvals of housing initiatives – like the $3.6M for 62 affordable units in April 2025 – demonstrate a thoughtful approach to our housing needs. However, high-density apartments here would undermine that balance, clashing with the MOVE and ENRICH chapters' emphasis on livable neighborhoods and multimodal safety.

 We are not opposed to redevelopment of this tract. In fact, we actively support low-density townhouses or similar for-sale attached housing that mirrors the scale and stability of Weston and Bexley. Such options would foster long-term ownership, integrate seamlessly with our single-family homes, and align with the council's proven preference for compatible infill – as seen in the 2021 Roberts Road townhome approval. Our concern is narrowly focused on high-density multifamily apartments, whose transient nature and added intensity threaten the very qualities that make Cary a Platinum Bike-Friendly Community.

1. Traffic Safety on Norwell Boulevard: Protecting Families' Access to North Cary Park

Norwell Boulevard, our neighborhoods' lifeline to North Cary Park, is a quiet two-lane just 3,500–5,500 vehicles per day (NCDOT 2024 AADT) – ideal for the hundreds of children and families who bike or walk there weekly. Evenings and weekends, it's a safe haven for strollers and training wheels. Yet, the developer's traffic study, while noting peak-hour tweaks, overlooks how 100+ apartment units would add 665+ daily trips (ITE standards), plus commercial flows, netting 400-600 new vehicles funneling onto Norwell. This 10–15% surge would transform serene evenings into risky commutes, degrading LOS from D to E and inviting cut-throughs on residential streets like Oak Island Drive and Nantucket Drive.

 Council Member Bush, your 2023 remarks on Norwell's biking challenges resonate deeply here – we've seen near-misses with speeding commuters. As neighbors to this crown jewel park, we fear apartments' residents will heighten these risks for our vulnerable users. The Imagine Cary MOVE chapter demands LOS C–D on collectors and prioritizes pedestrian/bike safety. Without committed roadway enhancements – beyond the Weston Mobility Study's scope – this proposal falls short, echoing the council's wise conditions on 2022 mixed-use rezonings.

2. Neighborhood Compatibility: Preserving Weston's Stable Character

 Weston and Bexley thrive on enduring residency: block parties, shared greenway runs, and a sense of place built over decades. High-density apartments introduce a mismatched transient dynamic – rental-heavy, with quicker turnover – that erodes this fabric, much like the 2023 Waverly Place concerns that prompted your scaled-back approvals. Low-density townhouses, however, echo our attached-home scale, promoting the ownership stability the 2021 Housing Plan champions for wealth-building families. This isn't resistance to change; it's a plea for compatibility, aligning with your track record of resident-driven tweaks (e.g., 2025 affordable rehab funds preserving neighborhood integrity).

3. Targeted Environmental Protection: Safeguarding Black Creek Greenway

 The site directly abuts the Black Creek Greenway, a vital riparian buffer that filters stormwater for our shared Neuse River Basin. This proximity demands precision. Apartments' expansive parking and buildings (often >40% impervious) would spike runoff velocity by 20-30% (per Rational Method-based modeling), straining buffers and risking erosion into this sensitive corridor, per DEQ impairment histories. The ENRICH chapter's mandate for no-net-increase pollutant loading and 1:1 canopy replacement is tougher here than for compact townhouses.

This isn't blanket opposition – it's defending a recreational lifeline for all Cary families. Dear Council members, you've masterfully balanced landowner rights with resident voices, approving growth that enhances Cary without overwhelming it. Deny high-density multifamily here to uphold that legacy: condition approval on low-density townhouses that meet MOVE/ENRICH standards and protect our park access. We're ready to collaborate – let's build compatibility, not conflict.

We urge a vote to deny high-density apartments and direct low-density alternatives.