Cary selects developer for Maplewood site – but they won’t build single-family homes as some neighbors want

The Cary Village Board has chosen developer Cordogan Clark and Associates to build a market-rate townhome and apartment complex at the long-shuttered Maplewood School property.

At a Committee of the Whole last week, the consensus was that Cordogan Clark offered the least amount of residential density, a good mix of indoor and outdoor parking and owner-occupied options, which trustees said they liked.

Earlier this month, the board was presented with three developers’ designs to consider. All three proposals had similar complexes, all with apartment buildings, separate townhome buildings and plenty of outdoor and indoor amenities.

The Cordogan Clark proposal is five-story apartment blocks with about 200 units oriented by Route 14 and surrounded by three-story buildings of 50 townhomes.

Lynmark Group proposed 288 apartments, and Alessio Companies and VDR Development Group aimed to build 284.

Community Development Director Brian Simmons said next, the village will begin negotiations with the developer to enter into a pre-developer agreement, a timeframe he said is of about 30 days.

After that, the village plans to host many meetings where residents can give input on what they want to be built there, as far as design, so that when a final concept is presented to the board, which is expected to be in the fall, it is a reflexion of what they want in their community, trustees said.

But at the village board meeting, all of the people who spoke said what they want built there is not rentals but single-family housing. Others said they don’t want to see four- or five-story buildings in the area as it would change the neighborhood.

Trustee Jennifer Weinhammer said in the past she’s also wanted the single-family housing there, but that time and time again home builders have conveyed that in that space that’s not feasible or affordable.

Trustee Ellen McAlpine said that while there are people who wish to own their home, many others want different options and Cary should offer that too.

“There is a big demographic that are not owning homes anymore; there are a lot of people that are looking for rentals for a variety of reasons,” McAlpine said.

She added that amenities within the community are attractive to young couples and older people who are downsizing.

Cordogan Clark plans to add a dog park, pool, outdoor workspaces and extra stormwater retention. Indoor amenities can include a fitness center, workspaces and an entertainment kitchen.

“We want the community to help us define the final product,” Cordogan Clark Managing Partner Michael Poulakidas said during the presentation at the earlier meeting.

To the frustration expressed by some residents who spoke on the lack of communication in regards to the steps the village is taking to develop in that area, Mayor Mark Kownick explained that the only action that is being taken at this time is selecting the developer. He pledged to communicate all updates and processes in a timely manner so residents are aware of meetings where they can give their input, once the village is in that phase.

Ideas for the best way to communicate with residents include fliers in the mail, text alerts and door hangers. There’s also a tab on the village website specific to the Maplewood property.

Trustee Rick Dudek also suggested that three to five people be chosen by what one resident identified as the Franke subdivision, so they can act as liaison between the village and the neighborhood to further bridge the communication gap and address a feeling of mistrust between some residents in that area and village officials.

Dudek offered the group the ability to sit in on some of the developer meetings and Kownick agreed it would be a good idea.

The Maplewood property is identified as a “priority development opportunity site,” according to the 2021 downtown strategic plan.

“The development of this site will be an important part of the continuing improvement and expansion of the village’s downtown,” the village said in the request document.

The village had issued a public proposal request in September. The property is in the downtown tax increment financing district that was created in 2023. Currently zoned single-home residential, it houses the former school, six baseball fields and District 26’s transportation center.

Now that the village owns the property, officials are moving forward with the Maplewood Access Road Extension project that aims to improve mobility in downtown Cary. The new road would be an extension of Industrial Drive, running from Cary Algonquin Road to High Road, parallel with Route 14 and south of the railroad tracks.