This project will evaluate and plan for comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian mobility along Weston Parkway as well as Evans Road, Sheldon Drive and Norwell Blvd between Weston and NW Cary Parkway.  In conjunction with mobility needs the project will reexamine the vision for land uses and urban design in the area to further implement the goals of the Cary Community Plan.    

The area around Weston Parkway has grown in the last decade adding employers MetLife, Biologics, Apple and Xerox as well as new single family residences, townhomes and apartments.  Plans for a 7-story hotel and parking deck have recently been approved and other plans are in development.  The bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to serve the growing number of employees and residents does not meet today’s standards. 

The Weston Planned Development District (PDD) was developed in the 1980s as an office park with buildings tucked in along winding green parkways. Bicycle and pedestrian needs were addressed with off-road greenway trails in lieu of sidewalks along roadways unlike what would be required and constructed by current standards. Though transit stops have been added within the study area they are not fully connected to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the bicycle and pedestrian mobility needs of the study area including gaps in existing facilities and develop an overall multi-modal vision. 

The project will also include visioning for land uses and urban design along Weston Parkway and within the study area. Project recommendations will further the goals of the Cary Community Plan. 

The Cary 2040 Community Plan envisions the Weston area as a future Employment Mixed Use Campus which calls for commercial, office, and residential uses organized either as vertical mixed use (multi-story) or horizontal mixed use (separate buildings in close proximity), arranged in a walkable pattern with an active pedestrian realm where buildings front streets. The Future Growth Framework designation emphasizes the following treatments to accompany infill and redevelopment within existing centers:

• Improve pedestrian and bicycle crossings within and around campus
• Add bikeway connections, bike parking, street trees, outdoor plazas and pocket parks
• Widen sidewalks
• Cohesive building frontages that frame the public realm
• Increase street connectivity

A final draft of the Weston Mobility and Land Use Study was completed in November 2024. The study is not an approved or adopted plan and does not regulate rezonings or other development proposals in Weston. 

Next Steps

In February 2025, staff reviewed the overall ideas provided in the study with Council and suggested pursuing the creation of a Special Planning Area (SPA) for Weston in the Imagine Cary Community Plan. Cary currently has five different Special Planning Areas identified in the Community Plan. These five areas were identified as needing additional planning guidance as they are key opportunity areas for redevelopment or new development. Creating such a designation for Weston would serve to provide more detailed policy direction and guide designs for future development in Weston. Staff is currently developing procedural options for Council’s review and direction in early 2026. Public engagement is anticipated to be a key part of these forthcoming options. 

Contacts

Sandi Bailey, AICP                                                               Eve Anderson
Project Manager                                                                  Project Manager
Transportation Planning                                                     Planning & Development Services
sandi.bailey@carync.gov                                                    eve.anderson@carync.gov 

For additional information, call 311 within Cary or 919-469-4000 outside of Cary