Cary considers plan for 1,000+ housing units, hotel and shops in Green Level community
Cary leaders are considering a proposed development in the Green Level community that would turn 30 vacant acres into a residential and commercial district.
The Viridis project proposes up to 1,300 housing units, which could include apartments or townhomes, and a nursing home or a continuing care center on Green Level West Road near Interstate 540.
The project also could contain up to 20,000 square feet of commercial space, 225,000 square feet of office space, and a hotel with up to 125 rooms
If approved, Viridis would be built across the street from a proposed 500-bed hospital beside the existing Duke Health Green Level complex that now has primary and specialty care offices.
The project is also located next to another proposal, Bel Canto, which could add up to 700 more multi-family homes to the area.
The Cary Town Council got its first look at the project April 13 and referred it to the town’s Planning and Zoning Board, which will make its recommendation at a later date.
Here’s what we know about the project so far.
The proposal
Viridis would share some characteristics with Fenton, the 92-acre mixed-use district with restaurants, retailers and a movie theater that opened in Cary last year.
The Green Level project is primarily residential, however, unlike Fenton.
The Halle Companies, a Triangle-based real estate firm, submitted the proposal for the Viridis project to add more options for West Cary.
They want to divide the project into six pods, according to Rob Wilson, a planning manager for Cary.:
▪ Pods 1 to 4 and pod 6 would include buildings four to eight stories tall. These buildings could be residential, commercial or office spaces.
▪ Pod 5 would include open space and a possible one-story park structure like a gazebo or picnic shelter.
The developers also propose adding three connections to the White Oak Greenway along the southern border of the area.
There will also be more additions to Green Level West Road, including widening the road from two lanes to four with a median.
The utility lines along Green level West Road would be placed underground, Wilson said.
The proposal puts buildings close to the street, with benches, sitting walls, bike racks, street lamps, art, outdoor dining, plotted plants and landscaping enhancing the appearance of the area.
Wilson said other design commitments include:
Structured parking (no surface parking)
5% of all homes rented to households earning 80% or below the area median income for the Raleigh-Cary area
Sustainable features: 50 EV charging ports, LED lighting, recycling stations for glass, paper and plastic
Concerns & community feedback
Cary residents living within 800 feet of the properties were notified of the proposed Viridis development by mail, through posts on the property and through the town’s website.
There was a virtual meeting in August 2021, the first, between The Halle Companies and three residents who had concerns about development. In December, The Halle Companies joined the other applicants for Duke Health and Bel Canto to share information with the Town Council and hear concerns.
Some of them included:
Traffic at neighboring intersections
Community gathering spaces
The impact on schools
The number of homes
Environmental commitments
Potential lighting impacts
At last week’s meeting, Kelly Jackson asked if there would be buffers between the taller housing buildings and the existing homes.
She also had a concern about the traffic along Green Level West Road.
“It’s going to four lanes when I’m already having to cross two lanes to get to my mailbox and back, it’s like playing Frogger every day,” Jackson said.
She asked the council if the mailboxes could be moved once the road is expanded to four lanes.
