Hanbury Preservation Consulting

P.O. Box 6049
Raleigh, NC 27628 USA
(919) 828-1905 phone

Cary Historic Preservation Plan

Cary, North CarolinaCary is the center of North Carolina’s triangle region. In 2009 the US Census Bureau ranked Cary as the third fastest growing city in the nation. With this growth have come development pressures and conflicts with historic preservation. In order to anticipate issues, and have a plan to address them proactively, the Town of Cary hired a consulting team including Hanbury Preservation Consulting to develop a Historic Preservation Plan. Though barely 3% of Cary’s resources were built before 1960, those older properties include the sort of diversity one would expect in this rapidly expanding town — an early core downtown area, rural resources once part of the county, and 1950s residential subdivisions reflecting the development spurred by the neighboring Research Triangle Park.

Cary, North CarolinaWorking in collaboration with Thomason and Associates, the Walker Collaborative and Russ Stephenson, AIA, Hanbury Preservation Consulting engaged in a year long planning process which involved

  • reviewing existing plans, policies and historic inventories town wide,
  • presenting three educational workshops on preservation issues and tools,
  • conducting four public meetings for input and feedback, and
  • working closely with staff and a town council appointed advisory committee

The resulting plan reflects issues and resources specific to Cary, presents goals and objectives shaped by public input, and recommends action steps that are prioritized and assigned to specific entities and town departments. The planning process has resulted in a document that is truly a product of Cary, its resources, and its regulatory framework. It will drive actions and policies in the town to balance growth and heritage insuring a sense of place and a high quality of life. The plan was adopted in May 2010.

2011- Honorable Mention, Outstanding Planning Award - Comprehensive Planning (Large Community), North Carolina Chapter, American Planning Association

Cary, North CarolinaCary, North Carolina