Source: Gramor Development
COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL AREAS PLAN The Commercial and Industrial Areas Plan builds on the Land Use Plan and offers an achievable approach for maintaining and growing Wake Forest’s commercial, employment, and industrial areas. The Plan aims to diversify businesses, grow local job opportunities, and build a sustainable, resilient economy. This includes increasing local shopping options and employment opportunities to ensure residents no longer need to travel outside the Town for work and major shopping needs. Prioritizing the activation of vacant businesses and redevelopment opportunities before greenfield development and outward growth will ensure the Town’s commercial and industrial areas develop sustainably. The Commercial and Industrial Areas Plan highlights multimodal connectivity to Wake Forest’s commercial and employment to ensure residents can safely and conveniently access their destinations as desired via walking, biking, or transit. Note: The following area plans are not prioritized or ranked in any order.
1 Capital Boulevard
2 N White Street
Capital Boulevard is a major arterial roadway that connects Wake Forest with the surrounding region, including the City of Raleigh. It is the primary route residents and visitors take to pass through the Town. The develop- ment of undeveloped and underde- veloped land along Capital Boulevard into commercial uses should be encouraged with both a local and regional customer base. This should be done in coordination with NCDOT’s planned controlled-access highway conversion project that will affect roadway configurations. TOD may also be supported near the potential S-Line station at the southern end of the corridor. High quality devel- opment should be promoted that features efficient access management, landscaping, and attractive building façades to support a desirable char- acter along this well-traveled roadway. Where commercial uses abut residential areas, sufficient screening and buffering should be in place to provide a smooth transition into lower intensity neighborhoods, screen commercial activity, and preserve the residential character.
Over the long term, the existing light industrial and auto-oriented development along the west side of N White Street should redevelop into neighborhood-serving retail and services. These uses should serve as a buffer between the railroad and the residential areas to the east while providing residents with access to a variety of food and drink establish- ments, shops, personal services, and other local businesses. Parking lots should be located to the rear and continuous sidewalks should support high pedestrian connectivity between businesses. A multi-use path along N White Street should further improve pedestrian access and connectivity. Pedestrian and bike connections and safe crossings should provide easy access to Flaherty Park Community Center, Northeast community, and the surrounding neighborhoods.
3 Tech Park
Located near Downtown, the South- eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (formerly Wake Forest College) brings about 3,400 students to the Town each year, playing a vital role in the local economy. The 169 acres west of the campus owned by the Seminary (between Patterson Hall and the Wake Forest Crossing shopping center) is being considered for a future live- work-play tech park. This project
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COMMUNITY PLAN | TOWN OF WAKE FOREST
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