All sidewalks, greenways and street-side trails shall be designed to comply with the standards provided in plans, ordinances and manuals listed in Section 1.4. In addition to the general provisions of Section 7.10.3 above, the following specific standards shall be met in designing and achieving a pedestrian circulation system:
(A) Sidewalks
(1) Sidewalks shall be installed on both sides of all thoroughfares and collector streets. In non-residential developments and property located within Mixed Use Overlay Districts, sidewalk shall also be provided on both sides of all local and private streets as well as along one (1) side of all primary travelways. Shifting the sidewalk to an adjacent linear island is permitted if it creates better pedestrian connectivity. The Planning Director may approve sidewalk on one (1) side of the street in cases where a street is single-loaded and the opposite side of the street is not expected to develop in the future. Sidewalk shall be required on one (1) side of all local and private streets in residential developments outside of a mixed-use center.
(2) Site design techniques such as shortening crosswalk distances with curb extensions, reducing sidewalk curb radii, and eliminating free right-turn lanes shall be used to improve pedestrian safety at pedestrian roadway crossings. Signals that allow longer crossing times in Mixed Use Overlay Districts, raised crosswalks, and pedestrian refuges in medians shall be provided as appropriate.
(3) Pedestrian access from the public right-of-way into a site shall be every nine hundred (900) feet along long block frontages.
(4) Within a development, sidewalks and/or greenways shall form an on-site circulation system that provides pedestrian access to all public building entrances, on-site amenities, and adjacent parks and greenways, minimizing conflict between pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Where building frontages exceed six hundred (600) feet in length, a building break or pedestrian pass-thru shall be provided to facilitate pedestrian circulation between areas in front of and behind the building mass. Such a break shall not be required if there is no current, proposed, or future development, pedestrian destination, or point of interest (e.g., a parking lot, greenway, plaza, etc.) located to the rear of the building. Sidewalks and/or greenways shall connect building entrances to one another and from building entrances to public sidewalk connections and existing or planned transit stops, street-side trails and/or greenways. Non-residential buildings located more than one hundred (100) feet from the public right-of-way shall provide for direct pedestrian access to buildings located on adjacent lots.
(5) Cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets shall be connected to the closest local or collector street and/or to cul-de-sacs in adjoining residential subdivisions, commercial development, or similar compatible land uses including schools, parks, recreation facilities, libraries, and greenways, via a sidewalk or street-side trail.
(6) A linear parking lot island containing a sidewalk shall be provided to align directly with the principal entrance. Additional sidewalk shall be provided in linear islands as necessary to provide adequate and convenient pedestrian access, but shall not be required in all such islands. Linear islands containing sidewalks shall be a minimum of fifteen (15) feet in width to allow adequate space for the sidewalk and plantings.
(B) Greenways
The Town of Cary's greenway trail system consists of a series of interconnected pedestrian trails located off-road and tied together by on-road street-side trails and sidewalk connectors. The plan for the townwide trail system is outlined, and trail types are defined, in the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Facilities Master Plan.
(1) All public greenways shall be located based upon the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Facilities Master Plan with final alignments to be determined during the development plan review process.
(2) Construction of all public greenway trails shall meet Town of Cary standards and specifications as provided by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.
(3) A Greenway Easement shall be dedicated to the Town of Cary in accordance with LDO Section 8.2.1(D)(3). The developer shall demonstrate that the easement to be conveyed is usable for trail construction to Town standards (in terms of topography, wetlands, buffers, etc. The width of easements may be reduced to twenty (20) feet where the developer is constructing the greenway trail.
(4) Development plans shall provide private, paved trail connections to existing and planned public greenways located within or adjacent to the development. Such private trail connections shall be constructed at least every nine hundred (900) feet along the adjacent greenway corridor with the details being determined by Town staff during the development plan review process. These connections shall meet the Town of Cary standards and specification as provided by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department.
(5) Public greenways and dedication of easements shall be credited towards park land dedication and payment-in-lieu requirements in accordance with LDO Section 8.2.1.
(6) All trails shall be constructed as development occurs, and phasing must be approved by Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources staff.
(7) Greenway trails located within required perimeter buffers shall meet the requirements of LDO Section 7.2.3(H)(3). Greenway easements may be required outside of the perimeter buffer in order to meet Town standards for both the buffer and greenway.
(8) In those cases where the Comprehensive Plan requires the use of greenways instead of sidewalks, the greenways shall be constructed in accordance with Town of Cary standards and specifications as provided by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, and shall meet the following criteria:
(a) these trail systems shall be designed to provide adequate pedestrian circulation internal to the development, as well as connections to existing or planned adjacent pedestrian systems and other developments, and alignments shall be approved by Town staff;
(b) these trails shall be privately maintained by the Homeowners' Association (HOA) and shall be open to the public, and this must be noted on the approved development plans, as well as recorded plats;
(c) trails shall be eight (8) feet wide asphalt;
(d) a private pedestrian trail easement, minimum fourteen (14) feet in width, centered on the trail, shall be recorded on the subdivision plat.
(C) Street-side Trails
Street-side trails are pedestrian trails located adjacent to roadways (on-road) and provide supporting linkage to the off-road greenway system.
(1) Where the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Facilities Master Plan calls for a street-side trail, a street-side trail shall be constructed in lieu of sidewalk required in the same location. No park land dedication or payment-in-lieu credit will be granted for street-side trail construction or easements.
(2) All street-side trails shall be designed and constructed according to Town of Cary standards and specifications as provided by the Transportation and Facilities Department.
(3) A Town of Cary Greenway Easement, centered on the trail (easement width to be determined by Transportation and Facilities staff), shall be recorded. Street-side trail locations and the location of the required Town of Cary Greenway Easements relative to current road widths and rights-of-way, shall be determined by the Transportation and Facilities staff.
(D) Community Gathering Spaces and Plazas
Provide at least one (1) public gathering space such as a pedestrian plaza or park-like space for new development and redevelopment sites that are two (2) acres or greater in size. These spaces shall be centrally located and/or located so to encourage its use by pedestrians and patrons of the development. Minimum sizes for the community gathering space are as follows:
(1) 2 to 5 acre site - 600 square feet
(2) 5.1 to 10 acre site - 1,200 square feet
(3) 10.1 to 15 acre site - 2,400 square feet
(4) 15.1 to 20 acre site - 4,000 square feet
(5) Greater than 20.1 acre site - 5,000 square feet
(6) For developments fifteen (15) acres or greater, community gathering space shall include such things as a central plaza/green, outdoor dining areas, fountains/water features, and/or public art.