A prominent town in NC notorious for its rapid growth in the last decade while maintaining its small-town character and charm through its expansion has developed bursts of suburban development, with a few town centers and commercial corridors pertinent to the town. However, the town has become less and less walkable between communities, leaving these areas quite disconnected. This Master Plan aims to bring infill development to the town between suburban developments with the vision of creating more walkable, amenable districts with various housing options while not changing or redefining the already established communities. Working with the town’s Urban Design Studio, a 200-acre infill opportunity, split between three stakeholders, was brought forward to test this vision. Between all three stakeholders/land owners, we had a diverse program list, including multifamily, retail, medical office Building, commercial office building, and a future 500-bed hospital which would act as the main anchor and driver for this mixed-use community.

Initial studies were done to understand how a use such as a 500-bed hospital could act as a driver and community anchor. Despite not necessarily being open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the more obvious issue of safety and well-being for the patients and staff of this facility. It became clear that the actual anchor needed to provide a myriad of public spaces that contributed not only to the connectivity and organization of the community but were spaces that everyone could use, whether you lived in this community or commuted to this area for work or to receive care. A series of three master plan options were developed that considered property boundaries and programmatic requirements that could surround public spaces and existing wetland creeks. That would eventually be amenitized for community use and further connectivity that would not require motor vehicles.