Developers line up to propose plan for revamp of downtown Cary

Numerous developers have lined up to propose their plans to redevelop Cary Town Hall into a new downtown development where people can live, work and play.

In May, the town put out an announcement that it was planning on selling the land the town hall rests on to develop it into a new community hub, which would have a new town hall and multi-modal transit center on-site.

Currently, the Town Hall campus is a popular site for locals to walk in the gardens around the historic Page-Walker Arts and History Center, one of the town's original hotels where Frank Page, known as the father of Cary, lived.

"This is where a lot of the founding happened," said Ted Boyd, Cary's economic development director.

Since May, 18 developers from across the country have responded, with one of them calling the project something that could "define the image of Cary for the next century."

A few big names locally are in the mix for the development as well, including North Hills developer Kane Realty and Raleigh-based Loden Properties, who is already working on the redevelopment of South Hills Mall in Cary.

The new development is expected to mirror developments like Fenton and North Hills.

The growth of the town has people who have been their for decades, Like Ashworth Drugs owner Ralph Ashworth, excited.

"Everybody thinks I don't like," Ashworth said. "I'm a positive person, I like all this stuff, I like growth."

Boyd said the town will make sure the community is involved in any decisions about the future of their government center.

"It's going to be a long process," Boyd explained. "With this many, it will be months of reviewing before we even determine what the next steps are."

The mayor of Cary told WRAL News he wants to hear from the community before any decisions are made and the town isn't setting a timeline to select a developer at this point.