The Wake Forest commissioners should unanimously reject the Star Road project when it comes back before them in May even if the applicant, St. John, has met one or two of the Uniform Development Ordinance requirements or the requirements of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. In no way will this proposal meet the language or the spirit of the Community Plan.
The area to the east of Capital Boulevard after the elevated railroad crossing is the entrance to Wake Forest, the first glimpse of the town. The Community Plan envisions multi-story attractive buildings — hotels, large-scale shopping centers — not the one-story buildings crouching on this property without any sidewalk connections or connections of purpose. Day-care for 93 children next to or near a car repair place? An anvil chorus at nap time? It has disconnected uses, the developer has not committed to any visual improvements and any public art and it will be an eye-sore. Marshall Village almost next door with its aging but affordable rental houses set on large lots is tasteful and welcoming by contrast.At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, staff from the hired planner, Houseal Lavigne, used many adjectives to describe the restaurants and stores they want to see in a revitalized Wake Forest Downtown: variety, diverse, unique, charming, stylish. Don’t we want to be able to describe whatever is built on Star Road with equally descriptive words like attractive, beautiful, welcoming?
There is a limited amount of land available in Wake Forest. It should not be wasted on something so lacking in character or attractiveness as this.###
