Proposed Cary IKEA needs approval, but tries to woo residents

In an open house organized Tuesday night by neighborhood group Cary Forward, IKEA officials said if plans are approved, demolition is scheduled for 2018, groundbreaking would take place in 2019 and the store could open in 2020.

The proposed 359,000-foot store would be on 15-acres of land and adjacent to Cary Towne Center.

Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht expressed his excitement when the plans were first made public in May.

Cary resident Kris Loomis attended the open house to ask questions. She's been following the news since the announcement. She said she has mixed feeling about the project right now.

"I'm on the fence. When we pass an IKEA, we shop there or at least we go in and get their ice cream," Loomis said. "But we've seen the traffic and congestion."

"I know that Cary has been very cautious about what they put in Cary, so to a degree I trust them. It surprises me that IKEA is a business they're interested in having," Loomis said.

IKEA representative Joseph Roth said the plan is to keep the distinct IKEA look when building.

"We make it very clear with the cities when we meet with them that IKEA stores are blue and yellow reflecting the colors of Sweden, and so far the town of Cary has indicated that they are welcoming to the concept of IKEA," Roth said.

Cary Forward supports IKEA's plans, as they want to see revitalization in and around Cary Towne Center mall, which has seen fall of major department stores and reduced foot traffic since opening in the early 1990s.

"Development will typically follow development, because you have 450 more people who are working in the are if they're working for IKEA, so that creates a need for other retail and other housing," said Michelle Muir of Cary Forward.