Town Council unanimously approves Cary IKEA

The plan to build an IKEA in Cary got the green light Thursday night following a unanimous vote by the Town Council.

Posted 10:13 a.m. Oct 26, 2017 — Updated 1:28 a.m. Oct 27, 2017

CARY, N.C. — The plan to build an IKEA in Cary got the green light Thursday night following a unanimous vote by the Town Council.

Cary Town Council members approved the Swedish retailer's proposal to build a 380,000-square-foot store on 20 acres of land near Cary Towne Center. Demolition could begin next year, groundbreaking in 2019 and the store could be open as early as summer 2020.

"It's going to draw people all over the eastern part of the state to Cary, so people get to see what Cary is all about," said Tim Devinney with Cary Forward, a group that lobbied for the store.

The Cary Planning and Zoning Board in September approved rezoning the land to make way for the new store, and numerous roadway modifications would be made for the expected increase in traffic.

"The roads have been designed in this area in anticipation of growth," said Debra Grannan with the Cary Planning Department.

The approval required town leaders to bend their rules. Cary is known for requirements on how businesses should look, while IKEA is known for making a massive blue and yellow statement.

"[There are] 10 or 12 development standards that deviate from our norm, but rules are made to be broken," said Councilman Ed Yerha.

Officials said buffers around the site will block much of the building from view.

The store would be the second IKEA location in North Carolina and could bring 500 jobs created during construction. Approximately 300 workers would join the IKEA family when the new store opens, officials said.

"I am looking forward to what this is going to do to help revitalize the eastern Cary gateway area," said Councilman Don Frantz.

A meeting on the next steps in the development process will be held Wednesday at the Cary Town Council chambers at 316 N. Academy Street.

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