West Cary community worried zoning changes will impact children

The area along the American Tobacco Trail near Cary's Weldon Ridge community has helped attract a housing boom along with plans for a new school. But recently revised plans worry many families living there.

"The builder is looking to double the amount of homes from 42 homes to 92 homes - and decrease the amount of school land," said Maria Colandrea, a Cary resident.

Colandrea and Mischa Locklear, another resident, said the plan originally included a public school with more green space.

The zoning tract lies on the Chatham County side of Yates Store Road, so leaders there would have to approve a public school -- but it's not in their plans. Instead, a smaller private school is slated with no publicly available playground or green space.

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"We're concerned that once this revised proposal goes through, the community benefit is cut in half and reduced," Locklear said.

Most children in the neighborhoods ride buses to public schools further into Cary, but the private school would not include busing.

"The entire student population will have to be carpooled in and as it stands right now," Locklear said. "There's only one entry point in and one entry point out."

"That's going to make it unsafe for our kids to walk to and from the bus stop," added Colandrea.

A recent road safety analysis gave the area's current roads and intersections a failing grade, prompting residents to push city, county and state entities to work together for a better solution.

"We do need extra schools, but we just need the right school with the [right] safety," Colandrea said.

Colandrea, Locklear and many of their neighbors plan to be at a Cary Town Council meeting in mid-May to influence the final vote on the zoning changes.