Waverly
Place
Waverly Place includes some of the best walkability features of
any private commercial development in Cary. It also has some
shortcomings, which is why it appears on both the "Smart" and "Dumb"
lists. What's dumb about Waverly Place is that while the center of
the property is a pedestrian paradise, it is very difficult to walk
to from any of the neighboring developments, including apartments,
shopping centers, office parks, a hotel, and a hospital. This is due
in part to a scarcity of sidewalks connecting Waverly's pedestrian
area with the streetside walkways, and in part to the lack of good crosswalks or
walkways extending to other properties.
This apartment complex is located directly next door to
Waverly Place. Zoned for different uses, the two properties are
separated by a deep, thickly wooded buffer. Pedestrians must walk all
the way out to this sidewalk on Kildaire Farm Road to travel between
the properties.
Arriving at the first entrance to Waverly Place from the
apartments next door, we find that the sidewalk dead-ends before it
reaches the mall itself, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street.
Some of the other entrances feature sidewalks that extend further
into the property, but take the pedestrian hundreds of yards out of
his or her way and still require walking across the parking lot.
Another view of a sidewalk that ends before connecting with
Waverly Place. If you're feeling spry, you could jump over these
hedges and visit the bank on the other side, parking for which is
visible on the left.
The four corners of this intersection between Kildaire
Farm Road and Tryon Road separate Waverly Place, Crescent Commons,
banks, numerous offices, and a hospital. Note that the intersection
has no crosswalk lights or painted crossing lines. Would-be
pedestrians must cross a minimum of five lanes of traffic. Could it
be that mall developers don't want customers to be able to easily
walk next door to a potentially competing development? What is gained
by clustering these developments together at one intersection if one
must drive to get from one to another?
Here are some smart things about
Waverly Place...