After long fight over location, Cary District 26 new bus center gets nod from village

Cary School District 26 is one step closer to building a new transportation center next to Aldi after losing the option to rebuild on the former Maplewood property.

District 26’s new transportation center is planned for 3370 Three Oaks Road and will include an 8,142-square-foot maintenance building, storage for 41 school buses, a fueling station, 70 parking spaces and two stormwater detention basins, according to village documents. The Cary Zoning, Planning and Appeals board unanimously approved the project Thursday.

Currently, the district has a fleet of about 25 buses at the former Maplewood Elementary School property, District 26 Superintendent Brandon White said at Thursday’s meeting.

After a years-long dispute, District 26 sold its Maplewood property to the village for $5.5 million last year and agreed to develop a new transportation site at another location. The district originally planned to demolish the Maplewood building and construct a new $6 million transportation center on the property.

The sale came after the village rejected District 26’s attempts to rezone Maplewood to allow for a new transportation center. The village offered to buy the property last year for $2.75 million, which the district declined.

The vacant land where the new transportation center will go is broken up into three lots of commercial property, with the center on the northernmost lot next to the Union Pacific railroad. Plans are to sell the other two lots for future commercial development, according to village documents.

A new circular drive will be constructed to provide access to the existing traffic signal on Three Oaks Road and Georgetown Drive, the new development and Aldi, according to village documents.

The land is currently zoned B-2, a shopping and business designation. Bus storage is permitted under the zoning as a conditional use, according to village documents.

With zoning approval, the district will seek village board approval on July 1, Community Development Director Brian Simmons said.

In May, White accepted a new position as superintendent of Harvard School District 50, where he will be starting July 1. Despite the job change, White intends on seeing District 26’s new transportation center through and will be at the July 1 village board meeting.

“I’ll be here,” he said.

The transportation center will be allowed to stay at Maplewood until the new center is completed, White said at previous District 26 meetings.

Meanwhile, the village has received resident backlash over its plans to redevelop the Maplewood property into a townhomes and apartments complex. The village approved a preliminary development agreement in March.

Builders Cordogan Clark & Associates and JM Developers are hosting an open house to discuss the proposed design from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Cary Village Hall. Another meeting that will cover the same information is also scheduled for June 25.

The meetings are open for anyone to attend to review the updated preliminary proposed site plan, speak with developers and provide feedback, developers said in a notice posted on the village’s website.