The long-shuttered Maplewood School property in Cary will be turned into a multi- and single-family residential area, despite significant resident pushback.

Called Cary Station, JM Developers’ plans for 280 for-sale and for-rent housing units on almost 15 acres of land at 422 Krenz Ave. received unanimous support from the Village Board Tuesday.

The project calls for 13 two-story, single-family homes; 15 two-story townhouses; eight duplexes totaling 16 units; two five-story apartment buildings; and one four-story apartment building, totaling 236 apartment units. The homes, townhouses and duplex homes are planned to be sold and the apartment units to be rented.

The property was also rezoned from single-family residential to a central business district and a park and open space district.

The Zoning, Planning and Appeals Board gave a positive recommendation for the project in a 4-2 vote last month.

For over a year, neighboring residents have been battling the proposal with concerns over building height, density, water retention and parking and a general concern over multifamily buildings. In that time, developers made changes to the plans by adding single-family homes, lowering the height of some of the buildings and creating a public park.

Trustee David Prusina said the changes showed a “healthy level of flexibility” between the developers and the village.

“This nudges many of us out of our comfort zone, but I think in the long run, the project will be a big benefit to the village of Cary,” he said.

Planned amenities in the development include an outdoor pool, fitness center, indoor and outdoor working spaces, an entertainment kitchen, a dog park and a public park.

With the approval, developers aim to break ground this year, Brian Kronewitter of Cordogan, Clark & Associates said. Michael Poulakidas of JM Developers said at a previous village meeting that builders plan to complete the project within two years.

In conjunction with the redevelopment of the school property, the planning stage of the adjacent Maplewood Road extension continues. The new road is planned as an extension of Industrial Drive, running from Cary-Algonquin Road to High Road, parallel with Route 14 and south of the railroad tracks. The aim is to improve mobility to downtown Cary.

Construction of the new road could start as early as next year, according to the village website.

A rift between some residents and village officials has been widening over recent development projects. The controversial Seasons mixed-use development was approved by the Village Board in October, despite backlash from neighboring residents over the opening of a subdivision road that will be connected to Route 31.

Resident Chris Negoda called the Cary Station project a “complete abomination,” and said residents’ concerns expressed to the village “fall on deaf ears.”

“The board seems to have total disregard for the citizens they’re supposed to represent,” she said. “It’s absolutely unconscionable. Shame on you all.”

Trustee Rick Walrath said the village has to take all of Cary into consideration, and not just the residents immediately affected by proposed developments.

“It’s not that the folks sitting here, or on the zoning board or on the staff, don’t hear you. It’s just that we might not agree,” he said.

Disagreements have made ripples in the village’s ZPA board. ZPA board Chairman Patrick Khoury abruptly resigned after serving for 20 years, saying in his resignation letter that the committee is being “manipulated in order to achieve specific outcomes.”

“Unfortunately, I’ve come to recognize the process, procedure and information presented to the Board of Zoning, Planning & Appeals committee is being manipulated in order to achieve specific outcomes,” Khoury wrote in the letter. Mayor Mark Kownick denied Khoury’s claims.

Development of the Maplewood property has been a long time coming. The land was identified as a “priority development opportunity site,” in a 2021 downtown strategic plan.

Multiple developers approached the village over the past four years about the site, but all ultimately walked away. Kownick said the previous proposals all had more units and “didn’t meet our needs.”

Kownick did not vote on the plan but said after the unanimous vote by trustees that he supports the development.

“This is a project that is monumental to the village of Cary, right now,” Kownick said. “We took our time. We are developing something that is going to be historical. We want it to emulate what our community is about. I want this to be an iconic development.”