I was just about to update the
Sears in Cary to close thread when I saw this post and figured I would post it here.
I live in close proximity to Cary Towne Center and was invited to an informational meeting regarding the re-zoning of the property to accommodate a Topgolf facility. The following are some notes I took during the course of the meeting. I tried my best to not emphasize my bias in these notes. I'll offer my opinion after.
Presenting: Jason Barron (Morningstar Law Group) and Zach Shor (Topgolf Director of Real Estate)
From Jason
• There has been no zoning submittal yet, though Jason has been in contact with Town of Cary (ToC) staff.
• Zoning will likely be filed by the end of December
• There will likely be a further meeting with neighbors in early February. Note that tonight's meeting was the only neighborhood meeting required as a part of the zoning process.
• Recognized that Cary Aquatics center relies on the parking area in the northeast corner of the property for events
From Zach (who fielded the majority of questions)
• Topgolf is a combination restaurant/driving range
• There is no formal site plan yet developed. However, it seemed from the meeting that the only possible configuration on the Cary Towne Center (CTC) property would be to place the facility parallel to Ivy lane. The restaurant and driving bays would occupy the space where Sears is currently located. The Sears store would be torn down to accommodate it. The indoor portion would not be connected to the mall and the road around the mall would go between the mall and Topgolf. The outfield would extend northeast toward the aquatics center.
• The restaurant portion of Topgolf would be approximately 400 feet wide. The outfield portion would be aproximately 600 feet long.
• Operating hours vary based on municipality. Opening is 9am. Closing could vary between 12am and 2am.
• Topgolf in Allen, Texas (opened 2007) was offered as a case in which "we screwed everything up".
• Noise would be limited to 45 decibels at the property boundary. Noise control methods include: plexiglass dividers on the rooftop terrace, insulation in columns between the bays, and facing the open side of the bays away from the neighborhood
• Current zoning for CTC has a minimum building setback of 250 feet. I asked if the outfield location would be limited by the restriction and no one was able to provide an answer.
• A pole and netting structure will surround the perimeter of the outfield. The poles will be 170 feet tall and gray in color. The netting is black and has 93% light transmittance.
• The outfield will be illuminated during business hours after sunset. Zach could not say what type of lighting will be used. Louvers can/will be used to limit spill over into Ivy Lane. The lamps are on dimmable ballasts. At some locations, the lights are dimmed to limit light pollution. The height of the lights was said to be 40 feet. (Note: I looked and the Cary Land Development Ordinance standards for lighting [7.9.3(a)(2)] lists the maximum height for cut-off lights as 37 feet. I'm not a lawyer and am unfamiliar with reading ordinances. Can anyone confirm this?)
• Peak hours for traffic at Topgolf are after 6pm and on weekends
• Town of Cary staff did not see a need for a traffic study
Neighbor Concerns and Comments
• A representative from Cary Aquatics center expressed concern over the loss of parking.
• Many neighbors expressed concern over people visiting Cary Aquatics center parking on Ivy Lane during large meets and events
• Neighbors asked about changes in road access points between Ivy Lane and the mall, i.e. Lyerly Lane and the walking path to the Aquatic Center. No changes will be made.
• Neighbors suggested increasing the height of the fence between CTC and Ivy Meadows to minimize sound and light overspill.
• Many neighbors voiced concern over light and noise pollution
Those are my unbiased notes. My opinion is that Topgolf has their work cut out for them if they want to present a plan that limits the impact on the neighbors to the south and the retirement community that will be developed to the north. Based on the dimensions of the average Topgolf and the size of the available space at CTC, it seems to me like Topgolf will be a tight fit in that space. It's difficult to imagine how the mall, Cary Aquatics Center, and the Town of Cary will adapt to the decrease in available parking. Remember, ToC uses that space for parking and shuttle service during Lazy Day and the NC State fair. Cary Aquatics Center parking during large events will probably overflow onto Ivy Lane.
With regards to the infrastructure required for Topgolf, I don't think the impact of 170 foot tall poles and netting can be overstated. This is really, really tall. That's almost a 16 story building. It's difficult to imagine to imagine the impact of these nets on the landscape without seeing a line of sight mock up.
The lights are probably the biggest worry for me. Light spillover is already a problem for houses directly adjacent to CTC (I'm one of them). Light pollution will almost certainly be magnified by Topgolf, who needs to illuminate a 700' by 400' outfield. I just don't know how they'll do it without significantly impacting the neighbors.
That's all I've got. Someone please correct me if I've gotten anything wrong here.