Bradford Apartments & Townhomes
About This Project
Bradford Apartments and Townhomes, at the northeast corner of Davis Drive and High House Road, is a vertically integrated mixed-use development that includes approximately 175,000 SF of retail and commercial space and 390 residential units. WithersRavenel guided the developer through an atypically lengthy and complex project entitlement process, during which portions of Town code were rewritten, small area plans were developed, and design guidelines and urban open space standards were created.
When proposed, the development generated controversy among some groups of citizens, who were concerned about the rapid growth and attendant volume of traffic it would bring to the area. In response, WithersRavenel embarked on an exhaustive public engagement process to educate residents and encourage collaboration. Hundreds of hours were dedicated to community meetings and presentations, work sessions with elected officials and other public stakeholders, and an ongoing dialogue among Town administrative, planning, engineering, recreational, and public works staff. These efforts resulted in a framework for the first truly vertically integrated mixed-use project in Cary, one that satisfies the public and the project developers.
The centerpiece of the community is the first Publix grocery store in the Triangle. The 49,000 SF store has approximately 135 employees and provides event planning and catering, in-store cooking demonstrations, and online ordering in addition to typical grocery store offerings. The Florida-based company is the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States and has never had a layoff; the company aims to create 3,000 jobs in North Carolina by the first quarter of 2016.
WithersRavenel also provided planning, engineering, landscape architectural, and surveying services for the 42-acre site, which includes more than 15 acres of open space and courtyards, urban parks, outdoor dining areas, interactive water features and fountains, greenway and multi-use trails, and four public art locations. WithersRavenel developed hardscape concepts and designs for the private pool and outdoor living areas as well as a small urban amphitheater that is integrated into the community’s main street. In addition, a one-acre public park was designed for a prominent location along the intersection of Davis Drive and High House Road; it includes site monumentation, seating and retaining walls, public art, walkways, and garden areas.