Cary officials are now reviewing the future of the town’s Citizen’s Convenience Center after discovering that part of the site is located in a railroad right-of-way. The zoning issue has prompted a search for a new location for the facility, which is used by thousands of residents to drop off yard waste, food scraps, appliances, and other bulky items.
Three options on the table
At a recent council work session, staff laid out three basic choices: shut the center to the public; keep only yard and food-waste drop-off at the current North Dixon Avenue site and end other services; or keep yard and food waste at Dixon while moving the remaining drop-off services to a town-owned 4.8-acre property at 801 Old Apex Road.
Presentation materials included rough cost estimates, with a design phase of about $175,000 for the Old Apex Road site and a $3 million–$4 million construction estimate. Staff also noted that the North Carolina Railroad wants its right-of-way back within a year, leaving the town little time to stall. The center handles roughly 90,000 visits a year and costs Cary about $800,000–$900,000 annually to operate, and council has not yet chosen a direction, according to reporting in The News & Observer.
Study approved, short-term steps outlined
To avoid making a rushed call, council voted to fund a roughly $40,000 study to compare designs and costs for the different site scenarios, a move noted on Mayor Harold Weinbrecht’s official blog at Mayor Harold Weinbrecht.
In the meantime, the town is still operating the Citizen’s Convenience Center at 313 N. Dixon Ave. The town’s service page lists hours, fees and which materials are accepted, and officials are urging residents to check back for updates as the plan evolves, per the Town of Cary.
Costs and potential disruptions
Staff told council that the least disruptive move for residents would be to keep yard and food-waste drop-off at Dixon while shifting other services elsewhere. That option would still require the town to deal with railroad encroachments but could help keep composting and yard-waste routines relatively steady.
A full relocation and build-out at Old Apex Road, on the other hand, would be more expensive and slower to deliver, potentially forcing residents to use other drop-off locations while any new facility is under construction.
Where residents could go and what’s next
If Cary ends up closing or scaling back the center, residents could be pushed to county-run alternatives. Wake County’s solid-waste information lists a nearby convenience center at 266 Aviation Parkway in Morrisville, according to Wake County.
Town staff also told reporters they expect to keep using parts of the Dixon property that are outside the railroad right-of-way for yard-waste transfer and equipment storage while they study long-term options, and council has not yet locked in a final plan.
How to stay informed
Staff will provide City Council with more detailed recommendations and updated cost estimates before any major decisions are made. In the meantime, residents with questions about hours, fees, or acceptable drop-off items are being directed to the town’s convenience-center webpage or to call Cary 311. Council members said they expect further public discussion as the options and associated costs become clearer.
