Raleigh developer Kane Realty on April 30 pulled back the curtain on two mixed-use projects in Cary that together could bring nearly 500 new apartments to town. One is Flatiron, a seven-story building at the west entrance to downtown that would stack roughly 213 units above street-level restaurants and shops. The second plan would turn an aging office building at 7001 Weston Parkway into about 275 homes, with a small long-term affordability commitment and a planned greenway connection in the mix.
Flatiron: a new gateway for downtown Cary
For downtown, Kane is pitching Flatiron on about two acres at 602 W. Chatham St. and 523 Old Apex Road, right across from Vicious Fishes and South Line breweries. The company describes the project as a seven-story mixed-use building with 213 apartment homes perched above roughly 5,659 square feet of restaurant and retail space, plus structured parking and rooftop amenity space, in a press release via Kane Realty. Kane said it is partnering with local developer Mackenan on the downtown project.
Weston Parkway conversion aims to reuse office stock
Out in the Weston office park, Kane and Highwoods Properties want to give a 1998 office building at 7001 Weston Parkway a second life as a five-story apartment community with roughly 275 units, about 5% of which they propose to keep affordable at 80% of area median income for at least 30 years, as reported by Axios Raleigh. The developers say the plan preserves the site's surface parking and mature tree canopy to provide a buffer with surrounding single-family neighborhoods and includes ground-floor retail and a greenway connection along Weston Parkway. The companies have filed a rezoning request to permit the change in use, which will require town review.
Where the projects stand with town reviewers
The Weston conversion appears on Cary's rezoning docket as case 24-REZ-14 and will need approval through the town's planning process and Town Council before construction can proceed, according to the Town of Cary. The Cary Planning & Zoning Board recently found the Weston PDD amendment consistent with the town plan and recommended it advance, according to a meeting summary published by Citizen Portal. Local reporting shows Flatiron's site plans have been filed with the town and will undergo multi-department development review before permits are issued; The Line has more on the downtown timeline.
Neighbors, process and pushback
Not everyone around Weston is on board. Residents near the site have organized opposition to the PDD amendment, circulating a petition that argues the higher-density plan would strain neighborhood streets and services, according to Change.org. The developers say they revised the proposal to increase setbacks, tighten where buildings may be sited, remove townhomes as a permitted use and commit to buffers and a long-term affordable housing set-aside, in a statement via Kane Realty. The proposals will still face public hearings and technical reviews before any construction permits are issued, and if the rezoning is approved by council, detailed engineering and design phases would follow.
Why it matters for Cary
Together the two projects would represent one of Kane's largest recent investments in Cary and an example of developers pushing into downtown infill and office-to-housing conversions to meet regional demand, as reported by Axios Raleigh. For Cary, the proposals offer new housing without clearing undeveloped land, but they also raise familiar questions about traffic, buffering and how much affordability such developments can deliver. Town officials say the formal review process will determine whether the designs meet Cary's plans and neighborhood commitments before any construction proceeds.
