Creating a Town Center from Scratch in Morrisville

In the early 2000s, the growing town of Morrisville, North Carolina, first began envisioning the value a town center could bring for their burgeoning population. They wanted an area that would have multiple uses: residential space, retail shops, and parks, all within a walkable area. “The town center is meant to activate the area and to create a destination that is distinctly Morrisville. The way we grew, we never developed a natural downtown for people to come to,” said Brandon Zuidema, current town manager of Morrisville. “It’s about creating something that you think of when you think of Morrisville.”

In 2015, the Town of Morrisville engaged the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) to evaluate the development potential and feasibility of the Town’s vision, to align the plan to market realities, and to construct the potential framework of a private-public partnership. “The Town knew that they didn’t have the experience to do this on their own, so they reached out to DFI as a trusted partner who understood the nuances of doing this as a local government,” said Zuidema. DFI worked closely with town staff, elected officials, and the community to bring the project into its first phase of development. “This project is challenging in its own respect because it’s creating a town center from scratch,” said Eric Thomas, associate director with DFI. “There’s a significant amount of risk from both the public and private sector to establish this center of activity where none previously existed.”

One of the first steps in creating the town center was for Morrisville to acquire the land necessary to build on. “When DFI was engaged the Town had limited site control in the town center area,” said Thomas. “We advised them, showing the importance of acquiring more land and that it’s a critical step in being able to realize the full town center vision. This was an important educational piece of our work, to show them what would be needed to attract private developers, and what would allow them to realize the development in the way they wanted.”

DFI also conducted case study research, market analysis, community engagement, financial modeling, and education with the town council to create a plan for strategic investments to attract a developer, as well as outlining what the Town’s own role would be. “The council had to become comfortable with making investments in the project,” said Thomas. “They had to figure out how to prioritize that with other ongoing projects, addressing other pressing needs within the community.”

The Town made investments to prepare for developing the town center including building a stormwater control measure, constructing a traffic circle, partnering with Wake County to build the Morrisville Public Library, and purchasing key properties for the development. Each of these was a step in preparing to invite private developers into the project. The Town was unable to reach an agreement with their first development partner, who proposed a development that didn’t align with the Town’s goals for the project. However, in 2021, the search for a developer was successful, and in 2024, the Town signed a development agreement with Singh Development LLC. DFI stood by the Town’s side throughout both negotiation processes.

“DFI helped us understand how we accomplish this with a public-private partnership, and they have been there for every step of making that happen,” said Zuidema. “They have helped guide us through the various stages of development agreements, legal limitations, requests for proposals, and fairness to our partner.”

Phase 1 of the project will use $18.9 million in public funding to create the town center green, a pocket park, road extensions, added parking, and connector roads. The Morrisville town center will be accessible via multiple modes of transportation, including vehicles, the Town’s Smart Shuttle service, and greenway access for pedestrians and bikers. “We want this to be as accessible as we can to really activate this new downtown area,” said Zuidema. In addition to parks and green space, the public library, and a concert stage, the area will have mixed-use developments with apartments and retail space available to local businesses.

“The long-term vision is to grow this space over time to make it a hub for Morrisville,” said Zuidema. Eventually, the town center will be expanded into a 25-acre district that will include a dog park, green space, and unique historic buildings.

“DFI is an amazing resource for us,” said Zuidema. “They’ve been able to step in not only with their knowledge but also their years of experience working with other communities. Working with DFI expanded the Town’s toolbox to ensure this is going to be a successful and transformative project for our community.”

Groundbreaking on the town center project is expected in the summer of 2025.

A rendering of a mixed-use building in the town center.