Developer Moves Forward With Maplewood School Redevelopment Plan
JM Developers has continued work on a proposal to redevelop the former Maplewood Elementary School site in downtown Cary, asking for a second extension last November as it finalizes negotiations and construction budgets. The project, which requires public notice under the Tax Increment Financing Act because the property lies in Cary’s Central TIF District, could add roughly 228 apartment units, new for-sale housing and an expanded park, raising questions about density, traffic and infrastructure for nearby neighborhoods.
Developers have not abandoned plans to redevelop the nearly 16-acre former Maplewood Elementary School property in downtown Cary, municipal filings show. JM Developers requested a second extension in November to complete negotiations and lock in construction budgets for a mixed residential project, and the village board is scheduled to consider a redevelopment agreement on January 12.
A public notice posted as part of the Tax Increment Financing Act process invited competing proposals through January 7. That notice, required because the site sits inside Cary’s Central TIF District, prompted confusion among residents who interpreted the call for proposals as a sign the developer had walked away. In fact, the notice is a statutory step and does not preclude the developer’s pending agreement.
The updated proposal for the nearly 16-acre parcel calls for a mix of housing types and public space: 12 single-family homes, 16 two-story townhouses, 22 three-story townhomes, two five-story apartment buildings and one four-story apartment building, for a total of about 228 apartment units. The plan also includes a larger public park intended to serve both new residents and the surrounding community.
The property’s history as a former school and prior consideration by the school district is a backdrop to current deliberations, with neighbors and officials weighing how best to reuse a centrally located public site. Community concerns have focused on building height and overall density, particularly the inclusion of five-story residential buildings in an area that many residents expect to retain a lower-rise character.
The redevelopment intersects with broader mobility projects in the area. An adjacent Maplewood Road extension project is designed to improve access to downtown Cary and will be a key factor in how the new development affects traffic patterns and pedestrian connectivity. Officials and planners will need to balance additional travel demand from hundreds of new units with planned roadway improvements and local transit options.
For Wake County residents, the development presents tradeoffs: increased housing supply and a new park downtown on one hand, and questions about neighborhood scale, traffic, public services and school impacts on the other. With the village board set to consider the redevelopment agreement on January 12, residents can expect further public discussion and formal decisions in the coming weeks that will determine whether JM Developers moves forward to final approvals and construction.
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