Cary's Downtown is Transforming to be a Place to Work and Play

Photo Courtesy of Pharmacy Bottle + Beverage 

During the month of June, Kyle Greer, Vice President of Economic Development - Cary Chamber, and Ted Boyd, Downtown Development Manger – Town of Cary, gave Wake County Economic Development (WCED) a walking tour of downtown Cary. The visit is a great example of ongoing collaboration between WCED and Cary.

WCED first visited The Cary, Cary’s own theatre that provides a unique setting for cinema and live performances; the Town of Cary has several ideas for all the space could be used for. The second stop on the tour was Cary’s new accelerator space spearheaded by angel investor David Gardner. Gardner recently closed a $12 million investment round for his new venture.

Just a block down from the accelerator space sits the 7-acre area that will be home to The Downtown Park. The park plans to feature a Town Square space, a large fountain, outdoor performance space and open lawn areas. The first phase of the park is 1.5 acres and is currently the funded and planned stage of the park. In addition to the park, downtown Cary will boast a new downtown Library.

We strolled down Academy Street, a street set for a streetscape project, to see the progress of the Mayton Inn, a boutique inn in the heart of downtown Cary. According to their website, the inn will "be a 45 room boutique inn. The Georgian-style hotel will encompass a luxury atmosphere along with green technologies in all aspects of the new construction building. While the top two floors will consist of 33 spacious rooms and 11 deluxe suites, the first floor will boast over 13,000 sq. ft. with a lounge, full bar and restaurant as well as event spaces including meeting rooms and an outdoor terrace that will be open to the public. A high-tech gym facility and spa rooms will be on the ground floor and available for guest use." 

Though closed on Monday, we did peek in the renovated historic Jones House which is home to farm-to-fork restaurant, Belle, which features a seasonal menu. The last stop was at Pharmacy Bottle and Beverage, a tap room that serves local beer and is pet-friendly.

Ted Boyd, along with Kyle Greer and Cary’s governing bodies, have a development plan that will keep downtown Cary it’s charming self, while adapting to the new demand for active and vibrant downtown centers. They want to provide an area where Wake County residents and businesses can live, work and play.