3 min read April 2024 — In an interview with Invest:, TJ Cawley, mayor of Morrisville, shared how the town is actively embracing technology and sustainability to enhance the quality of life for its residents, alongside the initiatives to support small businesses. “We’re extremely deliberate in creating an environment that fosters small business success,” he said.
What do the recent developments in the life sciences industry mean for Morrisville overall, and the younger generation in particular?
We were fortunate a few years ago when the development community reached out to us regarding the property along McCrimmon Parkway. Through a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), we invested our taxpayer dollars to create a four-lane divided road, opening up 400 acres for development. This action led to significant changes in our Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and land use plan to better accommodate the life science community’s needs. As a result, two separate $1 billion life science developments, Spark LS and Pathways, emerged on each side of the road. This transformation will significantly impact our tax base, currently standing at 55% commercial and 45% residential. Increasing our property tax revenue by a third will be a game changer for our community.
For a long time, Morrisville was known primarily as a logistics and flex space hub near the airport. Now, we are recognized as a corporate headquarters location and a life sciences hub, making it a great place to live. Developers are actively seeking land within our 9.8 square miles to build homes and apartments. Our prime location has truly paid dividends, and we’re now focused on managing this growth intentionally.
How does Morrisville’s commitment to supporting small businesses impact the development of a comprehensive business ecosystem and overall quality of life?
The Morrisville Chamber is small, but it’s a dynamic force. We cherish the intimacy it offers, and we host a Coffee and Connections event every month. This event allows people to come in and discover the diverse businesses in the area.
A couple of years ago, I learned about programs called Launch Apex and Launch Cary, which focus on mentoring small businesses. I successfully advocated for Morrisville businesses to join these programs. In 2022, we launched our very own Launch Morrisville program. In collaboration with Wake Tech, the Rotary, and the chamber, we provide weekly meetings to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in their growth journey.
We’re extremely deliberate in creating an environment that fosters small business success. Additionally, we’ve put in significant effort to reach out to small businesses, conducting surveys, and organizing Morrisville’s first-ever Restaurant Week, which featured 22 restaurants. The aim was to encourage them to offer fixed-price menus and attract more customers. We understand that for restaurants and small businesses, building awareness is the first step to growth. We’re committed to supporting our small businesses because we recognize that this is where most of our community’s growth truly happens. While landing big companies like Microsoft or Google is great, it’s the success of our small businesses that truly reflects our dedication to our residents and our determination to help them prosper.
Considering the broader economic landscape with high interest rates and ongoing inflation, how do you envision Morrisville’s resilience and success?
I believe everyone recognizes that the Research Triangle is relatively insulated from the broader global economic trends due to its diversity and the forward-moving nature of the jobs here. In fact, we are well-positioned for the future.
Financially, we’ve been intentional, achieving AAA bond ratings from all three major agencies. It’s worth noting that we are the smallest municipality to achieve such high ratings. Our balance sheet is strong, and our fund balance is in good shape. We are investing where necessary, although I would like to see more investment in our staff and the future. However, it’s sometimes challenging to address recurring costs without considering adjustment of our property tax rates. While many focus on property tax rates, I prioritize addressing our community’s needs.
The great news is that our residents have been incredibly supportive. We passed three separate bonds a couple of years ago, which included bonds for parks, transportation, and a new fire station for our first responders. The overwhelming support of our residents allows us to continue investing in what they want, especially in areas like sustainability and smart cities. This is where we’re directing a significant portion of our efforts at the moment.
How do you envision the city of the future and what steps are you taking to ensure that Morrisville is one such city?
We received two Smart 50 awards in 2023, which is an impressive achievement for us. These awards, presented in partnership with Smart Cities Connect and the Smart Cities Connect Foundation, recognize the most innovative and influential municipal-scale projects worldwide.
We’re immensely proud of our smart cities initiatives. In the past, our IT department primarily focused on fixing laptops and maintaining servers. However, we’ve made a concerted effort to embrace smart cities. We now have a dedicated five-person team in IT, including a member focused on smart cities. I had the privilege of attending a Smart City conference in Taiwan last March, where I addressed the conference and shared our successes and best practices. I also brought back ideas that could be implemented in Morrisville as we develop our new town center.
We have a Smart City steering committee composed of highly engaged residents who are excited to help us connect with the community in various ways and harness this technology to enhance sustainability and benefit our businesses and residents.
In terms of mobility and creating a multimodal transportation system, where do you see the town’s most promising areas for improvement?
We’ve succeeded in securing a substantial amount of funding allocated from the state, and the following are a few key initiatives that are particularly important for Morrisville.
Firstly, our Smart Shuttle service is a vital part of our transportation plan to reduce reliance on cars. The Smart Shuttle is a node-to-node service you can request via your phone, and this service also aims to encourage people to use bicycles, walk, and use public buses, helping alleviate traffic congestion, which has always been a challenge. In conjunction with this, part of the Wake County Transit Plan is to establish a bus rapid transit with a scheduled route to Cary. We’re actively working to extend this service to Morrisville.
Secondly, we’re planning transit-oriented development near the intersection of Highway 54 and McCrimmon Parkway. Ideally, this area will include a passenger rail station and bus stop, offering a convenient commute option for people coming from the west to the airport and downtown Raleigh. A McCrimmon Parkway overpass over Highway 54 and the railroad, as well as one for Airport Boulevard, are in the works. These overpasses will significantly alleviate traffic congestion due to the railroad and limited crossing points.
Lastly, there are plans to widen Highway 54 from border to border. However, it’s a substantial undertaking with an estimated cost of around $90 million. Our ongoing collaboration with NCDOT is crucial to making this project a reality.
These projects might seem a bit technical, but they are essential for our community’s growth and the region’s overall transportation network. We’re committed to investing tax dollars to leverage partnerships with NCDOT, ultimately making our roadways more robust and accommodating the regional commuter demand.
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