Expanding Options as Development Grows
Downtown Cary continues to add new infrastructure alongside its rapid redevelopment. Two new parking decks are underway: the Cedar Street Parking Deck and a new mixed-use project on Academy Street that includes a four-level parking structure.
Cedar Street Parking Deck
The Cedar Street Parking Deck is being built at the corner of Chatham Street and Rogers Alley, with its main vehicle entrance on Cedar Street. The project will provide roughly 300 public parking spaces and about 5,000 square feet of retail space along Chatham Street. Located on 139 E Chatham St.
A pedestrian tower is planned as the main entry point on Chatham, featuring a stairway with views of the street (pictured above on the left). The exterior will be finished with terracotta panels. The project also includes improvements to Rogers Alley, the space between the parking deck and the Cary Founded building directly to the right, with pavers, decorative lighting, and removable bollards that will allow the alley to be closed to traffic for pedestrian-focused events.
Construction is well underway, with crews completing concrete pours, exterior framing, and streetscape work. The Town of Cary has stated that the deck is on track for completion in winter 2026.
Academy Street Mixed-Use Project
With access via Academy Street, Cary has partnered with a developer (Northwoods Jordan Building, LLC) and a local church (First Baptist Church of Cary) to redevelop nearly five acres of property into a mixed-use site. Located on 119 S Harrison Ave, with parking deck access from S Academy St.
The deck is estimated to be complete by spring 2026.
Plans call for 195 residential units, more than 80,000 square feet of office and retail, and a four-level parking deck with about 466 total spaces.
Of those spaces, 222 will be owned by the Town of Cary with access to the public. An agreement provides easements to the church for use on Sunday mornings. The project also involves new sidewalks, driveways, and stormwater facilities.
Over at the existing Cary Regional Library parking deck, The Walker apartment complex pays Cary to rent a block of resident spaces under a long-term reservation, while this new Academy Street deck agreement is structured differently. The new deck will be split into two sections, with Cary owning about 222 spaces and the developer purchasing about 244 spaces at construction cost (listed as roughly $6.18 million, about $25,000 per space). The agreement also allows the private development to reserve or lease a portion of the Town-owned spaces during regular business hours, and it grants the neighboring church a Sunday-morning easement.
Supporting Growth Downtown
The two decks will add 522 combined public spaces in the downtown core, and will be the third and fourth parking deck located within the immediate area. Both projects are designed not only to relieve parking pressure but also to support (and add) surrounding shops, restaurants, and cultural venues as downtown grows.
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