New buildings reflect future of Morrisville

Triangle Business Journal - by Linda Carron

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MORRISVILLE -- Ray Lech runs the booming Morrisville Chamber of Commerce from a condemned 105-year-old building on Church Street that represents the past.

"We are looking for a new building," Lech said. "They're afraid the roof will fall in, but I don't worry about it."

Instead, Lech and other officials are focused on the future, which is reflected in the bright, new office buildings and apartment complexes sprouting up around the chamber building.

"I see Morrisville as the next Cary," said Cleve Folger, the chamber's vice president of governmental affairs and co-owner of Triangle Insurance in Cary.

The tiny town -- 13.2 square miles strategically situated in the center of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Research Triangle Park and Cary -- has seen its population zoom from 200 residents to 2,000 in the past decade. And town commissioners approved 2,500 residential building permits in 1997 -- not surprising considering that 70 percent of the land within city limits is vacant.

While the town looks for ways to ensure adequate water and sewage service to handle the growth, land prices continue to rise. Lech has heard of commercial property on the market for as high as $200,000 an acre, with average prices ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 per acre.

"Morrisville is at the right place at the right time," said home builder Jon Rufty, owner of Rufty Homes Inc. in Cary. "When they get their infrastructure together, they'll boom."

In December, commissioners approved rezoning for a 55,200 square-foot business park, 88 acres for an airport business center and 7.28 acres for a commercial project. One-bedroom apartments in the new complexes are going for $740 a month and up.

The chamber also has come a long way. Founded in 1990, it attracted just 70 members in its first four years, but now boasts more than 550 members. And the phone is ringing daily with inquiries.

That's the main reason Lech promoted his administrative assistant, Mary Lester, from part to full time earlier in January, and upped another part-time employee's hours from six to 12 a week.

Lech moved to Morrisville four years ago from Michigan looking for a slow-paced lifestyle, but the fast-paced growth altered those plans.

"Changes are happening so quickly, the council members have to take a day every month to get reports from all the town's departments to keep up to date," he said. "This place is definitely booming."

Nat Carson, who owns six greenhouses down the road from the chamber building, said the anticipated growth is "almost frightening." But he agreed that the boom is inevitable.

"I think Morrisville can manage fairly rapid growth, especially industrial-based growth," Carson said. "The growth so far has been real good for the tax base."

Morrisville's tax base grew from $57 million in 1986 to $381 million in 1996, and 81 percent of that was commercial/industrial.

Carson, whose Bloomin' Orchids business cares for and sells 25,000 orchids throughout the Triangle, said some of his neighbors aren't too pleased with the present and loathe the future.

"The old-timers are a little hesitant to embrace growth," he said.

But they're in the minority, and most business people coming to Morrisville feel welcome.

"I think the business attitude is real positive over there," said Sheryle Crocker, general manager of Oaks Construction in neighboring Cary. "The chamber has been very helpful anytime I've needed anything."

Walt Johnson, vice president of C.C. Mangum, a Raleigh contractor, said he was surprised at how active the Morrisville Chamber has become.

"I've been very impressed," Johnson said. "Ray runs a tight ship there."

Folger, a member of one of the five Rotary clubs in Cary, was asked to start a new chapter in Morrisville, and the group's organizational meeting Jan. 27 attracted 14 local prospects and 10 Rotarians from other areas.

"One of the Rotarians told me this was the most people he'd ever seen at an initial meeting," Folger said. "It was a real vibrant group."