THE CARY REPORT - No. 38

We are heading into October, and there is quite a bit to get into this week.

The biggest update is on the two controversial Kildaire Farm Road properties purchased under former Town Manager Sean Stegall. After weeks of discussion over whether Cary should sell the land, Town Council is now heading in the opposite direction and wants it permanently preserved as natural open space.

We also have some restaurant news just across the Cary line at Park West Village, the long-awaited traffic light at Bond Park is finally live, and a development filing points to a possible Raising Cane's at the former a'Verde property.

Plus, Vino & Tap is sponsoring this week's report with a look at its new wine club, and for our Weekly Destination, we're stopping by a locally owned French bakery that recently opened on NE Maynard Road.

More on all of this below.

You will also notice a fresh look this week. I put together a new template meant to mimic the feel of a newspaper, which I think came out really well! But your opinion matters more than mine, so please reply to this email and let me know what you think.

Thank you for continuing to support local, - James

After weeks of debate over what to do with the roughly $1.07 million worth of property at 600 and 604 Kildaire Farm Road, Town Council has directed staff to come back with options for permanently preserving the land as natural open space.

The wooded properties sit between Cary Elementary School and Shirley Drive, immediately beside Higgins Greenway just south of downtown.

If those addresses sound familiar, there is a reason.

The properties were purchased in 2024 under former Town Manager Sean Stegall and became one of the issues examined in the state audit released this summer.

For a while, it looked like Cary might sell the land. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht proposed exploring a sale, arguing that doing so could return the money to the Town and address concerns surrounding how the properties were originally purchased.

However, neighbors pushed back.

Casey Midkiff, who lives beside the property, spoke at the Aug. 27 Town Council meeting and started a petition the following day asking Cary to preserve the land. That petition has now collected more than 1,400 signatures.

"This little patch of forest contains so much of what Cary values most - nature, life, and history. Preserving it honors who we are as a community," Midkiff told The Cary Report.

You can see the petition here.

The properties also sit within an important piece of Cary's African American history.

Cary First Christian Church was founded by Cary's African American community in 1868. The congregation moved its services to the area near present-day Cary Elementary in 1883, and a church building later stood on land beside the Town-owned parcels. Remnants of its foundation remain nearby.

There was also a school.

The Cary Colored School operated in this area beginning in the 1890s, serving African American children until the building burned in 1935. The Friends of the Page-Walker believe the school may have stood on one of the properties Cary now owns, although Town staff has said the exact location has not yet been confirmed.

Preserving the land means that research can continue without the immediate possibility of the property being sold and redeveloped.

At the Sept. 22 work session, Town Council spent more than an hour discussing the properties before reaching a consensus. Staff was directed to return with options for permanently preserving the properties as natural open space.

Exactly how Cary will accomplish that has not been decided yet. One possibility discussed was a deed restriction, but staff will now research the available options and bring them back to council. We'll keep you posted with what ends up being decided.

Additional reading: Friends of the Page-Walker History, Preservation Petition

Vino & Tap has been pouring at Pasmore House on Academy Street for a few months now. A lot of you followed along as it opened, and they just launched something new: a wine club called the Collector's Club.

Here's how it works.

Membership is $129 every three months. Each quarter, the V&T team picks three bottles for you to take home: one red, one white and one sparkling.

The perks go beyond the wine, too. Members get:

Now the catch, although this is the good kind:

The first 100 people who join are Vino & Tap's "Founding 100" and lock in that $129 quarterly price for life. Vino & Tap says the price will eventually increase for new members, and once the 100th spot is taken, the lifetime price lock is gone.

Founding members also receive official Founding Member status and permanent recognition at V&T.

If you’re a wine lover, this is a great way to not only score some good deals on bottles, but also to engage further in your community. Unlike most other wine clubs, this one comes with real physical perks that go beyond the glass, giving you a perfect regular spot in downtown Cary. Claim your spot as a Founding Member while it’s still available.

Join the Collector's Club here.

Vino & Tap is located at 307 S. Academy Street in downtown Cary.

Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at [email protected] and let's find something that works for you.

This week's destination might be located in a shopping center, but it does a surprisingly good job of making you forget that for a little while.

La Pause Parisienne recently opened at 160 NE Maynard Road, Suite 114, in the former Aroma location. It is a locally owned French bakery and café serving freshly baked croissants, breads, pastries, coffee and other café items.

The bakery was founded by French entrepreneurs with training from culinary and baking schools in France. Its rotating sets of pastries are made on site using traditional French techniques.

And people seem to have noticed pretty quickly. The items regularly sell out, so if you want the full selection, showing up earlier in the day pays off.

The owners are also regularly there. They were incredibly friendly when I stopped in, and the café itself has plenty of space to hang around rather than just grabbing a pastry and immediately heading back out the door, including a sizable outdoor patio.

So grab a croissant, a coffee and take a Parisian pause without having to leave Cary.