Names & Faces:
Ben Hitchings, Morrisville planning director
Carynews.com
By Adam Arnold, Staff Writer
Photo by Grant Halversonr

Ben Hitchings' bedtime reading might have him dreaming
about work.  Next to his bed, the Morrisville planning director
has "The North Carolina Railroad 1847-1871 and the
Modernization of North Carolina."

The reason it's there is because his employer's namesake,
Jeremiah Morris, donated three acres for a train depot.  Learning
more about the circumstances leading to that gift gives Hitchings
more context about where he does his work.

"Morrisville has always been at a crossroads," Hitchings (MRP '97)
said.  "It's probably one of the prime locations in the state."
Hitchings moved into the slot in October after more than eight years
as a planner with the Triangle J Council of Governments.  Triangle J
brings together elected officials to address regional issues.
The "Triangle J" comes from the area's nickname and that its
official designation is Region J among 18 such groups in the
state.  Hitchings worked with communities throughout the region,
including Morrisville, while at Triangle J, helping craft land plans
and development codes as well as regional projects.  Having worked
with so many different municipalities, Hitchings knew Morrisville
was special.


It is close to employment centers and destinations "and it's a small town," Hitchings said.  "As the region has grown, the
location has just become better and better."  Among his efforts involving Morrisville and other communities was the Center
of the Region Enterprise pedestrian, bicycle and green space plan.  As the "points" of the Triangle region — Raleigh,
Durham and Chapel Hill — grow closer, infrastructure passing through Morrisville helps knit them closer together, Hitchings
said.  "Morrisville has an important role in creating regional connectivity," Hitchings said.

Hitchings is good at working with a wide range of people, said John Hodges-Copple, Triangle J's regional planning director
and Hitchings' former boss.  Hodges-Copple credited Hitchings for his work with communities on growth and infrastructure
issues, including the greenway, bicycle and pedestrian study.  "They've got a really great person, I think," Hodges-Copple
said. His new colleagues share that opinion.  "I think he's going to bring a good regional perspective and a good project
planner to our planning department," said Jeanne Hooks, Morrisville's town clerk and public information officer.

Hitchings wants to do more than just make Morrisville a good place to pass through and he wants to do it by including as
many people's visions as possible.  "It's about community empowerment and helping a community shape its future in
positive ways," Hitchings said.  "That process is a challenging one as you work with various stakeholders, but it can be
a rewarding one."  Part of that payoff will be trying to help the town and the people in it finish its Town Center plan over
the next year.  "This kind of project is just a wonderful opportunity to work with a community to honor its past and make
it successful into the future," Hitchings said.

The town's "village core" area is just west of the intersection of N.C. 54 and Morrisville-Carpenter Road.  The highway runs
just a few feet to the east of the railroad tracks, which cross Morrisville-Carpenter Road.  It could help create a walkable,
high-density mix of homes and shops and a sense of place for the community while incorporating the town's history.
"We have the opportunity to tell the town's story through the historic structures that remain today," Hitchings said.


Published: Jan 4, 2006
Reprinted with permission from carynews.com
By Adam Arnold
Photo by Grant Halverson