Planners may require developers to incorporate eco-conscious design in projects that would make up a new town center, according to a draft of general building standards for the area.

Town officials say the guidelines are a key component of their plan to transform Morrisville's historic district into the viable town center that eluded this booming crossroads community.

"We currently do not have in our zoning ordinances any sustainable design or building practices," said Courtney Tanner, a town planner.

Morrisville officials asked Clarion Associates, a Chicago land-use and real estate consulting firm, to develop a system by which the town could apply its design standards.

Clarion developed a points-based system which, if approved, would require commercial and residential developers to include enough green elements in their projects.

"The more they build, the more intense the development is, the more points that would be required," Tanner said.

The cost for developers would depend on the types of green initiatives chosen for a specific project, Tanner said.

She added that the system is scaled to assign a points value comparable to the dollar value of various sustainability projects.

Installing all EnergyStar appliances in new homes, for example, would be more expensive than providing community garden space.

But putting in the appliances would earn a developer 2.5 points, whereas providing the garden space would only earn a half-point.

"In time we'll see this evolve into something even greater, where more of these requirements would come into play in future developments," she said. "This is serving as a test to see how successful it is."

Town leaders have been trying to figure out how to turn Morrisville into a viable town center since at least 2001, when they hired a group of consultants to study the village core, near the intersection of Morrisville-Carpenter Road and N.C. 54.

Although the town was established more than 150 years ago, a traditional town center never came to be. Most of its residents flocked here in the past 30 years, after shopping plazas began to compete with downtowns.

The Town Council continues to revise the proposed development code, which still must be approved by council members. That could happen later this year. The code would serve as a set of ground rules for developers and future business owners who would become part of the town center.

Because of the complex nature of the town center code, a vote on the code scheduled for April could be postponed pending the outcome of an upcoming council workshop on the issue.

A date for the workshop has not been set.