Only one of those landmarks remains today at Davis Drive and High House Road, a bustling junction that a decade ago seemed little more than a rural county crossroads.

The sweeping changes to one of Cary's largest crossways have weighed heavily on the minds of those who have witnessed the transformation.

Indeed, the metamorphosis at Davis Drive and High House Road mirrors changes throughout western Wake County. During the past decade, plans for shops, services, offices and homes have sprouted at every quadrant.

Along with those plans has come an outspoken throng of discontented homeowners who have condemned the rapid rise of commercial development here as an affront to a less metropolitan way of life. Their voices are beginning to shape the face of the town's government, and could prove influential in Tuesday's District A runoff election between incumbent Jennifer Robinson and challenger Lori Bush. A less vocal contingent, meanwhile, has heaped measured praise upon the changes, citing convenience of nearby goods and services.

"I like it because I can walk to so many places, like the eye doctor," Meg Segal, a Chicago native who migrated south 12 years ago ahead of Cary's westward expansion, said of her home's proximity to Stone Creek Village and Cornerstone shopping centers. "... Anything that helps me not use the car, I'm all for it."

And then there are those who wonder if things can get too convenient.

"We knew what we were getting," said Roger Hoggarth, who has lived in the nearby Rigsbee Farm subdivision since 2002. "But we still didn't expect to see ... pharmacies on every corner."

The growth debate that continues to rage in western Cary today, especially at Davis Drive and High House Road, has in some ways taken on a life of its own.

Rise of a movement

Supporters of more stringent growth policies, including a grassroots group whose members live near the intersection, helped elect Mayor Harold Weinbrecht in 2007. That same group, DavisandHighHouse.org, has also left its mark on the race for to represent District A, the town's biggest district.

The group has urged voters to turn out for Bush, the Democratic challenger. They think she'll be a better champion for their stance on growth than Robinson, a Republican, who has held the seat for 10 years.

In the Oct. 6 election, Bush earned 42 percent of the vote in a four-way race. But she only won one of the district's 11 Wake County precincts. Voters at that precinct, which bellies up to the intersection of Davis and High House, cast just seven votes more for Bush than for Robinson.

The question now will be whether Bush can turn out enough support on Tuesday. The winner would decide the balance of the Town Council. If Bush were to hold the seat, the council would have five Democrats and two Republicans in a town where political ideology is evenly divided.

In the weeks since the election, Bush's supporters have stepped up efforts to paint Robinson as one who puts developers' interests ahead of those of her constituents -- a characterization Robinson says isn't accurate.

Robinson and her supporters say slow growth warriors, including Bush, have deliberately twisted the facts in order to vilify her.

Robinson also has also pointed out that growth issues likely won't dominate the political spotlight in the years ahead. A crippling credit crisis has slowed development throughout the country. While growth hasn't ground to a total halt, home sales have slowed in the town. And the number of development plans submitted to town planners in the first eight months of the year dropped sharply.

The slowdown hasn't knocked the wind out of those who contend that growth remains a significant threat to the quality of life in Cary.

DavisandHighHouse.org made a name for itself in late 2007, when its members launched a campaign of their own to help Mayor Harold Weinbrecht unseat his predecessor, Ernie McAlister. The organization claimed that McAlister, who voted in favor of developments opposed by the Davis and High House group, had succumbed to the will of developers.

Patricia Kirkpatrick, a member of DavisandHighHouse.org's steering committee, said McAlister's ouster reflected citizens' displeasure with his approach to growth.

"What we were saying that would save Cary is what people wanted," Kirkpatrick said. "It resonated, and that's what gave us the impact we ended up having. We became a focal point for what the entire community was feeling."

McAlister said that the group has been effective in its message, but that the message is no different than previous growth gripes. "They have been effective in making that seem like ground zero, when, in essence, it was on par with any other development that had taken place out there, including the ones in which they live," he said. "If you go back 20 years, none of their homes had been developed."

War of words

Much of the debate at the intersection was spawned by a development proposed for a still-vacant lot on the northeast quadrant of Davis and High House.

Robinson voted in favor of the project. Her critics say she manipulated the system of due process by scheming with the developer, Charlotte-based Crosland, to manipulate the borders of their development. Such a move, they say, would have made void several valid protest petitions filed by residents who opposed the project.

"You supported this development despite the formal protests," Van Kloempken, a member of DavisandHighHouse.org, charged during a forum in September. "... The developer moved the border just enough to ensure they could get past council."

Robinson has said that the accusations leveled against her don't take into consideration her behind-the-scenes efforts to negotiate a compromise between Crosland and citizens aimed at satisfying constituent concerns. She said members of DavisandHighHouse.org were among the individuals who requested the same reduction in the project's scope that they now use as fodder against her.

"This process was somewhat tainted by the Davis and High House group because they didn't get out and tell citizens about the changes that the applicant had made," Robinson said during an Oct. 22 debate with Bush."... We did the best we could to mediate between the citizens, to find a compromise that worked for most citizens -- maybe not all, but most. And we worked within the parameters of the law."

Don Hyatt, a Robinson supporter and editor of carypolitics.org, said accusations against Robinson amounted to fear mongering perpetuated by a band of disaffected residents. "A lot of people confuse not being listened to with not getting what they want," he said. "People tend to feel that they're only listened to if they win."

Shifting landscape

As the battle for the District A seat heads for an overtime finish, political analysts say Bush could score an upset.

Robinson entered this election season facing three opponents -- perhaps the biggest disadvantage of her political career, said Steve Greene, a political science professor at N.C. State University. And that Robinson faced a threat from a virtually unknown, albeit well-connected, contender could foreshadow a tough Tuesday.

"Incumbency," he said, "is not nearly the advantage we think of it as being in America. ... Most incumbents don't have to even try when you're looking at state and federal races," Greene said. "But in local politics, anytime you have a strong challenger, that person has a good shot."

And the changing face of Cary politics could put Robinson in an insecure spot. While Robinson was the top vote-getter in the Oct. 6 election, the majority of the votes went to Democrats. Her 49.97 percent wasn't enough to seal a victory, based on state election laws. Robinson could be further impacted if her conservative supporters, who turned out largely for last month's school board races, don't return to the polls.

Both candidates were dismissive of the effects the school board race might have on voter turnout, which is traditionally lower in municipal runoffs. "The dissatisfaction with the school system has definitely grown into both parties," said Robinson, who said she witnessed bipartisan frustration over school board policies on Election Day.

But in recent years, Cary residents have drifted more toward the middle.

Cary Town Council elections are officially nonpartisan. Its voters have become that way too. The town is split almost evenly among Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated voters, according to state data. In Disrict A, Republicans have a slight edge.

Robinson said she doesn't expect an imbalance between Republicans and Democrats at the polls on Tuesday.

Neither does Bush.

"If people were that concerned about the negative effects of growth," Bush said. "I'm hoping they'll be just as concerned about the cause."