Issue link: https://townofcary.uberflip.com/i/791946
CHAPTER 2: LIVE 24 Policy Policy Intent Policy 2: Provide More Housing Choices for All Residents Provide high-quality housing that can accommodate a variety of lifestyles, households, ages, cultures, market preferences, and incomes. This includes dwellings for aging seniors and empty nesters, multigenerational households, young professionals, young families, and members of the local workforce. Foster strong, healthy neighborhoods, develop environmentally sustainable housing, ensure economic growth through housing policies and programming, and support transit- oriented development along planned transit corridors. The intent of this policy is to recognize and accommodate the fact that Cary's residents increasingly reflect a diverse mix of family/household sizes, ages, races and ethnicities, incomes, and needs and abilities. A diversity of housing products is and will be needed to meet the needs of these residents. One objective of this policy is to encourage an adequate supply of housing suitable for our growing diversity of household types, including singles, couples without children, couples with children, single-parent households, empty-nest couples, seniors, and multigenerational households. Another objective is to encourage an adequate supply of housing for Cary's growing senior population, which might include smaller homes, small-lot homes, patio homes, multifamily housing, life care communities, and other options at diverse price points. The proximity of such housing to services and amenities is of high importance. This policy also encourages the provision of housing for those who are mobility-challenged, have disabilities, or have special needs. Housing for seniors and others who have mobility challenges is encouraged to occur proximate to transit to improve mobility options. At the other end of the age spectrum, another objective is to encourage an adequate supply of housing for young adults/millennials and young families. This might include smaller homes, multifamily housing, townhomes, patio homes, small-lot or mixed-use housing, or other housing options. Housing options should include a variety of price points as well to accommodate young professionals and first-time homebuyers. These should be at locations that are walkable to shopping, dining, entertainment, and employment and/or are convenient to transit. The provision of such housing will help support the recruitment of workforce talent sought by Cary's leading employers and is thus important for Cary's economic health. Policy 3: Provide for More Housing Options in New Neighborhoods Provide a greater variety of housing types within new residential neighborhoods. Housing options/ variety can take the form of different- sized lots, different-sized homes, different price points, different types of homes, and different types of home features, such as housing designs that support aging seniors or multigenerational households. The intent of this policy is to make available an increased mix of housing options in developing parts of town. For many years, this has been the traditional pattern in Cary and is exemplified in many large master-planned neighborhoods, such as Kildaire Farms, Lochmere, and Cary Park. The increased housing mix might be provided either within individual developments or, when considering new, infill development, within multiple proximate developments that together create a diverse housing mix. This will help enable Cary's households to grow and age within their neighborhoods by providing opportunities to change housing types while maintaining their neighborhood ties and social networks. For example, a neighborhood could provide "starter" housing options for singles and younger families as well as opportunities to later "move up" to other housing types within the same neighborhood. Similarly, a neighborhood should offer housing options for downsizing empty nesters, seniors, and retirees so that they can continue to live within their own community.