Habitat for Humanity reshaping plans for Cary
CARY, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Habitat for Humanity wants to solidify its foundation for success and better prepare its case for a new development in Cary's Scottish Hills neighborhood.
Kevin Campbell, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Wake County, confirmed to ABC11 his office is now consulting with an attorney to help get its proposal in line with zoning laws and regulations.
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"Zoning is intended to make for a well-planned community and not to be exclusionary," Campbell explained to ABC11. "We need to create opportunity here for a location that is desirable."
The non-profit organization has built nearly 600 homes in Wake County since 1985. Just 54 of those homes are in Cary, with only three built in the town in the last six years.
"It's just getting too expensive," Campbell said.
PREVIOUS STORY: Cary residents fight to thwart Habitat for Humanity plan
Up for sale, however, is a 2.5 acre lot on Trimble Avenue off West Chatham Street. The lot is currently zoned to allow for construction of three homes, but Habitat would like to divide the land into nine parcels and maximize the opportunity for families hoping to move to Cary.
"You know it's people that we interact with every day in our lives - it could be teacher's aides, it could be bus drivers, it could be medical professionals, restaurant workers," Campbell added.
Neighbors have not rolled out the red carpet; instead many have posted red signs urging town council members to turn down the offer.
"I know they do good work, but I don't want any houses there in general," resident Alex Holmes explained to ABC11. "The traffic here is getting too crazy already. We want that field to stay the way it is for kids to play and for people to walk their dog."
Other homeowners in Scottish Hills expressed concerns about flooding and stormwater drainage. Many insisted their opposition is not based on race of economic class.
"Some folks are trying to make this a Habitat issue," said Scottish Hills resident Scott Peters. "We are looking for homes that fit, they're on appropriate lot sizes, that have room for kids to go out and play, things like that, not just pack in however many homes you can happen to squeeze in."
Cary has less than 1 percent of subsidized affordable housing compared to nearly 10% in neighboring communities.
The town was scheduled to make a final decision Thursday, but Habitat for Humanity has reportedly requested more time on the matter.
