On February 10, Cary announced the relaunch of its Housing Rehabilitation Program. In partnership with Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, and Resources for Seniors, this program provides funding to assist eligible Cary homeowners with critical home repairs and improvements. The previous program linked homeowners with multiple third-party contractors, resulting in inconsistent bidding and monitoring processes for the program. The new program is managed in partnership with a lead non-profit housing rehabilitation organization, providing a single point of contact for both the Town and the homeowner. Focus has also shifted from exclusively supporting repairs to meet code requirements to enhancements that help senior residents age in place and/or meet the accessibility needs of people with disabilities. In the first two months of the program relaunch, Cary received more than 30 applications — an increase from eight to 10 applications per year in previous years. Interest is expected to grow as more residents learn about the availability of this new resource. 

New single-family permits for Q3 totaled 197. This is a 35 percent increase over the number of single-family homes permitted in Q2 and an 8 percent increase over 2019 Q3 numbers. The top three subdivisions where permits were issued were Courtyard at Kildaire (24), Savaan (24) and Channing Park (22).

There were 211 single-family certificates of occupancy (COs) issued in Q3, an average of 3.4 certificates per workday. This is an 18 percent reduction from the number of COs issued in Q2. The top three subdivisions were the Brickyard, with 37 COs, Amberly Glen with 36 COs, and Ridgefield Farms with 11 COs.

For Q3, residential alteration and addition permits totaled 400. This was a 12 percent decrease from Q2 numbers and a 6 percent increase over 2019 Q3 numbers. This slight decrease in permits issued for existing homes is consistent with the seasonal nature of construction that has been present in previous years.

Cary staff continued preparations for the 2020 Census. During Q3, attention shifted to community outreach and awareness-building to ensure a complete count. Efforts included:

• Creating a communication strategy with Wake and Chatham counties and neighboring municipalities,
• Coordinating with the Cary Chamber of Commerce to offer marketing material to local businesses and provide speakers for meetings and events,
• Meeting with Cary’s Information Services Advisory Board to elicit ideas on marketing and information sharing, 
• Developing web content to inform citizens and provide external resource information,
• Participating in community events to inform residents and community leaders on the value of the census and to encourage participation, 
• Working with Cary’s Police Department and Neighborhood Services Division to identify locations for undercounted populations, 
• Posting signs in the community to promote the census, and 
• Posting social media reminders encouraging residents to complete their census.