NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 24, 2000

CARY CREATES
NEW ECONOMIC POLICY GROUP;
SEEKS APPLICATIONS FROM AREA CITIZENS

CARY, NC – Cary’s Town Council has created a new citizen board to help in the Town’s effort to achieve more commercial development over the next few years. Cary’s new 13-member Economic Policy Commission will meet regularly to provide input on how to help move the town to a 60/40-commercial/residential development split over the next five years. Currently, Cary’s commercial/residential split is 74 percent residential and 26 percent commercial. Increasing the ratio of commercial development helps improve the economic health of a community since businesses typically pay more in taxes than residents while putting less burden on Town services.

According to Council member Nels Roseland who--with colleague Marla Dorrel--developed the plan, some of the tasks of the Commission may include reviewing the Town’s current re-write of its Unified Development Ordinance as well as its proposed "beauty contest" point scale for new development to ensure that the regulations favor the kind of future Cary leaders envision.

Of the 13 seats, one will go to Cary’s Mayor and two more to Cary Council members. Of the 10 remaining seats, three are to be filled by computer or bio technology business people, three by commercial builders or developers, one by the Cary Chamber of Commerce, one by the Wake County Economic Development Commission, and two from unspecified segments of the private sector.

Unlike most other Cary boards, the Town Council will allow up to two of the 10 seats to be filled by citizens living outside Cary if the application pool warrants. Anyone interested in serving on Cary’s Economic Policy Commission should apply now online at www.townofcary.org or through the Town Clerk’s office by calling 469-4011. Deadline is April 28^th with appointments expected in May.

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