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The availability of different housing types increases the chance that young families, singles, fixed-income, and retirees can move to and stay in Wendell. Long-term residents translate into greater contributions to our most-valuable resource: community.

People young and old often (but not always) prefer to be near the places that they go frequently...even if young and old don't always want to be in the same place doing the same things. While we don't all have time to hang out at a coffee shop for the entire day, it is nice to be able to go there sometimes, or get groceries, or be able to walk our children to day care or school. Houses on large lots increase the distance between houses, and these other places we want or need to get to. Smaller lot sizes, auxilliary units ("granny flats"), and attached housing types have become more popular not just because they are more affordable (in fact, they can be some of the most expensive per square foot of any home type in our region) but because they can put more people living closer to more places they want to be.

Based on the feedback we've received, the Town staff understand that different housing types are viewed as being complimentary to each other, or at least not a potential threat to property values or other impacts. Which of the housing types at left make for a good mix of housing (and residents that are likely to live there)?

If you hold down a job outside the home (or if you work in or from your home as a parent, paid employee, or self-employed worker) there are places that you like to have nearby. Which of these places in this list are great to have near - or in a few cases not-so-near - where you work?

One of the ways that people and places get together in towns and cities is by having them locate on the same tract of land - think of the corner store in front of a group of houses. A marketable type of development in some places is "vertical" mixed use, where apartments or condominiums locate over a taller ground floor containing shops, restaurants, gyms, pharmacies, and so on. These features are used by the residents on the same property, but also serve the needs of a much larger surrounding community.

If you've ever lived or visited a place that has great transit, a pretty streetscape with trees and pedestrian-scale lighting that were great to stroll down in the early evening, or seemed to be thriving economically, it's worthwhile to think how these places come into being. The days of a single, large, well-paying employer that dominates the employment picture of an entire town are rare now, so great places are often the combination of housing, employment, and diverse groups of people living in a flexible environment that suits their needs very well. Which of these types of development can help make Wendell even better in the future by attracting young workers, keeping our seniors nearby, supporting the needs of families, support walking, or keep residential tax rates low?

By this point in the survey, you've probably thought more than once, "this option might be great, or it might be terrible...it all depends on how it is constructed or if it contributes to the sense of place that I value and want to see more often." The idea of quality seems like it might be a hard concept to achieve consensus, but it often turns out that a majority of people in many different kinds of places place value on very similar design elements. Which of these design aspects at left support the kind of built environment you like to see and live, work, and shop in?

The final questions deal with jobs, including those that support a wage rate that allow people to make a comfortable living - which in turn allows them to make contributions through taxes, patronage at local businesses, or charitable donations. Some of these work types seem better located further away from typical, suburban lifestyles but others actually thrive in (and contribute to) busier, economically vibrant downtowns. Which of the following might work here in Wendell?

Note that only locations inside Wendell are allowable for dropping points on the map. Choose a type of point from the choices at the top of the map first, then you can add comments after you place a point to help clarify your responses.