North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The Winston-Salem planning and development services department has started the process to create a new comprehensive plan – Forward 2045.
The comprehensive strategy will be an official public document that serves as a guide for future development decisions and covers topics such as housing, economic development, community services and amenities, and sustainability.
The planning department is now seeking public input “on issues facing the community” including affordability and homelessness.
An online survey is available on the main page of the website and input will be used to develop the vision and goals for the plan.
Housing is one critical issues that will be addressed of the plan to create strategies for the city currently experiencing a housing shortage.
Public input will help the city to determine strategies to address the shortage?
Beyond supply, there are other issues related to housing that should also be addressed, since “the cost of renting or owning a home has become unaffordable for many residents”.
When completed, the study will include recommendations about housing styles to be built in the future and how to support the homeless population?
The state requires North Carolina municipalities to have a comprehensive plan that is “reasonably maintained” as a condition of adopting and applying zoning codes. Winston-Salem’s current plan, Legacy 2030 Update, was adopted a decade ago.