Carolina Preserve, Cary, NC

About Carolina Preserve

Carolina Preserve is in Cary, in the Triangle: Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill region of North Carolina. Developer: Del Webb (Pulte Homes). Status: Open. Age-restricted (55+ community; occupancy rules are set in its recorded governing documents).

Carolina Preserve is the 55+ section of Amberly, a master-planned neighborhood in western Cary. The association's website describes it as a 55+ active adult community with 1,360 homes, a 35,000-square-foot clubhouse called Bradford Hall, a fitness center, clay tennis courts, pickleball and bocce courts, indoor and outdoor pools, pottery and dance studios and more than 100 clubs. The same site says the community won the 2019 Community Excellence Award from the Community Associations Institute. The clubhouse sits at 115 Allforth Place in Cary.

The community was designed by Del Webb and later taken over by Pulte Homes, according to the association's description of Amberly. Amberly was planned in 1995, when west Cary was mostly farmland, on more than 1100 acres with room for a possible 5155 homes plus a commercial town center of about 75 acres. Carolina Preserve is one of eight residential neighborhoods in that plan. The other seven, the association says, are single-family homes and townhomes aimed at families, and Carolina Preserve residents can use the Amberly amenities as well: a Resident's Club, two outdoor pools, waterslides, a fitness center, walking trails and a gym.

Two geographic details matter to buyers. First, the association says most homesites are in Chatham County, while the Bradford Hall clubhouse and several homesites east of it are in Wake County. The two counties set different property tax rates and revaluation schedules (see the NC county rate table cited on the Cary page), so the parcel, not the mailing address, decides the county bill. Second, the community borders the American Tobacco Trail, a multi-use trail of more than 22 miles, and the Jordan Lake Nature Preserve.

Daily life is organized around Bradford Hall, which the association says hundreds of residents use each day. Inside are the fitness center, a large indoor pool, a dance studio, activity and meeting rooms and a pottery studio. The ballroom has a full kitchen and seats up to 160 guests, and residents also use a reading library and billiards tables. The association describes the lifestyle as active but flexible, with clubs and events for residents who want a full calendar and quiet for those who do not.

Carolina Preserve sits near the center of the Research Triangle. The association puts Research Triangle Park and Raleigh-Durham International Airport each about 10 miles away, and lists WakeMed, UNC Health and Duke Health facilities among the nearby healthcare options. The broader picture for the region is on the Triangle region page. For how age-restricted neighborhoods differ from conventional ones, see 55+ community vs conventional neighborhood.

Age restrictions at Carolina Preserve

Section 3.1(a) of the Restated Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Carolina Preserve by Del Webb at Amberly (filed in Chatham County October 18, 2023) says "the Lots are intended for the housing of persons 55 years of age or older" and is written to comply with the federal Housing Act. Section 3.1(a)(i) requires that each occupied dwelling unit "at all times be Occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or older," with a continuation right for a qualified occupant after the death of the sole occupant aged 55 or older as long as the Housing Act is not violated; 3.1(a)(ii) says "No person under the age of 19 shall Occupy a Dwelling Unit." Owners may hold title under 55 but may not occupy a unit in violation of the section, leases and sales must disclose the age-restricted purpose, and the board may grant hardship exceptions in its discretion if Housing Act requirements are still met. Owners must notify the board within 10 days of an occupancy change and supply occupant ages. Section 12.15 reserves the developer's right to sell lots for occupancy to persons between 45 and 55 years of age without affecting the community's age-restricted compliance. Request the current declaration and rules before making an offer.

Housing types at Carolina Preserve

• Del Webb-designed homes within the Carolina Preserve section of Amberly (1,360 homes in total, per the association)

Pricing at Carolina Preserve

The association's website does not publish home prices. Buyers should compare current listings and recent closed sales for Carolina Preserve directly, and ask the listing agent which county the parcel is in.

County matters for carrying costs. As of the 2025-26 fiscal year, NC Department of Revenue figures list Chatham County at $0.6000 per $100 of assessed value and Wake County at $0.5171, before any town levy. As our arithmetic and only an illustration, a home assessed at $500,000 would owe about $3,000 a year at the Chatham county rate and about $2,586 at the Wake county rate, so the difference is roughly $414 a year before town taxes. Chatham's latest revaluation took effect in 2025 and Wake's in 2024, with Wake's next scheduled for 2027. Confirm current rates with each county tax office.

HOA and fees at Carolina Preserve

The association's summary of what homeowner assessments cover lists access to Bradford Hall and all outdoor amenities, upkeep and repair of the amenities, common areas and entrances, and basic landscape services: weekly mowing, two shrub prunings a year, yearly aeration, mulch, pine straw, weed control, pre-emergent and fertilization of the lawn, and leaf removal. Assessments also cover access to more than 100 clubs, lifestyle events, and use of the Amberly master association clubhouse, outdoor pool, outdoor lap pool, fitness classes and indoor pickleball courts.

The same summary says assessments do not cover exterior or interior maintenance of the home or replacement of shrubs, trees, plants or sod on the lot.

The association's website says its reserves and contingency reserves are fully funded and that the board sets strategic direction and financial oversight with a professional management company. The association does not publish a dues amount on its public pages. Ask for the current budget, reserve study, the latest financial statements and the governing documents; the Future Residents page points to a resale ordering site and lists the covenants, bylaws, design guidelines and a document describing what dues include.

Amenities at Carolina Preserve

• Bradford Hall clubhouse of about 35,000 square feet with ballroom, reading library and billiards
• Fitness center, dance studio and pottery studio
• Indoor saltwater lap pool and spa, plus an outdoor pool
• Four year-round Har-Tru clay tennis courts
• Outdoor pickleball courts and four professional bocce courts
• Four community parks, shuffleboard and corn toss
• More than 100 clubs, lifestyle events and volunteer opportunities
• Adjacent to the American Tobacco Trail for walking and cycling
• Access to the Amberly Resident's Club, pools and indoor pickleball courts

Healthcare near Carolina Preserve

Carolina Preserve's website lists healthcare options in and around the Triangle, including WakeMed Cary Hospital at 1900 Kildaire Farm Road, UNC Health Care's Panther Creek clinic at Highway 55 and McCrimmon Parkway, and the UNC Wellness Center in northwest Cary just outside the community. It also describes Duke University Hospital and Duke primary care clinics in Durham, Raleigh and Cary, and UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill with more than 950 beds.

WakeMed's own page calls WakeMed Cary Hospital the only full-service hospital in Cary. It lists 208 licensed acute care beds, a 24-hour emergency department, a Level III trauma center, heart and vascular services, surgical services and inpatient rehabilitation. Check drive times from the community to your preferred hospital and specialists. See healthcare access across the Carolinas for how to evaluate networks and Medicare plans.

Airport access from Carolina Preserve

The association says Raleigh-Durham International Airport is about 10 miles from Carolina Preserve. The airport's own site says it serves more than 90 nonstop destinations and is carrying out a $2.5 billion, ten-year capital program called Transform RDU that includes a new primary runway, more parking, a bigger terminal and a better roadway. Construction can affect access, so check current conditions before travel.

Why Carolina Preserve is included

Carolina Preserve by Del Webb at Amberly describes itself on its association website as a 55+ active adult community of 1,360 homes in Cary, with a 35,000-square-foot clubhouse, indoor and outdoor pools, courts and more than 100 clubs, run by a homeowners association.

Alternatives to Carolina Preserve

• Carolina Gardens by Del WebbA completed, age-restricted Del Webb community of 818 lots in Fuquay-Varina, Wake County, governed by a homeowners association with its own amenity center, Magnolia Manor.
• Del Webb at TraditionsA 455-home age-qualified Del Webb community in Wake Forest with the 18,000-square-foot Regency Manor, more than 50 clubs, and monthly HOA dues of $272 for 2026.
• Fearrington VillagePlanned English-village-style community of more than 1,200 homes on a former dairy farm in Chatham County, with no age restriction, a Village Center of shops and restaurants, walking trails and clubs.

Guides relevant to Carolina Preserve

• 55-Plus Community vs. Conventional Neighborhood in the Carolinas