Agenda - 06-21-1999 - 10d - Laserfiche WebLink

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R 5 open space such as Duke Forest, and future County parks and open space. Linking future rural parks and open space to Town parks via a few unpaved trails could greatly expand low- impact recreational opportunities. The identification of strategic corridors that might tie together these recreation facilities is suggested as a practical- long -term goal. Using criteria and a classification scheme, the potential for a select few woodland trails as part of a Countywide (and eventually) regional corridor scheme is noted. Three examples of such trail links are offered (two within the Towns or Rural Buffer, one in the rural areas linking Cane Creek and Eno River State Park) are offered. 4. Coordinated Land Acquisition for Parks The 1996 and 1997 reports point to the need for coordinated capital funding, and this is one of the goals of this project. In discussing parks needs and goals, the Work Group placed a strong emphasis on the need to begin land acquisition for long -term park needs now. Orange County has taken steps in 1999 to create a mechanism that could be used in this fashion. The new Department of Environment and Resource Conservation began operation on January 4, with a primary focus on acquisition /easements of critical land resources. A Land Acquisition Program for Orange County is currently being developed for discussion in the fall of 1999. This program will develop and /or use inventories, criteria and a management structure for the acquisition and stewardship of land resources deemed critical to the public interest, working with other existing land trusts and entities. The program will involve the preservation of natural areas and wildlife habitat, farmland, riparian buffers, and the acquisition of lands for long -term parks use. The County is hiring a Land Resources Conservation Manager, with expertise in site evaluation and land acquisition this summer. This position will coordinate land acquisition efforts, and would use the criteria developed in the Master Recreation and Parks effort to evaluate land purchases for parks (please see the Recommendations section for additional details). The outline of the Land Resource Acquisition Program may be found in the report on page 26. Funding for long -term parkland acquisition would likely involve local bonds and allocations, and grants from programs such as the state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. Information on this program is provided on pages 27 -28. S. Payment -in -Lieu Programs All of the jurisdictions in the County have provisions in their development ordinances addressing dedication or provision of recreation facilities. Carrboro and Orange County also have payment -in -lieu of dedication programs, which allows for the payment of a fee based on the number of lots in lieu of providing recreation facilities. Orange County has special legislation that would allow for