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10 <br />Hollow Rock Access Area Master Plan September 2009 <br />The Orange County portion of the site is zoned Rural Buffer, which allows for parks <br />and government facilities, but no public water or sewer services. Streams require <br />undisturbed buffers up to 80 feet wide. The Durham County portion site is zoned RS- <br />20, which accommodates parks. Streams require 50 -foot undisturbed buffers. <br />In addition to the required county stream buffers, conservation easements held by the <br />State of NC (implemented as a result of grants to acquire the property) require 300 - <br />foot -wide buffers along streams, although some limited uses are allowed within those <br />buffers, including natural trails with bridge crossings, boardwalks, kiosks and benches. <br />A map of the areas protected with conservation easements is provided as Appendix 8. <br />Phvsical and Environmental Issues <br />The land slopes generally from the northeast (310' elevation) down to New Hope <br />Creek (265') in the far southwest of the property. The eastern half of the site drains to <br />a perennial tributary stream that flows through the middle of the property, under Pickett <br />Road and eventually to New Hope Creek. The New Hope Creek corridor includes a <br />narrow fringe of bottomland (100 -year floodplain) that extends northeast into the site <br />along both sides of the tributary stream. It is in this area that New Hope Creek begins <br />to flow through the easily eroded sedimentary rock of the Triassic Basin. <br />Most of the site is comprised of fairly mature hardwood forest typical of the Piedmont <br />alluvial and bottomland forest. The more upland portions of the site (generally east of <br />Pickett Road) are suitable for nature trails, natural /cultural education, and other low - <br />impact uses. The bottomland forest (west of Pickett Road) provides different <br />opportunities for environmental education. Nature trails should be designed to <br />minimize impacts to streams and bottomlands. Pedestrian bridges and boardwalks <br />will likely be necessary to navigate portions of the property. <br />The New Hope Creek aquatic habitat is recognized as "state significant" due the <br />presence of rare and endangered species of fish, crayfish, snails and mussels. The <br />unusually high quality of this aquatic habitat will need to be protected from any <br />potential sources of pollution. Environmental education should be encouraged, but <br />controlled in ways that limit the disturbance of aquatic organisms and their habitats. <br />There are no structures on the property, except for a well - established home site on the <br />Triangle Land Conservancy parcel. TLC uses the circa 1920 house and two <br />outbuildings for rental income and for storing equipment. A small meadow extends <br />from the house into the adjacent county -owned property. <br />Cultural and Archaeological Issues <br />A cultural and archaeological survey of the property was performed by Legacy <br />Research Associates, Inc. The purpose of the survey was to identify significant <br />cultural resources so that they could be evaluated and protected from park <br />development. The findings of the survey would also be useful for interpreting the park <br />property and the surrounding community. <br />Gt <br />