Shaping Orange County's Future Final Full Report

Browse Search

WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK -THE TOWNS, TRANSITION AREAS, AND RURAL SETTINGS GR o WTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE TOWNS The towns in Orange County all offer opportunities and amenities more frequently found in larger places, much of this due to UNC's presence and the needs of its students, faculty and staff. Yet the towns retain their small town feel and friendliness as well as their own unique character based in their historical roots. Mixed use development is encouraged in commercial districts and in downtown areas through allowances made for increased density and flexibility. The downtown areas continue to be the activity hubs for businesses, governments, institutions, and cultural activities. Transportation initiatives play an important part in preserving the quality of life which all of the foregoing describes. Public transit, including paratransit for persons with disabilities, connects town residents to each other, to major metropolitan areas in the region and to rural areas of the county. Transit Distribution Centers with rail stations, bus service, park and ride lots, pedestrian paths, bike lanes, and van/car pool lanes provide convenient, multi -modal transportation options. Auto - limited zones in areas of downtown Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough, as well as areas of the UNC campus, alleviate traffic congestion and make these areas safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Park and ride lots are located at intervals near the edges of the zones and frequent shuttle service is provided to outlying lots. Pedestrian - friendly, compact mixed development with neighborhood connector streets is encouraged. Policies to promote integration of land uses have created walkable communities with mixtures of housing types, workplaces and commercial development. Infill development on large tracts is compact, pedestrian- oriented, mixed -use development that follows traffic corridors. Some older neighborhoods have incorporated small neighborhood services and a mixture of housing types. In established neighborhoods, infill development is encouraged only if it is consistent with, and an asset to the existing neighborhood. Multi -use neighborhood community centers provide schools, parks, community services and cultural activities, and serve as a focus for neighborhood community activities. Greenspace is introduced where possible as town and neighborhood parks and greenways. In an effort to reduce development in rural parts of the county and to preserve natural areas and the county's rural character, policy incentives are provided for concentrating more development within the towns and transition areas. The towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Mebane all have growth boundaries that plan for orderly and manageable physical expansion and define a clear line between urban and rural areas. 97