ORD-2003-116 Amendments to Open Space Standards for Flexible Development Subdivisions

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0 Composition - Sites chosen for Secondary Conservation Areas must have one or more of the following characteristics or uses: Woodlands, including forest land for the planting and production of trees and timber, where management practices such as selective timber harvesting and wildlife enhancement are employed. Such woodlands may consist of hardwood, pine, and/or mixed pine - hardwood forests identified as part of- 0 LANDSAT satellite data collected and analyzed under the Albemarle- Pamlico Estuarine Study; 0 A site analysis conducted by a registered engineer, land surveyor, landscape architect, architect or land planner using aerial photographs and/or satellite imagery; 0 A required environmental assessment or environmental impact statement; and/or 0 An independent site study conducted by a trained botanist and/or forester. • Farmland, especially prime agricultural land as identified by the U.S.D.A. Soil Conservation Service in "Important Farmlands: Orange County, N.C." and which is in active use for the production of crops and/or raising of livestock. Farmland also includes space on individual lots used for gardens, ponds, horse paddocks and barns, and similar uses. • Slopes of 15% to 25% which require special site planning due to their erosion potential, limitations for septic tank nitrification fields, and terrain or elevation changes. Such areas may be suitable for building, but higher site preparation and construction costs are to be expected. • Other Historic and /or Archaeological Sites identified from the same sources as for primary conservation area sites. • Public and/or Private Recreation Areas and Facilities, including: 0 "Active recreation areas" such as public recreation areas, including district and community parks as identified in the master recreation and parks plan; and private recreation facilities, including golf courses, playing fields, playgrounds, swimming pools and courts for tennis, basketball, volleyball and similar sports. Because they represent uses in which natural lands are cleared, graded and managed for intensive activities, only half (50 percent) of the land in this category may be credited toward meeting the minimum open space requirement. 0 "Passive recreation areas" such as pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian trails, picnic areas, community commons or greens, and similar kinds of areas, whether public or private. Land in this category receives full credit toward meeting the minimum open space requirement.