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79 Orange County Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan 9 CHAPTER 9- What Does It All Mean:Summary and Findings from Inventories, Research,and Input A. A Park Classification System In its 1988 Master Recreation and Parks Plan, Another changed situation relating to the type and Orange County set forth a framework for the type of style of parks and public open spaces is the County's parks that would meet community needs. While embarkation in April, 2000 on a program to times have changed since 1988, part of this basic conserve important natural and cultural resource framework of park styles remains valid for the lands through the Lands Legacy program. This County, while the evolution of park design, actual program has not only acquired a number of different park construction and operation, and the changed park sites that fit into the classes listed above, but conditions and need since 1988 warrant the also has worked to protect important natural lands revisiting of this classification system. and accumulate them in nature preserves in two One of the lessons learned since 1988 is that smaller key areas of the county (the Upper Eno River parks are better suited to be provided by municipal corridor, and lower New Hope Creek). While the or urban park systems, and are inefficient and lack main focus of the nature preserve is the protection economies of scale for a larger countywide scope of of the flora, fauna and wildlife habitat, it is possible parks. In an urban setting, with clusters of homes to build in human interactions with the natural areas close by, mini-parks and neighborhood parks serve a by working on the edges and fringes of the preserve valuable role. These type of parks are designed for to offer opportunities for trails, camping and wildlife the service of close-by neighborhoods with a range viewing. To this end, a series of Public Access Areas of urban services and public transportation that may (FAA's) are envisioned and in some cases, underway not exist in the rural or suburban areas of the in conjunction with these nature preserves. These county. As such, the County has made a conscious places should be designed with care and in harmony decision over the last 15 years to forego mini-parks with the natural environment, and as such do not and neighborhood parks, and focus on the larger have specific acreage needs, service area or popula- community, district and regional parks where tion standards. These would be designed on a case- economies of scale for operation and maintenance by-case basis with the specific site. may be expected and the rural and suburban community needs better met. In fact, the 1988 a} ^+ master plan, while listing these as types of parks, in Section 6 came to a similar conclusion, recommend- ing that mini-parks and neighborhood parks be r = developed by the municipalities. Accordingly, no parks of this type were recommended for ; acquisition and construction. { 9-3