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2 <br />ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING & INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT <br />Craig N. Benedict, AICP, Director <br />~opntP °/ ®~ <br />Current Planning ~~` ~ ~ °g 306E Revere Road <br />(919) 245-2575 ir' 5z P O Box 8181 <br />(919) 644-3002 (FAx) ~,~ Hillsborough, <br />Www.co.orange.nc.us '''°<<h QT0.t~`~~b North Carolina, 27278 <br /> <br />Report to BOCC on 2007 Land Conservation Goal <br />Purpose of Report <br />To present to the Board of Commissioners a report as directed in the 2007 Land Conservation <br />Goal and to provide information on open space land preservation, both public and private, within <br />the Land Development Approval Process, specifically subdivisions. Also, information on the <br />Recreation Payment in Lieu program is provided. <br />2007 BOCC GOAL STATEMENT <br />To protect and conserve the County s important natural and cultural land resources <br />There are three primary categories within which land conservation efforts occur in <br />Orange County government: <br />1. Lands Legacy Program <br />2. Land Development Approval Process <br />3. Locally-Administered Federal and State Conservation Programs <br />Introduction <br />In practice, conservation and preservation of lands within a land development scenario <br />occur only in the context of a subdivision development proposal. In other words, there is no <br />preservation without a development proposal in this particular conservation approach. For major <br />conservation and preservation efforts this is probably the least ideal mechanism available to the <br />County because land has to be disturbed and developed in order to trigger preservation efforts. <br />However, if the subdivision process can preserve open space in roughly equal amounts as <br />development occurs, then land consumption to accommodate new populations is not as high as <br />sometimes reported. <br />Subdivision Process <br />The stated purpose of the subdivision regulations is to guide and regulate the subdivision <br />of land within Orange County, for sale or building development, in order to ensure the public <br />health, safety, and welfare, and to provide for the sound use of land. The Current Planning staff <br />is responsible for determining the classification (either Major, Minor or Exempt) of any proposed <br />