Orange County NC Website
39 <br /> Coincidentally, the current land owner of the Hart's Mill site is a retired police chief and security <br /> consultant who has previously implemented CPTED in urban and college campus environments. <br /> She concurs that our proposed approach is appropriate for this project. <br /> We hope this addresses the concern and demonstrates our adherence to the principal. <br /> WATER USE IN THE LANDSCAPE <br /> Efficiently and effectively managing water in the landscape is a core principle of the <br /> permaculture theory and practice that will guide landscaping, agriculture and forestry at Hart's <br /> Mill. We are also keenly aware of the likelihood of increased frequency and intensity of drought <br /> in our area. <br /> Hart's Mill proposes to incorporate landscape design and management strategies derived from <br /> permaculture, low impact development (LID) and xeriscaping. A brief summary of those follows, <br /> and a more detailed description is attached, along with list of drought resistant plant materials <br /> recommended for our area. <br /> Permaculture and low impact development utilize a systems approach that emulates natural <br /> processes with distributed small-scale practices throughout the landscape. The emphasis is on <br /> simple, nonstructural, low-tech, and low-cost methods which retain rainfall in the landscape as <br /> close to where it hits the ground as possible. These include: <br /> • bioretention areas ("rain gardens") <br /> • vegetated swales, buffers, and strips <br /> • rain barrels and cisterns <br /> • permeable pavers <br /> • impervious surface reduction <br /> Combining water conservation techniques with landscaping is a concept known as Xeriscape or <br /> dry landscape. Xeriscape is a term coined in a Denver, Colorado program designed to promote <br /> water conservation in the landscape. While the idea began in the western United States where <br /> landscapes can be truly dry, the same water-saving principles apply to the Southeast. <br /> Xeriscaping combines sound horticultural practices to conserve water while maintaining a <br /> beautiful landscape. The seven basic Xeriscape principles are: <br /> 1) Careful planning and design <br /> Take into consideration topography, drainage, microclimotes, and hydrozones; limit <br /> irrigated areas <br /> 2) Appropriate, smaller lawn areas <br /> Utilize low-maintenance, drought-tolerant grass species in smaller areas; limit or <br /> eliminate lawn irrigation <br />