Orange County NC Website
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38 <br /> while the County team included a wildlife corridor,the same hardwood forest area,the same historic sites, <br /> old farm fields and a viewshed (scenic vista). <br /> A third plan was prepared, for purposes of comparison, based on the methodology advocated by <br /> Randall Arendt.The"primary conservation areas"were the same as identified by both the Hillsborough <br /> and County teams.In terms of"secondary"areas,the"Arendt Plan"preserved ant area of upland <br /> pine and hardwood forest in lieu of viewshed areas,and included all golf course and grassy common areas <br /> The percentage of open space required was the basis for the starting point of the work group,since <br /> both jurisdictions had adopted different standards.The Hillsborough team worked on the premise that at <br /> least 30%of the total site should be protected in open space,with a density of two units per acre on the <br /> remainder of the site.The County team worked under the standard of at least 30%of the buildable area <br /> of the site as open space, with a density of two units per buildable acre.The"Arendt Plan"was based on <br /> the premise that after eliminating"primary conservation areas",at least 50%of the remaining"buildable" <br /> area had to consist of"secondary conservation areas".Attachments are provided which summarize/illustrate <br /> the Work Group's efforts Estimates of the amount of open space resulting from each option are as follows: <br /> Hillsborough Team 33.5% <br /> Orange County Team 42.2% <br /> Arendt Method 65.9% <br /> Deftnitions and Amounts of Open Spam Used in Other Areas <br /> The two issues of open space uses and percentage are not exclusive to Orange County. These <br /> questions have arisen in other counties around the nation. In his design guidebook for Sussex County, <br /> Del aware, Randall Arendt argues for a standard of 50% of the buildable area of a site as open space, <br /> although he has also recommended 40%of the buildable area in other locales Arendt also ells for a more <br /> protective stance on secondary conservation areas(mature hardwoods,bluffs,natural sites,vistas).Chicago <br /> Newcastle County, Delaware uses a formula to designate a percentage of designated "protection areas", <br /> which can range from 50-100%depending on the assumed value of the area.Loudoun County,Virginia has <br /> no percentage standard but requires certain types of area on site to be protected- similar to Arendt's <br /> apps <br />