Agenda - 06-04-1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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LITTLE RIVER TOWNSHIP PLAN TOWNSHIP PROFILE: SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS Little River Township, located in north-eastern Orange County, occupies 28,700 acres and contains 11% of the total County land area. The Township is rural in character and the primary economic activity is agriculture. Sections of the Township, however, are within reasonable commuting time to the City of Durham and are beginning to experience suburban residential development pressures from that area. If this trend continues, the charac- ter of much of Little River Township could change dramatically in the future. Socio-Economic Features The 1980 U.S. census count for Little River Township is 1493 persons or 9% of the total population. This represents a 23.4% increase over the 1970 population of 1210 persons. Of equal interest is the distribution pattern of this increased population. The area in eastern Little River Township closest to the City of Durham contains a disproportionate percen- tage of the population. This distribution pattern reflects the economic attraction of Durham, in terms of both employment and shopping purposes, for the residents of Little River Township. Much of Little River Town- ship is within a half-hour commute of the major employment center in Durham. The northern and western sections of the Township are predominantly agri- culturally based. Major agricultural activities include tobacco farming, egg production, dairying and swine operations. If the population of Little River increases as projected, this growth will inevitably put pres- sure on agricultural activities throughout the Township. Exist Land Use and Infrastructure The southeastern portion of the Township has experienced increased subur- banization in recent years with residential, subdivisions being developed as housing for people who work and shop in Durham. The northern part of the Township retains its agricultural character and consists primarily of farms with some scattered low density residential development and very few commercial uses. Little River Township is not currently served by either public water or sewer. There are no existing plans to provide these services to the Township. Transportation A modified version of the North Carolina Highway Functional Classification System has been used to describe the road network in Little River Township. This system describes parts of the road network based on the factors of access and mobility. The most important roads (Interstate and arterial highways) provide the best service (shortest travel-time) to acid from important employment, shopping, educational and population centers.