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29 <br /> 1-21-93 Final Version <br /> resource, what is visible to the human eye represents a great deal <br /> of what makes up "rural character" . In many cases, however, the <br /> importance of scenic views and rural landscapes are not <br /> discovered until they are gone. A program that encourages <br /> innovative techniques to balance development with visual resource <br /> protection is of critical importance. <br /> ACTION STRATEGIES <br /> Strategies recommended for inclusion in the Rural Character Element <br /> of the Comprehensive Plan include the following: <br /> 1 . Implement open-space development options that protect and <br /> preserve existing visual resources. Produce a series of <br /> educational brochures to illustrate how open space set-asides <br /> enhance the value of property to be developed and adjacent <br /> properties which benefit from "borrowed" open space. <br /> 2 . Promote the importance of scenic vistas and landscapes in <br /> maintaining rural character through completion of the Scenic <br /> Roads Study. Provide expedited plan review and lower fees for <br /> developers who use the Rural Orange Design Guidebook and the <br /> standards of the Scenic Roads Study to preserve scenic vistas <br /> along select roads and ridge lines, and adjacent to open <br /> fields. <br /> 3 . Evaluate the feasibility of a Viewshed Overlay Zoning District <br /> to be used in conjunction with the Scenic Roads Study to <br /> protect special rural landscapes and travel corridors where <br /> visual resource protection is of the utmost importance . <br /> 4 . Support efforts by the Agricultural District Advisory Board to <br /> implement a voluntary Purchase of Development Rights program <br /> to protect scenic roads and vistas, including the development <br /> and use of a Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) system <br /> with which to rank sites for development rights acquisition. <br /> 5 . Pursue local Voluntary Transfer of Development Rights (VTDR) <br /> legislation and establish an Orange County Support Group to <br /> parallel regional efforts to protect scenic roads and vistas . <br /> 6 . Following implementation of voluntary OSD options, prepare an <br /> annual report for the Board of Commissioners and Planning <br /> Board evaluating the impact of various development options on <br /> the County's visual resources, assessing the possible need for <br /> additional development strategies to protect these values . <br /> GOAL 4: MANAGE GROWTH WHILE PROTECTING RURAL CHARACTER <br /> Growth management is often misunderstood and thought of as a <br /> . . 9 <br />