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New Hope ConMar Open Space Master Plan <br />C. Carrying Out the New Hope Corridor Open Space Masher Plan <br />The New Hope Corridor Open Space Master Plan proposed in this report is <br />ambitious. However, its successful fulfillment- -which hinges on being able to <br />guarantee the open space values of the corridor - -will result in the creation of a major <br />asset for the region. <br />Acquisition <br />There is one primary means through which the Open Space corridor values can be <br />guaranteed -- through acquiring either the land or the development rights to the land <br />that makes up the corridor. Such acquisition should be conducted carefully and <br />through means that are fair to all parties. The majority of the floodplain and steep <br />slope portions of the corridor are privately owned. Various sized portions of the <br />corridor are owned by Duke University, the City of Durham, the Durham County <br />School Board, and the Corps of Engineers (which holds a sizable portion of the <br />floodplain north of NC 54). It is inappropriate to accomplish the Master Plan by <br />additional regulation. Moreover, such an approach really would' not guarantee the <br />open space values inherent in the concept of the Open Space corridor. Some form <br />of compensation should be offered to secure the guarantees. The Committee <br />recommends the following options for acquisition. <br />1. Trail Locations <br />Whenever possible, trail locations should be acquired outright by the appropriate <br />City or County agency. It is preferable that this be done by purchase. These <br />trail areas will be used by the public and should be acquired by the public. <br />Perhaps trail use through Duke University land could be guaranteed through <br />some mutually beneficial agreement between Duke University and a public <br />agency. <br />Locations for parking areas, picnic areas, and in some locations interpretive <br />centers also will be used by the public and, consequently, should be purchased <br />by a public agency. <br />I Wildlife Corridors <br />The New Hope corridor extending south from Erwin Road is a wonderful <br />extension of the Duke Forest areas that, in themselves, have major wildlife <br />11 <br />