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t <br />New Hope Corridor open Space Maater Pkn <br />A. Value of the Master Plan <br />The New Hope Corridor Open Space Master Plan is intended to specify critical open <br />land areas and to provide a comprehensive, cohesive plan for acquiring and using <br />those lands in such a way as to preserve and protect them for both their natural and <br />public benefit. Specifically, the Master Plan aids in the following processes: <br />• Culminating the many years of inventory, study, and discussion that have <br />occurred concerning the New Hope corridor; <br />• Showing decision - makers, in a systematic and meaningful way, the options that <br />are available and enabling the cities and counties to take action. on available <br />policy choices (including regulations, preservation, and acquisition) to preserve <br />open space; <br />• Providing a forum for the many entities with interests in the future of the New <br />Hope corridor, including local governments, conservation groups, developers, <br />and landowners; <br />• Balancing the beneficial functions of corridor land left in its natural state with <br />the need to develop land for human activities; and <br />• Helping the public visualize the landscapes and learn about the complex <br />environments that. comprise the corridor. <br />B. Development of the Master Plan <br />During the spring of 1989, the elected bodies of Chapel Hill, Durham, Orange <br />County, and Durham County adopted a New Hope Corridor Resolution (Appendix B). <br />The resolution supported the preservation of an open space corridor and directed staff <br />to continue with more detailed planning for its creation. In May 1989, the four <br />jurisdictions directed that funds be appropriated to hire a consultant, Coulter <br />Associates, Landscape Architects and Land Planners, to prepare a Master Plan. <br />During the summer of 1989, the Durham County Inventory of Natural and Cultural <br />Resources received funding through the Triangle Land Conservancy to conduct <br />vegetation studies in the New Hope Corridor. Ed Harrison, Environmental <br />Consultant, studied and reported concerning the vegetative communities in the New <br />Hope corridor and Mud Creek floodplains and slopes. This field work resulted in a <br />better understanding of the characteristics of vegetation in this vicinity. The complete <br />report, New Hope Creek Corridor Vegetation inventory Site Descriptions, <br />16 T* <br />