Orange County NC Website
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- _t _ — _ _ i <br /> l }I <br /> + IF � IF <br /> . <br /> t�N <br /> .IF + _3 <br /> ; 3 <br /> y Y <br /> - . 41 <br /> � x � - <br /> I AL <br /> zI- <br /> F - <br /> t. , T t ' <br /> IF I : c <br /> _ <br /> W <br /> IF <br /> ANSI �LII Fr I <br /> ir <br /> r, - b T <br /> - � � �r4 _ Y .may, Y, Lr� _ ` } _ � F� <br /> r <br /> 7. <br /> R_r . , �--e,Sf v' � <br /> v t_`•z�7bs " S" "Iz 4 _ "lr ._ r' {_ �S',,i r 'd4-.P' ��r <br /> ]3 -, ASS • .l 3. }! v- j <br /> �_ \ <br /> I <br /> At t <br /> Fir <br /> IF <br /> FAA <br /> IviP% " l ` .i ; O E �,1 � ,�, C � A SUS IAINA6LE C� PTIOf�3 <br /> Facing the growth pressures of the bustling Research Triangle , Orange County has imple- <br /> mented plans to conserve open space . The county covers 254 , 720 acres , 187 , 000 of which <br /> were active farmland four decades ago . Today that number has dropped by more than 65 % <br /> to about 44 , 500 acres . Other open spaces , including forests , have also been developed at a <br /> rapid rate . Orange County has taken several steps in order to protect its natural , cultural and <br /> historical resources by preserving open space . <br /> Open space preservation has ranked among residents as one of the most important issues <br /> facing the county and has been an important local issue for many years . In 1987 , the <br /> Orange County- Chapel Hill- Carrboro Joint Planning Area Land Use Plan was implement- <br /> ed , putting in place the first urban growth boundary in North Carolina, Essentially, it linuts <br /> the density of development on land surrounding the two towns . <br /> In 1998 , after three years of research on Orange County 's role in the preservation of <br /> these resources , the Board of Commissioners created the Environment and Resource <br /> ' <br /> Conservation Department " The department serves to coordinate the Counrys preservation <br /> projects and the acquisition of land for such projects . <br /> luFiITIF `( INU-1 ,c; f'ti! D AC0UIF; ING CRITIC -� L LIPAAA. W V! C <br /> In April of 2000 , the county adopted the " Lands Legacy Progrartl for Orange County," <br /> which outlines the acquisition process . It began by listing an inventory of existing land uses <br /> and ownership in the county, culled from previous reports and studies . At the time of the <br /> report , Orange County owned only 632 acres , less than a quarter of one percent of the land <br /> within its borders . <br />