Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
48 <br /> the framework within which other land use categories are to function."The plan reiterates the New Hope <br /> Creek Corridor Open Space Areas,which are relevant for the county and Chapel Hill. The Facilitated <br /> Small Area Plan for Carrboro's Northern Study Area is"specifically incorporated by reference"in the <br /> Joint Land Use Plan and"...supersedes any provisions of this Plan that are inconsistent with the Small <br /> Area Plan with respect to the...Transition Area." <br /> CHATHAM COUNTY <br /> Chatham County's land use and related ordinances as well as the following plans were reviewed: Plan <br /> Chatham (the Chatham County comprehensive plan) (2017),Land Use Strategic Plan (1999), and <br /> Chatham County, North Carolina Agricultural Land Use Plan (2009). <br /> At the time of this document, Chatham is beginning to revise its ordinances to meet the goals laid out in <br /> Plan Chatham. <br /> NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION <br /> Chatham County has integrated natural resource protection throughout Plan Chatham,the comprehensive <br /> plan,by including open space protection and landscape connectivity in its conservation goals and as part <br /> of its economic, climate resiliency,parks and recreation,transportation,housing,public works/utilities, <br /> and community health goals(open space protection is also a goal in Chatham's earlier Land Use Strategic <br /> Plan and Agricultural Land Use Plan). The county has set a goal to protect an additional 20,000 acres of <br /> land by 2040.Within the goal to "conserve natural resources",multiple strategies that aim to protect and <br /> connect important natural areas are recommended throughout the plan, including: <br /> • Encourage development design that preserves unique natural features on sites. Examples include <br /> wildlife hubs and corridors,mature forest,hedgerows,rare habitats,riparian areas, drainage-ways <br /> (above USGS-defined"blue line"streams). <br /> • Encourage development design to preserve forest cover and additional uplands. <br /> • Protect NHNAs,habitat hubs, and wildlife corridors through voluntary reservation, acquisition <br /> and partnerships with nonprofits and private entities. Study the establishment of a county-led land <br /> acquisition program to assist in local land protection efforts. <br /> • Allow density transfers to protect landscape level green infrastructure(such as greenbelts around <br /> towns and planned activity centers). <br /> • Continue to allow administrative approval for conservation subdivisions up to 15 lots and <br /> consider allowing administrative approval for conservation subdivisions up to a certain size <br /> provided that design criteria are established. <br /> • Allow off-site septic for conservation subdivisions,but discourage for conventional subdivisions <br /> • Website updates and creation of county GIS datasets,including a dataset on wildlife corridors and <br /> hubs. <br /> • Develop open space framework plans for areas with high value natural assets. These plans would <br /> acknowledge the areas identified as valuable natural resources and describe the integration with <br /> public and private development while maintaining the integrity of the resources.Mapped using <br /> GIS,these data could inform decisions about open space preservation in conservation design <br /> (such as in the plan's Natural Resources Element and the Big Woods Concept Plan in the Big <br /> Woods Conservation Design Guide,included as an appendix to Plan Chatham). <br /> o Areas that would be candidate locations for open space framework plans include the Haw <br /> River Corridor, Rocky River Corridor, Southeast Jordan Lake, and other areas <br /> surrounding NHNAs. <br /> A Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity 35 <br />