Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 16, 2003 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT• Resolution Accepting Conservation Easement Conveyance -Rebecca Brown <br />DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource <br />Conservation <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT <br />A. Draft Resolution <br />B. Location Map <br />C Property Map <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />Rich Shaw, 245-2591 <br />D. Draft Conservation Easement TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a resolution approving a conservation easement agreement with <br />Rebecca Brown for land along New Hope Creek in Chapel Hill Township. <br />BACKGROUND: The Lands Legacy Program, adopted in April 2000, seeks to protect the <br />County's most important natural and cultural resources. Through this program, the County <br />uses a variety of voluntary means to protect lands, including fee-simple acquisition, <br />acceptance of land donations, and purchase or donation of conservation easements. The <br />types of land protected include parkland, natural areas and wildlife habitat, riparian buffers, <br />prime farmland and historic and cultural sites. Since inception, Lands Legacy has protected <br />860 acres of resource lands in Orange County. <br />ERCD is working with Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) to acquire riparian lands and <br />conservation easements for an open space corridor along New Hope Creek from the site of <br />the former Hollow Rock Store (Erwin Road) to the Durham County line - a distance of nearly <br />one mile along the creek. This project would link Duke Forest lands in Orange County to <br />New Hope Creek open space in Durham County. <br />TLC has negotiated the purchase of a conservation easement from the Brown family, owners <br />of a 1.8-acre lot, and the site of the former Hollow Rock Store. TLC will purchase the <br />easement fora 1.2-acre portion of the lot with a grant from the NC Clean Water Management <br />Trust Fund. TLC will then convey the easement to Orange County for oversight of a future <br />public walking trail along New Hope Creek. The proposed trail will help implement the New <br />Hope Creek Master Plan, adopted by Orange County, Durham County, City of Durham and <br />Town of Chapel Hill in 1989. <br />