Agenda - 11-22-1999 - 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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(From the Lands Legacy draft and Joint Master Recreation and Parks Report) Criteria for EvaduatinQ Possible Land Acauisition 2 Subject to approval by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, a system shou/d be deve%ped to evaluate how wel/ potentia/ /and acquisitions meet the goals and objectives A number of specific measures have been suggested both for the purchase of property, and for the appropriateness of siting faci/ities The components of this system wou/d become the basis of the Recreation and Parks Acquisition section of the Countys Resource Acquisition Program (see Section V). (Note: Proposed points or weighting system to be added by 11/22/99) a P~r~kl~~ic~~ At~u~:sifi~o.~a~ Cri~~ri~t The existence of matching funds from a requesting jurisdiction Potential for grants and other funding opportunities Completion of existing projects with an adopted facility plan Contains a site identified in the Inventory of Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitats of Orange County, N.C. Compatibility of planned pazk use with adjacent land uses Appropriate intensity of use for the area Location Promotes continuity of wildlife corridors, greenways and linear pazks Land is adjacent to new schools Land for active recreation is suitable and appropriate for planned uses Furthers purposes of Upper Eno and New Hope Corridor preservation efforts Access (transportation) is safe and easily-accomplished Meeting multiple goals (of the above) gets higher weighting There aze two other important considerations that relate to pazk acquisition criteria. Perhaps more than any other type of acquisition, park land can accommodate multiple uses and resources within the framework of a "park". As noted in the Historic Preservation Element of the Plan, historic structures can be preserved within a pazk setting, and there are many examples of such approaches. Sloan Pazk in Rowan County has preserved an 1823 gist mill as part of the pazk facilities. The same can be said and has been done with active farms, such as the Horne Creek Living Historical Farm in Stokes County. Natural azeas may be protected within parks, if careful attention is given to maintaining the integrity of the site. The other consideration for acquiring pazk land relates to the ongoing effort of the Schools and Land Use Council to co-locate school and pazk facilities in the future. Both the Schools and Land Use Council and the Joint Master Recreation and Pazks report recognize the benefits of co-locating facilities. A Memorandum of Agreement for Providing Coordinated Site and Facility Planning has been developed, and is included as Appendix L. As criteria are developed by the schools for land acquisition, the addition of the above criteria for pazks could also be factored in, as practical, for a set of criteria to evaluate both school and park feasibility. The potential for collaborative work on pazkland acquisition will be discussed this fall by the local governments through review of the Master Recreation and Parks report.