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Northern Park
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Northern Human Services Center
Master Plan and Report
April , 2005
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Background
In 1988, the Parks Element of the Orange County Comprehensive Plan identified
a future park in conjunction with the Northern Human Services Center on NC 86
north. The Northern Human Services Center was originally built in the 1950's as
the Cedar Grove School, an African-American school. A baseball/softball field
located at the site was utilized for recreation programs beginning in the 1980's,
and some programs also took place in the gym of the building.
In 1998, the County acquired 40 acres (known as the Kennedy tract) adjacent to
the 9-acre tract containing the Center, playground and ball field. This land was
acquired to be part of the future park site.
In 2001, Orange County voters approved a Parks and Open Space bond that
included $1,200,000 earmarked for the future park. A draft Preliminary Concept
Plan was created in 2002, and a process for planning the Northern (Human
Services Center) Park was considered and approved in late 2003. In the spring
of 2004, property across NC 86 from the site was acquired for a wastewater field,
and plans to move forward with the park master plan were finalized. A series of 4
community meetings to design the park (excluding the building) were held
between October 2004 and March 2005.
At the current time, the facilities that exist at the site are:
• The Northern Human Services Center (NHSC) building, including a
gymnatorium, cafeteria and a number of rooms used or proposed to be
used for a variety of activities
• A branch library (in the NHSC building)
• A children's playground adjoining the Center
• A lighted playing field for softball/youth baseball
In 2003, the Board of County Commissioners considered and adopted a process
for the planning and design of this park. This process did not include the planned
upgrades to the Northern Human Services Center, although the need for
consistency and compatibility was addressed. The process may be found as
Appendix 1.
In general, the adopted process called for a series of community meetings to
develop a master plan. As a part of the design process, the community meetings
were to yield a park master plan that, among other features:
• Recognizes co-location with the Center, and works in concert with and
shares infrastructure where possible
• Promotes a pedestrian-friendly environment and discourages unnecessary
traffic or parking areas
1
• Protects important stream corridors and natural areas, and minimize
grading of the natural landscape
During the summer of 2004, staff began preparing background information for the
project. The Master Plan's community meeting phase began in October 2004.
Preliminary Concept Plan
At the outset of each park design project, the process is initiated by the approval
of a Preliminary Concept Plan by the Board of Commissioners. The "Pre-Concept
Plan," as it is sometimes called, is to be used as a guiding tool to identify the
types of activities deemed suitable for the park and to provide possible general
locations for those activities. It also serves as the guide for the more-specific
master plan that follows.
The Preliminary Concept Plan for this park was adopted in 2003. It projected
continued use of the existing ball field and playground as shown, along with an
area for future active recreation along the northern portion of the property. The
portions of the property to the south and west were projected to include low-
impact recreation - retaining the mixed hardwood and pine forest that exist, with
hiking trails, picnic areas and benches.
The Master Plan that has been created by the community meetings reflects two
changes from the Preliminary Concept Plan. First, the buffers for a new stream
identified on the site (for additional information, please see the following section)
effectively took away part of the area originally identified for active recreation. To
compensate for that, an area of loblolly pine to the southwest was opened up for
active recreation, since this was the least sensitive area of the forested portion of
the tract.
SITE ANALYSIS /
OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS REPORT
One of the background products developed by staff for the project was an
"Opportunities and Constraints" report that was presented at the initial meeting in
October 2004. This report evaluated the natural and cultural features present on
site, and provided an overview of zoning and other planning issues. The full
report may be found as Appendix 2.
This property is identified in the Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan
as part of the Agricultural Residential (AR) classification, within the Upper Eno
Protected Watershed, and is zoned AR (Upper Eno Watershed Protected).
This zoning district provides primarily for agricultural and residential land uses,
with a minimum lot size of 40,000 square feet per dwelling unit. Additionally, the
2
Upper Eno Watershed overlay zoning requires that impervious surfaces be
limited to 12% of the total site area and that stream buffers be provided.
Adjacent land uses to this property include:
To the north: An undeveloped tract of 25 acres and small residential lots along
NC 86.
West: The property boundary cuts across a 25-acre pond known locally as
Compton's Pond, which serves as a large sediment retention and flow
augmentation lake on the East Fork of the Eno River, which it impounds via a
man-made dam.
South: seven residential lots that are partially occupied.
East: NC 86 and a 12-acre tract acquired across NC 86
Access to the site is provided via NC 86, and parking areas exist on both the
south and north sides of the Northern Human Services Center. A service road on
the north side of the building provides access to the rear of the building. There is
an old, unimproved roadway that runs from the ball field to the pond, and there
are currently a number of downed trees along this old road from storms in 2003
and 2004.
The area surrounding the Northern Human Services Center has been maintained
to allow for the continued use of the existing ball field, playground and other
structures related to the building, including an old water tower used by volunteer
fire departments.
The 40 acres west of the building and ball field remain largely wooded. The vast
majority of the property is wooded with a mixture of hardwoods and pine. A 12-
acre section of the upland property nearest the NHSC is comprised entirely of
mature hardwoods-50 to 60-feet-tall. Major canopy trees include red and white
oaks, hickories, tulip poplar and American beech. This mature deciduous forest
provides numerous benefits, including habitat for wildlife and native plants, and
protection of water quality by filtering out sediment and pollutants from runoff
before it enters the adjacent pond and the East Fork of the Eno River.
The lower-lying woodlands in the western part of the property are a mixture of
pine and hardwoods adapted to the wetter soils nearer to the lake. Dense stands
of loblolly pine occur along the northern property boundary and the southwestern
boundary, both providing 100-200 foot buffers from the neighboring properties.
Two small clearings are located in the far northeast and southwest corners of the
property. One is at the impoundment for Compton's Pond; the other has been
used by someone to store abandoned vehicles and debris.
3
A biological analysis of the site was conducted and found no identified natural
areas or prime forest areas on the site. Stream identification work performed by
staff in late 2004 identified a previously-unmapped stream that runs from
northeast to southwest to the pond, which will need to be buffered as part of the
watershed standards. The property drains from east to west into Compton's
Pond. Slopes on the property are relatively slight, with increasing moderate
slopes as one nears the'pond to the west. Soils are primarily of the Georgeville
and Herndon types, and are generally suitable for park facility uses.
A cultural and archaeological survey was conducted in January 2004, which
identified two unrecorded archaeological sites; neither of the sites was deemed
worthy of further analysis. While not a part of the park master plan, the 12-acre
property east of NC 86 was also surveyed and the deteriorated house (ca 1911),
related outbuildings, hand-dug well, and above-ground fuel storage tanks were
recorded as part of that project. The rear portion of this 12-acre tract contains a
large field formerly in agriculture that was beginning to feature early succession
vegetation before being cleared as part of a planned wastewater system for the
Center.
A topographic survey was also conducted to identify contours at one-foot
intervals and all trees with an 18-inch caliper and greater.
In summary, the report identified several opportunities and constraints for the
site:
Existing and potential assets for park development include:
• Existing lighted baseball/softball field (also used for youth soccer)
• Existing children's playground (in need of improvement)
• Mature hardwood forest (suitable for nature trails)
• Other forested areas (which help to buffer the park from adjacent private
properties)
• A pond (potential scenic and recreational amenity)
• Old unimproved roadway (potential service road and/or walking trail)
Potential constraints to the development of the property include:
• Low-lying area east of the pond is within the 100-year floodplain
• Small portions of the eastern shoreline are not within the County property,
which will limit access to some portions of the waterfront
• Drainage ditches (2) on the northern half of the Kennedy tract
• Pre-existing 60-foot easement for access to the Kennedy tract from NC 86
(this is likely no longer an issue since Orange County owns both properties)
• Newly-identified stream will need to be buffered and protected
4
COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND DESIGN PROCESS
From October through March, four community meetings were held to create a
master plan for the park. Area residents were invited to participate in the process
by a variety of outreach tools. Flyers were left in community stores and were
mailed to homes in the area of the park, and subsequently to meeting attendees
and other interest parties. The new marquee sign at the Northern Center was
also used to advertise each meeting (with the assistance of the branch library
staff). Attendance at the meetings ranged from 14-32 persons, and many of the
group remained engaged in the design meetings throughout. The activities at the
community meetings are summarized in the following table:
Meeting Activities
October 28 Overview of project; mission and charge; presentation of
Challenges and Opportunities report, discussion of facility
needs/preference survey, next steps (charette)
November 18 Group broke into 5 small groups for design charette to create
their own vision for the park, then reconvened to look at designs
January 20 Meeting cancelled due to ice
February 10 Review new information, review draft master plan created from
the charettes, discuss designs and identify a preferred design,
plans for final meeting
March 9 Review and adopt final draft master plan map and report,
prioritize facilities using cost estimates
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An example of a master plan, presented at the October 28 meeting
The master plan map identified and agreed to by the community meeting
participants is shown on the following page.
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FEATURES OF THE PROPOSED MASTER PLAN
After working through the above process and considering the site information,
community needs and the desired facilities, the community meetings have
yielded a Master Plan as shown on the preceding page that features the
following components:
• Retention of the hardwood forest areas identified for low-impact
recreation, with a loop trail generally identified (the actual location of the
trail would be located later as construction drawings are prepared)
• Retention of the existing ball field and a relocated play area adjacent to
the Center
• A skate park area and basketball courts located in the back portions of the
original 8-acre Northern Center lot, along with nearby restrooms
• Two new softball/baseball fields, one located in the northeast corner of the
40-acre tract, and another (possibly part of a future phase) to the
southwest)
• A multi-purpose field that could be used for a variety of activities, including
tee-ball and other field sports, along the northern field configuration
• Two tennis courts and a second play area between the two northern fields,
along with a picnic shelter with restrooms and a horseshoes area
• Two other picnic shelters in the wooded trails area
The site would be accessed by an enhancement of the entrance road on the
north side of the Center, which would continue west toward the proposed new
facilities. The plan assumes that the proposed Northern Human Services Center
parking lot in front of the building will be constructed in the future (but does not
rely on this lot to provide parking for the park), and that the existing lot on the
south side of the Center would be retained.
The entrance road would wind back through the park, with two additional parking
areas near the two new playing fields to the north. A third parking area and a
short drive is dashed in for future use if needed between the fields and facilities
along the northern boundary. This drive would involve crossing of the headwaters
of the newly identified stream.
Another facility that was identified as desirable by meeting attendees was an
outdoor swimming pool, but the cost of this facility led the group to omit it from
the master plan, with a notation of its possible future location to the west.
Funding for the Northern Park comes from. the 2001 Parks and Open Space
Bond. A total of$1.2 million from those proceeds were identified for the park.
1 The potential for expanding the outfield fence was considered but eventually not recommended
because of cost of moving the existing lights and close proximity of adjacent structures
7
Throughout the master plan process, it was noted that these funds would likely
not be sufficient to build the entirety of the park as proposed, and that some
prioritization would be necessary.
PRIORITIZATION OF FACILITIES
Accordingly, at the final community meeting on March 9, 2005, County sataff
provided estimates prepared by a professional cost-estimating firm, for all costs
typically associated with each facility. Those present were asked to identify their
top priorities for the park, and use the cost estimates to rank those priorities as
their formal recommendations for the Master Plan (as shown below). The cost
estimates were as comprehensive as possible and included all known associated
costs with each facility.
As the first part of this discussion, there were several "givens" that were listed as
necessary and implicit facilities that would be needed for construction:
"Givens"
1. An entry road and two parking lots to serve the park facilities2
2. A picnic shelter with restrooms
3. The play area located near the Center3
4. A service road to the proposed fields on the northern part of the site4
5. Picnic tables and benches at locations TBA throughout the park
6. Horseshoes and volleyball courts5
The total estimated cost of the above items is approximately $400,000.
As a next step, the citizens present looked at the proposed facilities, the
identified/desired needs, the cost estimates and the projected remaining
available funds, and identified the following as priorities for the park
construction:
1. The new baseball/softball field in the northern part of the park
2. The skate facility
3. The multi-purpose field (Tee-ball and other field sports)
4. The basketball courts
5. The nature trails/measured walking track
2 This does not include the proposed parking lot in front of the Northern Human Services Center,which
would be part of the proposed building upgrades.
3 The current play area in this site would be impacted by the entry road,and is old and in need of
replacement.
4 The master plan shows a possible future parking lot and wider road for these fields that may need to be
constructed at some future date.It is not proposed for the construction of park facilities here.
5 While not"givens,"these facilities are inexpensive and deemed not to require the group's time for
prioritization because of their small size and low cost.
8
The total of these facilities is approximate to or slightly above the available
funding of$1.2 million.
CONCLUSION
The creation of Northern Park is expected to yield a facility that can provide many
recreational opportunities for the Cedar Grove community, including residents
living in close proximity to the park and those living in northwestern Orange
County. Two new playing fields, basketball courts, a skate facility , trails and a
picnic shelter with restrooms are proposed for construction with the available
funds.
There are other facilities that have been planned in the design that could be part
of a future phase, if additional funds become available in the future, including a
third baseball/softball field, tennis courts, a second playground area, and two
additional picnic shelters.
In considering the potential facilities, the meetings have attempted to be
cognizant of plans for the Northern Human Services Center. The Northern Park
Master Plan moreover has been designed to be compatible with the current and
expected future plans for the building.
The addition of the facilities outlined above will further enhance recreation, open
space and leisure activities for citizens in the Cedar Grove community and
beyond. The design, consistent with the Preliminary Concept Plan, attempts to
balance the protection of the hardwood forest areas and stream buffers on site,
while still providing for active recreation and low-impact recreation facilities.
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The existing playground at the Northern Center
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1 —Adopted Process and Charge for Northern (Human Services
Center) Park
Appendix 2 — Challenges and Opportunities Report
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