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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 06-04-2002 - 5a ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: June 4, 2002 Action Agents Item NO. ,rj-p SUBJECT: Resolution Supporting the Triangle Greenprint DEPARTMENT: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No Conservation ATTACHMENT INFORMATION CONTACT: 1)Draft Resolution David Stencil, 2452590 2)Comments from County Advisory Boards TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 9684501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 336-227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider adopting a resolution in support of the Triangle Greenprint 'Regional Open Space Assessment.' BACKGROUND: In discussion of other topics following the February 25 quarterly public hearing,the Board Of Commissioners received a presentation from representatives of the Triangle Greenprint project,with members from several advisory boards in standards. The Triangle Greenprint Is an afort to develop a regional open space plan for the six-county Triangle region. A coalition of three organizat ions—the Triangle J Council of Governments, the Triangle Land Conservancy, and the NC Division of Parks and Recreation—is working with local partners to develop a 'Triangle Greei-PnnP covering Orange, Durham, Chatham, Wake, Lee and Johnston counties. Phase I of the project began with a series of workshops, or"chamettes,' held in November 2000. Representatives from the six counties, several municipalities, state and federal agencies, conservation groups and other entities participated in the mapping of important natural areas, farmland, forestland, historic areas, and existing/proposed parks and greenways within the region. Orange County participants included staff from ERCD, Soil and Water Conservation and the NC Forest Service. The project is currently in Phase II, which Included the presentation made on February 25 and being made to county and municipal advisory boards and elected boards for their information, input and eventual "buy in'. The Greenprint sponsors at this time are asking elected boards across the region for a resolution of support (aHachetl)and potential use of the Greenpdnt in creating local open space plans. In Orange County's case, an adapted "open space plan' is already in place, in the Lands Legacy program. Recognizing this, the Greenprint sponsors plan to encourage other jurisdictions to use the Green Print to identify and protect important natural and cultural places, as part of a larger regional plan for protecting areas that transcend neighboring jurisdictions Comments from the Agricultural Preservation Board,the Commission far the Environment and the Historic Preservation Commission are attached. )Mnile all are supportive of the project, two of the booms have raised a few questions that are recommended for transmission back to the Greenprinl sponsors (and are incorporated into the draft resolution). FINANCIAL IMPACT: There Is no financial Impact associated with consideration of this non- binding resolution. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board review the comments of the County advisory boards, providing feedback as desired, and adopt the Resolution of Support. 3 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF TM TRIANGLE GREEN-PRINT WHEREAS,the presentation of appear space provides many beaefis to Oreagc County residents including packs, figoorie and seems landscapes,habitat l'or wildlife and native plans, f nlmd and rural character,water and air quality protection; and WHEREAS,Omage County implemetal a Lands Legacy program in April 2000 to protect important natural areas,parklands,waterahed buffets,farmland and"Hand and bubble sires in the Courtly,working with other public and private partners;and WHEREAS,this Lands Legacy program has protected or preserved over 800 cause of land in its two years of operation-including joint initiatives with other entities;met WREREAS,m November 2001,voters in tha Comity approved car ad uoml$]million for the Inds Legacy program as part of the parks and apm Were bonds;and WfIEREAS,Orunge Comity is corrardy updating its 1988Jaymlpry ofloatmal Arens and W Idlis hat tat to examine the status ofthe existing 64 sites identfied in 1988, and explore the existence of climb previously-unidentified site;and WHEREAS,the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law making it the State's goal to pmnmmtly protect an additional one million acres of open apace(G 113A-241); end WHEREAS,We Triangle I Council of Governments,Triungle Land Conservmety,mad NC Divisim of Parks and Recreation have formed the Triangle GreenYnnt Project and have released a Regional Open Space Assessment, and WHEREAS,the Regional Open Space Assessment dacomms important opm space areas in the six-county Triangle region that were identified by 140 prole missed and eitlxen open space experts;and WHEREAS,the Regimml OPen Space A.sseesmemr identifies many open stance nten that may offer opportunities for(hangs cowry to consomme with other gave==jorisdictioms to Former them;and WHEREAS,the likelihood ofprotection ofthese most space areas wire be evhenced through severeness of their significance and adoption of format plans for their protection; NOW THEREFOREREITRESOLVED� That the Camage Comity Board a Commissioners[hooks and recognizes the efforts of the 140 technical experts who provided train expertise to develop the Regional Open Space Assessinew as an overmmv a Itiangle open stances than[ere wormy of same level of poorest on; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board asks County staff to oompare the report to the County's existing Ends Legacy Long-Ton Presents 2001-2010,and Annual Action Plan,for 4 nvmtency,and that the County share with the(IreenPrimany imbrication about significant open beano that may have been ovmlooked in the Regional Open Space Assessment ac dint it maybe muoryomwd in Estate dommamts. BE IT FORTTE iR RESOLVED met O®nge County stands willing to meet wit neighbonng counfiea ce discuss hater-local olibtls m protect open space;as wee accomplished with the Little l ver Regional Park and Natural Mm arm ad,and that the County will provide updates to No Ttvangle GrennPnnt rwj act regarding new home amounted Ban ugh the Lands Legscy,program. BE IT FARTHER RESOLVED that the Board encomagea the GSeenPrint attempts to include a broad sit ofstliclouldcm m mount discussions and any prioritization of bndcal open space areas;suit that future GreeN'rint reports refe mine the important of comemeHOn opportunities not only within the remain but ties that extend beyond the bouudadc i of dhe Triangle This,the Om day oOune,2002 Bury Jacobs,Chan Orange County Board of Commtssionem ATTEST: Beverly Blythe,Clerk to the heard 5 COUNTY OF ORANGE ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM : To: Bartylacobs,Cheir Board of Commisscoras Fiber: Roy Porinumn,Chair Commission for dre Snvvoummt Date: ApN 29,2002 Re: Triangle Greenprint Regional Open Space ASsessmmt On March 11, [be Commission for the Anvimnerent (CIF) reviewed the Triangle Creenprint Regional Open Space Asseaarrwu. The CM made the following points sent mmcrts about the Grcenprivt 1- The CM is supportive of G afrg nun goals of identifying critical open spaces in die region,areathe importance ofregiemwideplaming forprotecton of open since. 2. Aa Uange County reaolution of swpost should include language acting the werplislwents of the Lands Legacy program and how it meshes with the Grempriu concepts. 3. The resolution should also note the County's ongoing efforts to update the 1988 "Inventory of Natural Arnss and Wildlife Habitat" Using a grant labor the N.C. Natural Heritage program and County fiords, a biologist is reaeorching existing sites and working an idmafy new sites,In addition, the County has funded two follow-up studies on "A Landscape with Wildli @," positional in conjunction with Triangle Land Conservancy. 4, The Greenprint should highlight the emerging partnerships among local govatunents and land trusts —as exemplified by efforts in the New }lope Creek window aM the Little River Regional Padr aid Natural Are; and in patents] land protectm initiatives along the ono River andtheproposed Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail. 5. The Gremprint offers an opportunity for counties and the region to be cognizant of (and plan for) w rvaton across regional boundaries ry. Mur natural are and wildiJe cociders resume county lines and trod beyond the Triangle region, m Orange County's cue to points west and north. Coordinton with other region should be recognized sat ierponam by the Triangle 1 counties. 6. The CM currents;with points raised by the Agnmltmal Preservation Board regarding the invOIVmomt of a broader range of stakebablem in defmiag agricultural and frrestland priority areas Environment and Reaourv'e Conservation PO Box 816113p Revere RmaO HAborough,NC 27270 (918)246 2 59 7 E COUNTY OF ORANGE ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM To: Barry Jacobs, Chair Board of Commissioners From: Tony Klesse, Chair Agricultural Preservation Board Date: Apnl 18, 2002 In: Comments on Triangle Greenprint At our April 17 meeting, the Agricultural Preservation Board (APB) considered the Triangle Greenprint Regional Open Space Assessment.This Item was referred from the February 25e public hearing. The APB Is supportive of the Greenprint in in effort to coordinate regional open space planning across the Triangle. However, our Board identified three issues that we think should be addressed: 1. The Greenprint should be developed using a broad set of agricultural stakeholders to develop priorities for famdand preservation. We suggest using Agricultural Preservation Boards where they exist(Orange, Durham and Chatham countles all have boards), as well as other organized agricultural support groups to Identify critical farmland areas. From our understanding of the process to date, only a few representatives or a limited number of groups have been involve] in the identification of these areas. 2. There is a need to develop common definitions and cross far the categories of land in the Greenprint, and to identity lands of regional value with enough specificity W enable voluntary protection and preservation of specific critical lands when opportunities arse.The edsting Greenprint document is somewhat vague In Its Identification of these areas for farmland and foresdand, and the definttlonc and crlteda for farmlarvJ and forestland are not clear. 3. We concur with the goal of the Greenprint to encourage each County to become aware of critical areas and to take steps to protect such areas as they deem appropriate. However,future mechanisms or recommendations envw; yam and Reaou,oe con:en-aaob Po 8ox8181138&A Ri Road HNbb=Wh, NC 27278 (919)245-2597 from the Greenprint should not work to diminish any individual county's awn efforts to be proactive in identifying and protecting these sites—as some counties (like Orange)already have active and successful programs toward this end, PO En ox B l Reawrre Cwi49rvefrcin PO Box 91181 61 Uqh.N Revere Rpgtl HillS(919)24.NC 2Y!)B (819f 245-2597 0 ir e•,reareerory n HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Memorandum To: David Stancil, ERC Dbector From: Historic Preservation Commission Date: April 24,2002 Subject: Triangle Greenpdnt At its March 22, 2002 regular meeting the Orange County Historic Preservation Commission discussed the Triangle Gmenprint report and the overall objecuvea behind the project Chuck Cooper, HK Vice Chair, provided the group with additional Informaton based on Triangle Caeenprint's February presentation before the County Commissioners. After wmide2de discussion,the Historic Preservation Commission voiced unanimous support for the project. The HPC also supports Triangle Greanprints approach m Idenfify all signifmnt historic and cultural sites even those,which may not be listed on the National Register of Historic Places or be designated through local programs. The Orange County Historic Preservation Commission looks toward to participating in the project as Triangle Greenpdnt works to develop policy strategies to protect the important places identfed In Its report.