212 / 634
APPENDIX B – WAKE COUNTY PROGRAMS TO MITIGATE SECONDARY AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
B-4
TABLE B-1
Summary of Selected Wake County UDO Protection Measures
Program
Summary
potential flood areas based on the location of flood hazard soils), areas that drain 4 acres
or more usually require a flood study if there is an encroachment into the flood hazard
soils.
Open Space
Protection
(UDO Articles
5 & 8)
Article 5 establishes building set-backs from property line, buffers around parcels, and
other site development restrictions.
Subdivision development rules include options for cluster and open space developments
to encourage the preservation of more environmentally sensitive areas within proposed
residential development
TABLE B-2
Summary of Existing Wake County Programs and the Environmental Resources They Protect /Address
Program
Terrestrial
Habitat
Protection
Aquatic
Habitat
Protection
Water
Quality
and/or
Quantity
Protection
Air Quality
Protection
Noise
Limitations
Growth Management Strategy
X
X
X
X
X
Land Use Planning
X
X
X
X
X
UDO and Zoning Process
X
X
X
X
X
Consolidated Open Space Plan
X
X
X
X
X
Riparian Buffers and Floodplain
Protection
X
X
X
X
X
Water Supply Watershed Protection
X
X
X
Erosion and Sediment Control
Program
X
X
X
Stormwater Program and
Impervious Surface Limitations
X
X
X
Air Pollution Prevention and
Transportation Planning
X
X
B.2
Wake County Growth Management Strategy
The County has a strategic location in the Research Triangle area, an excellent quality of
life that consistently ranks high in national surveys, and an exciting mix of urban, small
town, and rural lifestyles. The Research Triangle Park (RTP) and the Raleigh-Durham
International Airport (RDU) act as major growth engines not only for the County, but
also for the surrounding region. The County had grown to over 900,000 residents in 2010
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).
By early 2000, the County and the 12 municipalities were facing significant challenges as
a result of rapid growth. These challenges included traffic jams, overcrowded schools,
and loss of open space and natural areas. Communities grew closer to their neighbors as
sprawling development extended across the County. Increasingly, County and
municipal officials saw the need for a more comprehensive effort to address growth
concerns in the County. The Wake County Growth Management Task Force was created