Secondary and Cumulative Impacts Master Management Plan - 2014

TOWN OF MORRISVILLE

Table 4-1 provides detail on the area (square miles) within each general land use category. As shown in the table, approximately 71 percent of the Planning Area is developed, 10 percent is open space, and another 19 percent is currently undeveloped and represents forested or vacant land (no building on the parcel). This category also includes parcels that are 10 acres or greater and have a single residence on them; these lands could be subdivided in the future. Figure 4-1 illustrates the riparian buffers within the Town’s Planning Area; these buffers account for 1.8 square miles or 18 percent of the Planning Area. The Wake County hydrology coverage, which includes perennial and intermittent streams, was used as the basis for determining the riparian buffer area. Floodplains inside the Planning Area are 0.7 square mile (or 7 percent of the Planning Area). Because of the manner in which the data were developed and analyzed, the riparian buffer and floodplain areas can occur in various land use categories. Other areas within developed categories, such as perimeter buffers, are actually open space. Additionally, the non-residential developed land use category is assumed to be over-estimated because of the inclusion of areas identified in the Town’s GIS data as mixed use.

The actual percentage of open space within the Planning Area is likely greater than the amount indicated in Tables 4-1 and 4-2, and on Figures 4-1 and 4-2 because of the following factors: 1) large portions of the areas classified as residential are open space because of the large amount of low- density development; 2) the Town requires open space in residential and commercial developments; and 3) the Town requires the protection of 50-foot- wide undisturbed riparian buffers. In addition, as land is developed, the Town requires open space to be provided with the new developments. Therefore, many areas are undeveloped open space within the various general land use categories. Table 4-2 provides a detailed breakdown of the Town’s general land use categories. Non-

TABLE 4-1 Planning Area Existing Land Use

Percent of Planning Area

General Land Use Type Residential Developed

Square Miles

2.9

30%

Non-residential Developed 1

4.0 1.9 1.0 9.8

41% 19% 10%

Undeveloped/Vacant 2

Open Space 3

Total

100%

Source: Town of Morrisville, 2013. 1 Transportation and mixed use are included within the Non-Residential Developed category. 2 Undeveloped land is any undeveloped land

residential use (41 percent) is predominant, while residential use (30 percent) is the second-most predominant land use within the Planning Area. The majority of residential use (14 percent of total land use) is classified as low density. that as the potential for development. Undeveloped land may be forested or vacant . The Town does not have any active farms,

4-2