DRAFT
Harmony with Nature Issues and Policy Formation
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Preserve Open Space, Farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas such as areas prone to flooding and salt water intrusion o Outcome:
 Encourage redevelopment of Brownfield sites to preserve open space and county’s Natural Heritage
 Prevent environmental pollution
 Protect our natural heritage and recreational resources for future generations o Short term recommendation:
 Develop a Brownfield Sites inventory
 Provide support to Brownfield sites landowners’ seeking to mitigate or redevelop property.
 Develop best practices for eliminating, reducing, or mitigating environmental pollution
 Review and update the Natural Heritage Inventory
 Require/Encourage new development projects to preserve significant natural areas o Long term recommendation:
 Require new industries to have an environmental Mitigation Action Plan
 Use the natural topography of New Hanover County as a guide to direct land use decisions

Link major habitats o Outcome: Enhance biodiversity within the county and region by maintaining habitats and habitat corridors
 Short term recommendation:
 Create an inventory of natural systems in NHC.
 Form a County Natural Resources Commission or Advisory
 Review Zoning Ordinances to encourage Low Impact Development
 Improve and enforce County Tree Ordinance
 Encourage the installation of pollinator gardens/habitat
 Develop a non-native species management plan
 Prohibit/Discourage the use of non-native or invasive species
 Continue to improve public access to greenways and blueways o Long term recommendation:
 Encourage Smart Growth development
 Improve communication between county staff, NGO groups, and residents
 Augment and preserve existing urban and suburban forest cover/ canopy
 Form a County Environmental Affairs Department
 Improve stream buffers


Promote region through natural resources o Outcome: Increased awareness and respect for NHC’s natural resources.
 Improved public access to water
 Increased public environmental education initiatives
 Develop ecotourism program in New Hanover County
 Revitalization of current structures o Short term recommendation:
 Create an inventory of existing county-owned, water-accessible properties and the condition of each site
 Assess which sites from the inventory are the most economically viable
 Partner with local tourism boards and promoters
 Partner with UNCW, CFCC, and local nonprofits that focus on environmental education to increase public education and awareness for our waterways and natural resources.
 Work with the above listed organizations to leverage funding for educational projects/programs.
 Reduce paved areas and improve green infrastructure at big box stores, and other highly paved areas
 Continue to grow multi-modal system with improved bike paths, sidewalks, and safe crosswalks
 Use environmentally friendly, cost-effective materials for bike paths
 Create program for public education and awareness of biking and walking options o Long term recommendation:
 Develop diverse funding mechanism
 Partner with neighboring counties
 Provide stand-up paddle board tours and rentals through county at select water access point(s).
 Host events that promote our waterways and natural resources
 Consider adding public access points to waterways on public lands such as Airlie
Gardens

Water access, quality and conservation o Outcome: Maintain our pride of place by protecting our waterways o Short term recommendation:
 Obtain accurate knowledge of NHC’s water source demands in the near term and future and plan for those demands.
 Provide water quality protections
 Encourage conservation of the water supply
 Pride of Place has a Water Focus
 Provide a broad category of incentives for improved bodies of water and habitats o Long term recommendation:

 Increase water reuse

Air quality and renewable energy o Outcome: Reduce emissions and improve air quality so that we maintain the county’s attainment now, and account for projected growth so that New Hanover County will maintain attainment in the future. o Short term recommendation:
AIR QUALITY:
 Reduce emissions from motor vehicles by creating Low emissions zones – drive wise
 Keep the Special Use Permit strong
 Encourage biking/scooter culture( Bike and Scooter friendly path)
 Educate bicyclists on rules of the road
 Reduce speed-limit on roadways to make cycling safer
 Require bikeways to be a certain color (green is recommended) to make visible to drivers (and look attractive- pride of place)
 When unable to reduce speeds of certain roadways, develop separated bike lanes or parallel facilities on those roadways.
 Priority shall be given to streets and sidewalks that connect residents to parks and schools to allow for access by multiple types of modes of transportation
(other than motor/vehicle)
 Create narrower vehicle travel lanes (short and long term recommendation)
 Encourage food growth in yards rather than grass (reduce lawn mower emissions)
 Encourage bike/golf cart/UEV rentals, especially in the beach towns
 RENEWABLE ENERGY:
 Make it easier to change to renewable energy (cost, the degree)
 Lead the way in renewable energy at the County level o Long term recommendation:
 Partner with Solid Waste and Recycling to upscale Anaerobic Digestion
 Invest in Community Shared Solar

Solid waste and recycling o Outcome: Reducing/eliminating the county’s waste stream through diversion and recycling o Short term recommendation
 Work towards having co-mingled recycling to be available to all residential properties (single or multifamily),businesses, county parks, and county facilities
 Keep our trash and recycling in county and do not send it out to another destination (does not solve an issues; need to invest in a proper sorting facility in NHC)
 Establish a county-wide Anti-Litter Campaign with cooperation from city/town governments, schools, churches, business, local event coordinators, and any other stakeholder.

o Long term recommendation
 Build a recycling facility in NHC that will allow for sorting as well as taking advantage of other processes such as composting, gasification, anaerobic digestion, and incineration.
 Develop an on-going educational program for residents and visitors to explain the need for recycling programs:

Sustainable growth and green infrastructure o Outcome: Optimizing efficiency and energy use by taking a holistic approach to designing our built environment. o Short term recommendation
 Conduct a traffic study
 Create a Greenhouse gas inventory
 Plan for Alternative Transportation and Fuels
 Allow golf carts, mopeds, and alternative transportation where possible
 Transition the government vehicle fleet from petroleum to hybrid and/or electric vehicles
 Encourage more electric vehicle fueling stations with premier parking
 Expand pipelines for natural gas, vehicles fuel stations
 Natural Gas expansion using Methane NOT Fracking
 Review Subdivision ordinance and revise as necessary
 Use county public spaces as natural and/or food production sites
 Provide homeowner and small business resources
 Establish Sustainable Development funding for projects o Long term recommendation
 Use all short-term actions such as the traffic study, greenhouse gas inventory, etc. to influence long term strategy
 Develop a Climate Change Adaption Plan