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<br />IV. GREENBELT AND NATURAL OPEN SPACE NEEDS <br /> <br />The City needs to adopt a policy of acquiring property along creeks, drainage easements and <br /> <br />floodways as it becomes available. This wil1 provide the necessary land for future trail <br /> <br />projects linking parks, schools and neighborhoods while providing passive recreational <br /> <br />opportunities. Additionally, parcels containing unique topography, character or other natural <br /> <br />features should be acquired and preserved as natural open space to reflect the unique natural <br /> <br />resources ofthe Paris community. Future park land acquisition should allow fornatural open <br /> <br />space in both neighborhood parks and community parks to provide residents with <br /> <br />opportunities for primitive recreation. Generally, these types of recreational opportunities can <br /> <br />be broken down further into greenbelts and natural areas. <br /> <br />Greenbelts <br /> <br />Greenbelts or greenbelt parkways are linear parks usually developed around a natural <br /> <br />resource such as a creek, river, utility easement, or lake shore. The potential benefits of a <br /> <br />greenbelt system are numerous. Not only can a greenbelt system preserve valuable open <br /> <br />space and natural habitat, it can provide a natural enviromnent for walking, jogging, and <br /> <br />bicycling trails, provide a transportation corridor linking neighborhoods to parks, schools, <br /> <br />and shopping areas and provide a variety of passive recreational opportunities free, or <br /> <br />relatively free, from automobile interference. Greenbelts also serve as natural buffers <br /> <br />between land uses, serve as utility (underground) easements, and can usually be acquired at <br /> <br />a relatively inexpensive price due to the restrictions on development. Design standards for <br /> <br />greenbelts are relatively loose in order to allow the maximum use ofthe natural enviromnent <br /> <br />in the design. Greenbelt corridor widths are often determined by the existing topography, <br /> <br />severity of flooding, and other unique natural features. Greenbelt corridors ofless than fifty <br />4 <br />