Complete Documents Here:
Open Space Plan and
Open Space List
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Open Space List: Final State Approved by Environmental Commission 28 November 2001
Overview. Open and partly open space in Highland Park is listed here as coherent natural areas rather than in numerical order by block and lot number as on the Tax List and list of exempted properties. Such areas function together ecologically (woods, stream corridor, etc.) or by the kind of public use (minipark, county park, etc.). This arrangement encourages unified management of contiguous natural areas. Thus, for example, seven municipal lots on River Road are grouped as Native Plant Reserve, and 20+ municipal lots by Donaldson Park are grouped as "The Meadows" (their historic name). State law empowers environmental commissions to maintain such lists. The definition of open space used here is a broad and pragmatic one, intended to identify properties both public and private that might deserve attention in future open space considerations. Some are wholly natural, some have natural portions, and some adjoin streams or other natural areas. The present list is thus effectively raw material for the open space section of the Master Plan, a separate Open Space Plan, a stream corridor protection plan, or attention during review of development applications. There is no attempt to list all municipal or quasi-public properties such as schools, fire stations, etc. (the book of tax lists has such a list of exempted properties), or to list all private vacant lots—only those likely to merit special consideration. During future planning, lists with narrower definitions of types of open space would be prepared from this heterogeneous list (Green Acres properties, miniparks, properties for rezoning, or properties supporting greenways and environmental education centers.
See Highland Park's Open Space Inventory at the Public Library. The reference librarian can show you the "Environmental Information" filedrawer. The inventory is toward the front, in the folder "Highland Park Environment."
