(1) Preserve lands where there are unique historic, cultural, and scientific or educational features.

(2) Preserve areas which have an abundance of wildlife, particularly where there are habitats of rare, sensitive, threatened or endangered species.

(3) Preserve natural areas and open space land in areas which provide scenic vistas or are adjacent to scenic highways.

(4) Preserve Natural Resources Conservation Service land capability class 2 and 3 agricultural soils in non-flood plain areas for future use for agricultural purposes.

(5) Protect steep sloped and geologically hazardous areas from development.

(6) Provide for buffer lands between residential and commercial and industrial development.

(7) Preserve wetland areas.

(8) Provide wherever possible, vehicular or pedestrian access to public bodies of water.

(9) Preserve stream corridors in their natural state.

(10) Provide access, buffering and expanded recreational opportunities by locating open space areas adjacent to public lands such as schools and parks.

(11) Provide for the preservation of private recreational areas which are open to the general public.

(12) Distribute open space throughout urban areas in such a manner that there is both visual relief and variety in the pattern of development and that there is sufficient space made available for passive and active recreation.

(13) Utilize open space areas as both visual and physical buffers between areas of intense development and areas devoted to residential use.

(14) Encourage the placement of private lands into open space reserves in order to protect and preserve fragile natural resources such as those in areas located adjacent to or including lakes, rivers, streams, or salt water areas.

(15) Provide lands which would be suitable for future recreational uses both of a passive and active type.

(16) Utilize open space lands to provide logical physical barriers to discourage continuous urban sprawl and restrict the spread of urban blight.

(17) Preserve those areas which have unique, rare, sensitive, threatened, or endangered types of vegetation.

(18) Recognize the benefits of private open space when such lands contribute to overall visual relief in areas of extensive urban or suburban development and when such areas provide for public recreation.

(19) Provide open space-general classification for protective buffer areas required by development regulations implementing the Growth Management Act. (Added by Ord. 92-080, July 23, 1992; Amended by Amended Ord. 14-054, Aug. 20, 2014, Eff date Sept. 4, 2014).