The North Carolina Greenways Advisory Panel was commissioned by Secretary William W. Cobey, Jr. in January 1991 at the request of Governor James G. Martin in response to the resolution passed by the Third Annual Greenways Conference in 1990. The panel was charged with investigating ways to coordinate and promote greenway development throughout North Carolina. Secretary Cobey appointed a panel of individuals with wide-ranging experience in greenway development, as well as a team of technical advisors representing state agencies whose activities impact greenway development.

The panel began by establishing its list of goals. Following this, they organized four subcommittees to address legal, technical, research, and communication issues and the GAP goals affected by these issues. The goals established by the panel included defining "greenway" and incorporating the benefits of greenways into the final report for the Governor. The panel set out to develop guidelines for organizing communities, standards for the design of greenways, and strategies for funding and marketing greenway development. The panel also sought to encourage academic research pertaining to greenways and to locate potential incentives for such scholarship. The final goal of the panel was to complete its reports, including its report to the Governor, in time to coincide with the 5th Annual North Carolina Greenways Conference in 1992.