Each of the five Regional Offices has expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which support the mapping and analysis of conditions and trends in a community. DCA planners have applied GIS in planning projects to visualize potential redevelopment in a small neighborhood, identify developable properties along a corridor, illustrate future development scenarios for a town, and analyze land use and environmental conditions for a multi-county region.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Town of Pink Hill Land Use Plan: The DCA Northeastern Regional Office developed a Land Use Plan for the Town of Pink Hill. From a GIS standpoint, the Pink Hill Land Use Plan posed a geographic challenge given that the town is located in Lenoir County and borders the Duplin County line. GIS data from two counties was used for which DCA GIS Specialists had to overcome the technical challenge of matching two data sets. As a result of these efforts, the Land Use Plan includes detailed maps showing the following: Existing Land Use, Flood Hazard Areas, Future Land Use, Hydric Soils, Hydric Soils-Development Suitability, Recreation Plan, Septic Soil Suitability, Sewer Lines, Soil Survey, Soil Survey with Property Lines, Water System & Water System-Detail. The plan also contains specific policy statements and an action plan for implementation. Subsequently, the Town is using the Land Use Plan to develop its first zoning ordinance.
Burke County Scenario Planning: Land use scenario planning provides a framework for developing the shared, long-term vision of a community. Until recently, land use scenario planning models were driven by spreadsheets, resulting in a set of static alternatives for evaluating competing development scenarios. The next generation of scenario models, using GIS technologies, has vaulted the process into mainstream planning – allowing for a systematic evaluation of various development scenarios, and the trade-offs between them, simultaneously within an open forum. The Burke County Zoning Ordinance was modeled using Community Viz 3.1 GIS software out of the Western Regional Office. This build-out projection also considered existing conditions and development constraints. Using recent aerial photography as a base, these visualizations can have important implications for future land use and community planning. A PowerPoint presentation and illustrations are available.