Agenda - Planning Commission - 11/06/2008

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:_.:......_..:.....:~--.-:_~..;...._._c..:___'...-:-_...... . Better Zoning, on the Web By Don Elliott, FAICP The Internet is transforming the field of planning inmyriad ways. Combinations of Google Earth images, GIS d~tabase layers, visualization tools, and infinitely manipula- ble census and survey information have dramatically inHeased the data and analytical tools available to planners. Virtually no aspect of planning has been untouched by this revolution. The changes have not been quite so dramatic in the field of land- use regulation, though virtually all cities, now have an electronic version of their zoning and subdivision codes, searchable by keywords. Public versions of those documents are often kept more current, as well, since the ability to upload amendments electronically means that cities do not have to wait until the next three- month, six-month, or annual reprinting of the paper versions. A few cities have gone further to adopt more widely searchable and graphi- cally rich codes like the Visual Interactive Code, but tho~e cases are still fairly rare. Nevertheless, most cities still maintain paper versions oftheir land-use regulations and they are sometimes still the "official" ver- sion-so users of the web documentS are sometimes at risk for misinformation. But it's only a matter oftime until web-based tools transform zoning and subdivision codes the same way they have changed planning. When that happens, what will it look like-and what should it look like? A BmER WAY TO ZONE In A Better Way to Zone (Island Press 2008), I identified 10 changes that could make big- city zoning more effective, more efficient,.and easietto use and understand. Change num- ber nine was "Better Webbing"-using the web more effectively. I identified four changes that will transform the organization, use, and, maintenance of local land-use laws-as Well as how we make land-use decisions. Tho$e four innovations are: 1. Cities will develop web portals that link plan~ ning, zoning, subdivisio[l, and utility informa- 94 tion. Much of that information is already avajl- able but not linked. Since it is easier to draw and digitize planning maps than it is to interpret how written policies affect different parcels of . . land, it is not common for comprehensive and neighborhood plans to be linked to GI5 data- but they will be in the future. 2. A good planning and zoning web port~l will make clear to property owners the difference between the plan designation and the zoning for their property., What parts of the plan are binding-if any-and how do planning goals make it into the land-use decision-making process? 3. Future web-based zoning will link written information on what permits may be required for a proposed development with mapped information about notification and protest areas and graphic displays about the steps in the decision.making process-who makes the decision, who hears the appeal, on what crite~ ria, and in what time frames. 4. The fourth and biggest improvement will be the ability to tailor complete answers to zoning process questions-like "How d.o I get a condi- tional use permit?"-for specific addresses. Once the portal knows your address it will be able to provide answers that take into ac~ount your c'urrent use of the land, your neighborS' current use, the future land-use designation, when your lot was platted and your house was built, what regulations were adopted before or after those dates, and whether there are vari- ances or conditional uses on adjacent parceis that affect what you c,!n do. The key will be link- ing address-based data structures with more sophisticated query-based search ability. The technology for each of these tasks is already available, but few cities have commit- ted themselves to making the most of it. This article reviews some attempts by large North American cities to harness the power of the Internet for planning and zoning. More specifi-' cally, it reviews how 10 cities have tried to enhance and link their web-based planning and zoning tools to make them significantly more usable for the public. EMERGING BEST PRACTICES Visiting the planning an'd zoning websites for large American and Canadian cities reveals how quickly technology has advanced in the past 10 years. Detailed GIS systems and accu- rate mapping are now the. norm rather than the exception. Satellite imagery is routinely available as an additional layer on the same base maps as other GIS information-making it much easier for users to orient themselves or to find major landmarks. The user-friendli- , ness and graphic quality of public portals has improved 'dramatically, maki~g it much more. likely that citizens will actually be able to find the information they need. Despite these common themes, how~ ever, large city websites still show enormous variation in the information they provide, how. they present it, how they link it together, and what questions they can answer for John Q. Public. Some of these differences are illus- trated in the examples below. ,In each case, I focused on characteristics that distinguish the city websites from each other rather than what they have in common.. Because many of these cities use multiple mapping basesandinfor- mation systems it is quite possible that I missed additional sites and linkages that would fill some of the gaps', and I apologize in ~dvance for any errors in this information. ZONING PRACTICE 10.08 AMERICAN PlANNING ASSOCIATION I page 2