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<br />Deriver
<br />Denver maintains a thorough and user-friendly interface that is strong
<br />on zoning, GIS, and community data, though weaker on planning
<br />information. An address query takes yoti to a parcel map, and clicking
<br />on the parcel takes you to a property table with further links, includ-
<br />ing zoning history and zone district descriptions. Additioriallinks take
<br />you to the MuniCode website, but the city quickly gives you which
<br />sections to search for in order to find district information-signifi-
<br />cantly improving the usability of the MuniCode system. Since Denver
<br />is in the middle of a multiyear zoning code update, there is also a link
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<br />to the zoning update website. Moving back to the search page allows you
<br />to click on a link to the registered neighborhood organizations whose
<br />area includes the property, with boundaries and contact persons listed.
<br />Another link provides a table listing all of the addresses on the same
<br />block.as your property, waiting to be filled out with the names, phone
<br />numbers, and e-mail addresses of your neighbors (though none of that
<br />individual information is provided). Additional links bring up lists (not .
<br />maps) of schools and public safety facilities within one mil~ of the prop-
<br />. erty, crime statistics for the neighborhood, and the subdivision where the
<br />property is located. Importantly, a final set of links ties into Blueprint
<br />Denver (the land-use element of Denver's comprehensive plan) and
<br />shows future land-use classifications, future street classifications, and
<br />whether the property is in an area designated for change or stability.
<br />These final maps are not zoomable to property level, but despite this
<br />weakness, Denver's linkages between planning and zoning information
<br />are among the strongest in the cities surveyed.
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<br />Henderson, Nevada
<br />Henderson was one of the first large cities i~ the U.s..to use the Visual
<br />Interactive Code (VIC) format, and is now involved in a "second genera-
<br />tion" update. Viewers access mapping through a Windows Vista-like
<br />graphic of nine topical maps covering zoning, future land use, watering
<br />groups, elementaryschool zones, sex offender registries, parks and recre-
<br />ation, points of interest, voting precincts, middle school zones, high.
<br />school zones, and crime staUstics. But not all the maps are created on
<br />the same base,.many allow the user to zoom into small areas through the
<br />use of a cursor drag box, While satellite imagery can superimpose build-
<br />ings on to some maps, turning on that layer sometimes makes informa-.
<br />tion on other layers difficult to read, and the resolution of the satellite
<br />imagery is limited (Le., if you zoom in very close the b~ildings become
<br />blurs-a problem common to many of the systems that use Google Earth
<br />images). Zoning map layers include 11 overlays, but do not include a
<br />direct link to the future land-use designations (to see them, you need to
<br />click out of zoning and into the land-use map). An address search func-
<br />tion centers the map on that site but does not link directly to more infor-
<br />mation about it. Howeve.r, these are minor flaws in an'otherwise'.user-
<br />friendly site, and Henderson is one of the few cities that has made
<br />serious efforts to bring planning and zoning information closer togeth~r.
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<br />Indianapolis .
<br />Like Denver, Indianapolis presents zoning data through an address query
<br />that immediately links to a parcel map showing adjacent streets, parcel
<br />lines, and.building footprints. Clicking on the parcel links into GIS data
<br />that covers a wide variety oqopics, including primary and secondary zon-
<br />ing, rezoning history, variances, legal nonconforming uses on the parcel,
<br />zoning approvals (with links to a very cryptic summary ofthe document),
<br />location hi wellhead and flood zones or historic districts, regional center
<br />designations, and the subdivision where the property is located. fn some.
<br />cases, turnihg on a layer indicates which parcels the status applies to by
<br />putting a dot on each parcel, while in other cases more data is given.
<br />Unfortunately, the dot approach can get confuslng when multiple dot-lay-
<br />ers are turned on simultaneously. In addition, the property table entry for
<br />"comprehensive plan" just indicates whether the property is covered by a
<br />subarea plan, and clicking on the link takes you to the plan document~
<br />no specific plan designation is presented or mapped.
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<br />ZONING PRACTICE 10.08
<br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page ~
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