Date of Award
9-2006
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Geography - Geographic Information Science: M.S.
Department
Geography and Planning
College
School of Public Affairs
First Advisor
Ben Richason
Second Advisor
David Wall
Third Advisor
Charles Rose
Keywords and Subject Headings
GIS, Rockville, planning, geography, PUD
Abstract
The problems associated with urban sprawl are especially worrisome to small, historically rural, communities. The City of Rockville, located in Steams County, Minnesota is no exception. Scattered developments have resulted in the lose of prime agricultural land, as well as placing a strain on Rockville infrastructure resources. The solution for Rockville was to adopt a stricter zoning ordinance. The Rockville zoning ordinance contains language designed to encourage sustainable growth. Any proposed PUD must not violate the cities zoning ordinance.
In the case of the City of Rockville, geographic information systems technology can be used to visually display all the areas within the city where development may be legal based on the zoning ordinance. Limiting factors such as soil type, agricultural history, and the location of wetlands, don't allow landowners to freely divide up their land. They must take into account the zoning laws, which are in place to both protect the environment and direct growth in such a way that will lead to a healthy expanding community.
The purpose of this thesis was to explore the use of GIS technology for use as a planning tool to assist potential developers in assessing subdivision possibilities. Starting with an overview of planning and then detailing environmental design, the goal of this thesis was to illustrate, from a technical perspective, how GIS technology can be used as a planning tool to create a PUD pre-engineered sketch.
GIS offers flexibility in layering many different data layers to create an analysis of the landscape to determine buildable sites. Using ESRI software packages ArcGIS, Arc View, Spatial Analyst, and 3D Analyst, existing data resources can be portrayed in new ways to easily illustrate development scenarios. A three-dimensional model of a proposed PUD offered additional information about the development scenario, such as site lines.
The use of GIS in the City of Rockville for proposed PUD creation revealed two things. First, multiple PUD layouts could easily and quickly be created once all of the necessary data layers were set up in the GIS software. The flexibility of GIS allows developers to create sketch ideas, before committing resources to engineered plans.
Secondly, GIS can only be used a planning tool and cannot be expected to be a replacement for a qualified planning authority. In this thesis, GIS was used a tool to reveal logical sites for proposed PUD, but there are other factors which may affect the legality of a proposed PUD. Beyond the City of Rockville's zoning ordinance, county and state law may play a role in any proposed PUD. Further research and study could allow a GIS to take county, state, and federal law into account when formulating a PUD sketch, but the need to review by a qualified planning authority cannot be removed from the process.
Recommended Citation
Martini, Chad, "The Application of GIS as a PUD Planning Tool in Rockville, Minnesota" (2006). Culminating Projects in Geography and Planning. 24.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gp_etds/24
