Over the past three weeks, I have been working to create a digital zoning map for the Village of Waterloo.
Waterloo is the smaller of Seneca County’s two largest towns. Unlike larger Seneca Falls however, Waterloo is the seat of the county government. It is also the birthplace of Memorial Day, a holiday the village still proudly and emphatically celebrates.
The village government is seeking to become certified as a Pro-Housing Community, a new statewide designation that gives preferential treatment to New York communities committed to addressing the state’s housing shortage. However, in order to apply for the designation, municipalities must submit digital zoning maps as evidence. Rural communities like Waterloo often lack GIS (geographic information systems) maps. My first project as CCE intern was to create digital zoning map for the village.
To do this, I first had to create a GIS dataset containing the locations and shapes of each zoning district. Using an existing GIS map of tax parcels in the village, I was able to bring together parcels belonging to the same zoning district allowing me to create precise and accurate zoning boundaries. Along with the spatial attributes of the zoning districts (location and shape), I also needed my dataset to include the actual zoning rules of each zone. Browsing the laws of the Village of Waterloo, I compiled information on permitted uses, maximum building heights, off-street parking requirements, and other zoning laws. I put all of this information into an excel spreadsheet. Then, I joined the spreadsheet to the GIS shapefile. Through this process, I dove into the intricacies of zoning, exploring how towns use laws to shape the distinct feel of their residential, commercial, and industrial districts. Finally, I had to produce a visually appealing and readable map. I spent many hours playing around with different color schemes and labeling methods. In the end, I created a professional digital zoning map.
The path to creating this final product was simultaneously challenging and rewarding. ArcGIS, the software I used to create the map is an extremely powerful tool, yet it’s easy to become overwhelmed by its many features. Through the trial-and-error process, I became familiar with many ArcGIS tools that I had not previously known about. By the end of the summer, I’m confident that I will have learned more about using ArcGIS that I could have in any college course. I’ve realized that the only way to truly learn how to use a software is to work toward a project like the Waterloo zoning map, discovering, through trial and error, the tools needed to do it along the way.
Hopefully, my work will help the Village of Waterloo and its residents benefit from the Pro-Housing Communities Program and other statewide incentive programs. I also hope that the map, shapefile, geodatabase, and even the simple spreadsheet can be utilized by Seneca County’s planning department in the future.
You can view my final map here: Village_of_Waterloo_Zoning_Final
Jin Watanabe