North County Governmental Center Community Room
The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m.
Tom Conry (Geographic Information Systems, Department of Information Technology), Jeanne Wright and Gordon Jarratt (Enterprise Systems Division, Department of Information Technology ) - Presentation and demonstration of on-line tools available for analyzing land use applications.
Mr. Conry discussed the concept of geographic information systems, which allow analysts to view multiple layers of map data to view relationships, select features on the basis of common attributes, measure distances, etc. The primary entry to the mapping tools that are available to the public is through the County Web site. From the home page, Welcome to Fairfax County, click on the Maps, Facts, and Stats on the lower right hand side. On the left side of that page, under Relevant Agencies, is a link to Geographic Information Systems. The information on that page matches Mr. Conry’s handout, beginning at General Information. Under On-line Products and Services (both on the left side and part way down the page) are links to several applications demonstrated by Mr. Conry.
Digital Map Viewer – This application, accessible from a link on the left side of the page, allows several different views of the tax maps for the County: Property, Zoning, Contour, Topographic, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas. Each tile, such as 16-1, is drawn and the user can zoom and pan using the map tools. The maps can also be printed.
Map Gallery – Various maps of the entire County are available in image and PDF format. Examples include Planning Districts, Elementary, Middle, and High School boundaries, Watersheds, and the 2001 Transportation Plan.
DTA Parcel Finder – This application allows users to search for a parcel using either an address or a tax map number. When using the street address, it is best to use only the number and street name without the suffix of road or street. If using the tax map number, see the examples on the same page. Tax map number 27-1((1))2 (27 dash 1, double circle 1, lot 2) is expressed as 0271010002 (I think. I kept getting error messages (Oops... there seems to be a problem) when trying to repeat a search that worked some of the time. It is often difficult to get an exact match. The best method of searching is to enter the first several digits, 027101, which will list all parcels that start with those numbers).
Once a parcel of interest is located, one can view details about the property, including name of the owner. This information is linked to a map of the area with the parcel outlined in red. Other parcels can be selected, and aerial imagery can be turned on and off.
Ms. Wright gave a demonstration of the Land Development System, LDSnet. There is a link to this system on the Hunter Mill District Land Use page and on the Planning and Zoning Department page (under eServices>Research Zoning Applications (LDSnet)).
LDSnet – This system allows users to search the Zoning and Planning System (ZAPS) and the Plan and Waiver System (PAWS). All rezoning applications, site plans, conceptual development plans, final development plans, proffered condition amendments, etc. are tracked using these systems. While a zoning application is in process, it is tracked by ZAPS. Once approved, subsequent plans and waivers are tracked by PAWS. The interface is not easy to use, and the system doesn’t seem to be very stable. I was not able to successfully search with it while compiling these notes, getting the dreaded “We apologize for the inconvenience, an unexpected error occurred in the application.” error message.
Staff reports are now being stored in the system, although the appendices, which are usually prepared by other departments, are not included. The reports are stored in rich text format (RTF), which allows one to conduct a text search. Applications are linked to GIS maps that allow one to view the area of interest. It is a powerful system that takes much practice before one is able to extract useful information. Ms. Wright handed out a printout of the Overview of LDSnet and she demonstrated using the system to query current applications.
When asked if information on the impact of development on the schools was tracked by the system, Ms. Wright mentioned that the school system maintains that information online. The information is located at http://www.fcps.edu/fts/impacts/. For instance, case number PCA-86-C-029-10 was required to file an impact report for McNair ES, which is stored in the system (http://www.fcps.edu/fts/impacts/86-C-029-10.htm).
There was some discussion of the tracking of proffers and transportation demand management requirements. Mr. Jarratt noted that an interdepartmental committee is meeting to discuss how to track this information, which is often very open-ended and difficult to model.
Once the committee has had time to review the various tools currently available, we will discuss whether there is a need for custom tools to meet our needs.
October Minutes were approved.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.
