By Kim McDarison
The Fort Atkinson City Council approved Tuesday hiring Vandewalle and Associates to create an interactive online zoning map for the city of Fort Atkinson.
Zoning Administrator Brian Juarez told council members that the map, and the services needed to create it, would come at a cost not to exceed $6,325.
In a memo to council, Juarez described the need for an online zoning map, writing: “I believe the creation of an interactive map would offer better utility to citizens and developers alike. This proposed map would help encourage a better understanding of the city’s zoning designations and foster growth and redevelopment by helping developers obtain vital information more easily.”
Sharing some city history relative to the city’s zoning ordinance, Juarez wrote, in November of 2020, a new zoning code to regulate and coordinate growth and use of land within the city went into effect.
“As part of the adoption of the new zoning ordinance, every parcel of land within the city was assigned a new zoning designation in accordance with the new code,” he wrote.
According to Juarez, new designations within the city provide a more “comprehensive ability to shape the future land uses” and “make for a more orderly pattern of growth.”
While a zoning map is posted to the city’s website, Juarez said, it is a “static document” showing zoning classifications.
“There are several ways to make this map more usable for the developers, the real estate industry, and the general public, such as GIS (geographic information system) mapping and interactive maps with multiple layers of information,” he said.
Juarez described layers of information that would become available through online mapping, including one that would be added to the Jefferson County GIS mapping system if the county were amenable; one providing information about the city’s comprehensive plan, showing future land uses and other relevant data; and overlays showing floodplains, wetlands and historical districts, and city infrastructure information such as water mains and sewers, among others.
the map would be implemented by Vandewalle and Associates and the company would train city staff. Once the map was created, he said, it would be maintained by city staff.
Funding for the project, as outlined by Juarez, would come from three city funding sources, which he labeled: engineering/consulting, economic development expenses, and the contingency fund.
Information provided by both Juarez and Vandewalle and Associates pointed to other communities which use similar mapping systems including Lake Geneva, Fontana and Janesville.
The full 359-page zoning document adopted in 2020 is found here: http://cms1files.revize.com/fortatkinson/Adopted%20City%20of%20Fort%20Atkinson%20Zoning%20Ordinance%2011.1.20.pdf.
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