Mapping Dallas Brownfields A GIS Approach to Redevelopment Elizabeth Warren GIS Workshop Summer 2007

PROJECT OBJECTIVE Objective: To create the prototype of an interactive GIS web-tool for the City of Dallas Brownfield program. Figure 1.0 The The FDEP Brownfields GeoViewer (

A Brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Issues: - Many sites are only partially contaminated while other areas of the sites are reusable. -Extent and aggressiveness depends on the future use of the site. -High cleanup cost, social impact, and strict environmental regulations Parties involved: - Responsible parties: limited experience and financial resources dedicated to the problem, creating a management burden. - Government agencies: Must structure redevelopment incentives and oversee and enforce environmental cleanup on a limited budget. - Developers: Seek profit while adhering to state and federal regulations. WHAT IS A BROWNFIELD

EXISTING PROGRAMS Originally developed for infrastructure planning and improvement, the use of GIS in Brownfield revitalization has developed into a practical tool for all parties involved in the redevelopment process. As a spatial inventory, the GIS can assist planners, development professionals, researchers, investors, and community organizations in the return of the affected area to an environmentally safe and economically productive status (Strube 1999) With cities such as Louisville Kentucky losing as much as $8.7 million in property revenue from these underutilized sites, GIS will allow city officials to address the real and perceived issues of cumbersome redevelopment processes and institutional barriers. (American City & Country 1994) Existing Brownfield web-tools / Existing Literature Regarding GIS and Brownfields American City & Country. December GIS Helps Detail Brownfields to Spur Revitalization. Vol.110 Issue 13 : Covert, Michael E., and Kenneth S. Tramm City of Greenville, Texas, Approaches Brownfields With GIS. ArcNews. Strube, Jill. April The Search For Life in Brownfields: GIS as a public tool for redevelopment. PA Times 22 (4): 6.

CURRENT BROWNFIELD PROGRAM The Program provides assistance with redevelopment by coordinating the Brownfields Forum, a quarterly stakeholder meeting; conducting problem-solving meetings among developers, regulators (state and federal), and City development and permit staff; and providing Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments for selected eligible properties. Project Coordinator: Ann Grimes

SYSTEM SCOPE Methodology Overview: conducted in two phases 1.Collection of data and construction of a geodatabase for storage and organization. 2.Rectification of existing Brownfield spatial data and creation of points and polygons for newly registered sites. Set of needs for participating parties: -Parcel data and location for each registered Brownfield -Site eligibility for TIF incentives -Zoning data -Transportation (streets, trains, highways) -Census data (for potential customer analysis)

DATA COLLECTION Brownfield Program coordinator Ann Grimes Brownfield point spatial file City of Dallas Director of GIS Stuart Murchison Parcel and TIF spatial data Dallas Economic and GIS Analyst Kevin Williamson Land use data provided by NCTCOG Zoning data and information Department of Development Services Senior GIS Technician Rhonda Carr Kemp Property Value information provided by DCAD Census Data provided by Texas State Data Center and Office of the State Demographer Census Tract Shapefile provided by ESRI Census 2000 TIGER/Line Data Geodatabase organized by use: City infrastructure (parcel, transportation) Land use (zoning, property value, TIF neighborhoods) Social (census) PHASE I

PHASE II REGISTRATION AND RECTIFICATION

LOCATION ANALYSIS PHASE II

LOCATION ANALYSIS PHASE II

LOCATION ANALYSIS

PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS Converting brownfield points to polygons (parcels) Buffer area (what distance and why) What social information to include Projections of Zoning spatial data Geodatabase rejecting all Census data for no apparent reason Joining Census tables to spatial data Display and actual implementation of web-based application ISSUES SOLUTIONS Mainly hand done location selection and conversion. Decided buffering area was not relevant to objective. Census data selected to display key demographics. If alternative demographic information proves valuable to the user at another time, geodatabase set up so this can easily be achieved. Census Tables and Shapefiles stored in their own separate GDB. Census tables joined using the technique described by Dr. Briggs in Project 3 of GISC 6382

WEB TOOL ArcGIS Server Sever-based GIS that comes with Out-of-the-box, end user applications And services for spatial data management, visualisation, and spatial Analysis. Key Features: - Browser based access to GIS - Integration with other enterprise systems - Ability to create custom applications using.NET or Java - Geodata services allow administrators to publish geographic data for extraction, and replication. - Visualization – can configure rich browser-based Web mapping applications that consume GIS desktop services with point-and-click ease. - Spatial Analysis – Offers server-based analysis and geoprocessing; These include vector, raster, 3D, and network analytics; models, scripts, and tools; desktop authoring. More