Gainesville Youth Center University of Florida Department of Urban and Regional Planning URP 4273 Survey of Planning and Information Systems Spring 2003 Instructor: Juna Goda Papajorgji

Final Project Team Team One –Brian Pearson –Carlos Perez –Richard Rollins –Daniel Sorrow

Project Objectives Research Alachua County, Florida and specifically East Gainesville Using GIS to locate the ideal location for the Youth Center. Select multiple ideal locations for the Community Youth Center in East Gainesville, based on opportunities and constraints.

Problem/ Justification Statement Area is misused and dilapidated Area is in the early stages of abandonment of homeowners and businesses Area is surrounded with light industrial, institutional, open space, and low density residential districts

Site Overview The proposed site location is between East Gainesville and Newnan's Lake.

Methodology Statement Locate Youth Center near Residential Area, preferably High, Medium Density Residential. Location that is easily accessible to School, and Residential Area’s. Select a location that is near RTS Bus Stops and Routes.

Existing Overall Land Uses There is no organizational development, method or strategy. All of these issues are contributing to sprawl. Low Density Residential, Light Industrial, Institutional, and commercial are the main land uses.

Existing and Future Land Uses This GIS map shows both existing land uses and Future land uses.

Natural Features Hydrology- Showing the Rivers and Lakes. Wetlands-Aquatic Natural Areas Topography- Elevation Change’s shown in red.

Unbuildable Area’s This area is based on GIS data collected to determine which area’s are unbuildable. Area’s such as Preservation area’s, Conservation area’s, Wetlands, and Topography.

Residential Density and Institution Proximity Area’s of both Low and Medium Density Residential are of significant importance. There are three local schools within both walking distance and along local RTS bus routes.

Youth Center Location Synthesis Plan This GIS map is a collection of all of the important layers that will have an effect on the site location.

Parcels and Lots Various lot’s and parcel sizes are surrounded in blue. The proposed Community Youth Center locations are surrounded in red.

Proposed Location One This location is the first of three proposed areas for the Youth Recreation Center. After a thorough review using GIS we found that this particular site is in a wetland with moderate topographic changes.

Proposed Location Two This location is the second of four proposed areas for the Youth Recreation Center. This location is directly across from the school, therefore crosswalks will be needed. This proposed site location is also in a wetland.

Proposed Location Three This location is the third of four proposed areas for the Youth Recreation Center. This location is South of the school and off the road The problem with this location is that it is in an area that is prone to flooding.

Proposed Location Four This is the best location based off of information collected in G.I.S. The site is located in a low density residential area, surrounded by 27 RTS bus stops, preservation area’s and recreation open space area’s.

Final Site Location After reviewing all of the data and all four possible site locations, we determined that the best location for the Community Youth Center is location four. This location is within walking distance from the RTS bus stops, that run by all three local schools. The site was chosen based on its Topography, Wetlands, Access, districts, and room for future development and growth.

Final Site Location

Close-up of Proposed Youth Center Study Area Site contains –Public open space –Low density residential –Commercial –Institutional –Agriculture/Rural

Conclusion In conclusion, we have determined through research in ecology, economics, GIS and participatory planning that this location makes accessibility attractive and will not interfere with the experience of being in a natural setting.

The End