Poughkeepsie, NY … The Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development has announced the release of a new online Zoning Map application, jointly developed with the County’s Office of Central & Information Services, which will serve a range of functions for residents, municipalities, developers and County staff. The application, available at gis.dutchessny.gov/zoning, enables users to select any of the county’s 30 municipalities and see an interactive version of each community’s zoning map or select a county-wide version that shows a big-picture view of permitted land uses.
Municipalities, developers and residents can access the app to:
• Identify the zoning district(s) applicable to a given parcel; and
• Provide a dynamic reference for any zoning-related discussions or actions, including potential zoning changes and comprehensive planning efforts.
County Planning and Development staff can use the app to:
• Check zoning as part of GML 239 referral review of proposed development projects and rezonings;
• Respond to zoning-related questions from the public; and
• Other applications for individual and comprehensive planning projects.
Prior to the app’s development, zoning maps were only available in static PDF or paper form, which made it difficult to zoom in enough to see individual properties. Overlay zones often needed to be shown on separate maps, which are sometimes buried in municipal codes and difficult to find. The app’s zooming, layer toggling, a parcel search function, and other capabilities solve those challenges, better serving the public and providing time savings municipal and County planners.
Pleasant Valley Zoning Administrator Patrick Lambert said, “This exciting new application will be a benefit to county residents and to all of us who work in planning and zoning, making it easy to tell what zones and overlays apply to each parcel and linking that information to Parcel Access and our municipal code. I commend Dutchess County on such a cutting edge, innovative product that brings the zoning map into the modern age and streamlines our process, saving us time.”
Though many hours of work went into ensuring the accuracy of the maps, users should remember that the application is not an official, legal zoning map and should be used for planning and research purposes only. Users should contact their appropriate municipality to verify zoning information before commencing any purchase, development or other activity.
