We are beyond thrilled to announce that The City of Rocky Mount, North Carolina and ViewPro have been honored with a prestigious SAG Award at the ESRI 2024 event! This incredible recognition highlights our commitment to innovation and excellence in using GIS technology to solve real-world challenges. A huge thank you to our dedicated team and partners for making this possible!
Image 1: ViewPro GIS team at ESRI 2024 Event
Our groundbreaking work in Rocky Mount, NC, played a pivotal role in earning us the SAG Award. By leveraging the latest ArcGIS technology, we assisted the city in tackling its affordable housing challenges, ultimately transforming the urban landscape and improving the quality of life for its residents. This project exemplifies how GIS technology can drive positive change and sustainable development.
Solving Affordable Housing Using ArcGIS Urban: Rocky Mount, NC
At ViewPro, we believe in the power of technology to transform communities. Our recent project with the City of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, exemplifies this belief. Faced with significant growth pressure and a housing affordability crisis, the city sought our expertise to evaluate and enhance their affordable housing policy. Here’s a detailed look at how we executed this impactful project.
The Challenge
Rocky Mount, a city of about 55,000 residents, is experiencing rapid growth and rising housing costs. The average single-family home price ranges between $300,000-$400,000, making homeownership increasingly unattainable for many. With a homeownership rate of 51.9%, compared to the statewide average of 65.3%, the city recognized an urgent need to address this issue. The leadership set a bold goal: to build 250 affordable housing units over the next five years. However, they needed to validate their current affordable housing policy and explore potential improvements to ensure this goal could be met.
Our Approach
To assist Rocky Mount in achieving their goal, we implemented a multi-faceted strategy using the latest GIS technology. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of our approach:
Data Collection and Preparation: We started by gathering comprehensive data using ArcGIS Pro. This included information on access to parks, transit, civic facilities, and areas to avoid, such as floodplains. Preparing this data was crucial for an accurate analysis.
Creating a Digital Twin: Next, we built a digital twin of Rocky Mount’s existing built environment. This 3D representation provided a contextual background for modeling future changes to zoning and land development regulations. The digital twin served as a foundational tool for visualizing potential development scenarios.
Suitability Analysis: We conducted a citywide suitability analysis using ArcGIS Urban to identify areas most suitable for affordable housing. This involved evaluating various factors, including proximity to amenities, existing infrastructure, and preferential zoning regulations.
Scenario Planning: Using ArcGIS Urban, we tested different scenarios to assess the feasibility of the city's current housing policy. We explored how changes in density bonuses and parking requirements could impact the development of affordable housing. For instance, we examined how increasing the allowable building height could yield more affordable units.
Policy Modification and Testing: We proposed and tested modifications to the city’s housing policy. For example, we suggested increasing the floor-area ratios (FAR) and allowing for higher building heights. These changes aimed to maximize the number of affordable units that could be developed. We also tested different unit sizes to see how they could influence the total number of affordable units.
Video 1: Suitability analysis process for the City of Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount Affordable Housing Plan Summary
The goal of Rocky Mount's Affordable Housing Plan is to increase the availability of safe, sustainable, and affordable housing options for low and moderate-income households in the city. The plan includes several key objectives, such as:
Overall, the goal is to create and maintain a diverse range of affordable housing options in Rocky Mount that promote economic stability, social equity, and a high quality of life for all residents.
Analyzing Solutions
Applying the tools associated with the city’s Smart City initiative allowed for analyzing potential sites across the city. This analysis needed to answer two key questions:
Using ArcGIS Urban’s suitability analysis tool, city staff and the ViewPro team put together a model with eight different variables for identifying suitable parcels for affordable housing development. These variables included access to civic facilities, parcels, transit, preferential zoning regulations, parcel structure, and sites that have a potential for purchase agreements.
The suitability analysis results identified six potential areas termed “catalytic sites” by Rocky Mount officials.
Illustration 1: Suitability analysis process for the City of Rocky Mount
How Many Units Can Be Built?
ArcGIS Urban utilized the city’s digital twin to apply the existing housing policy to Catalytic Site 1 and validate and understand its development potential. The model built a business-as-usual scenario with an injected housing density bonus. The density bonus allowed for a doubling of dwelling units and no additional parking requirement in return for designating 20% of the dwelling units as affordable.
Per the ArcGIS Urban analysis, 51 market rate units with 102 parking spots can be built without the affordable housing density bonus. If the density bonus is applied, 102 units (92 market rate and 10 affordable) and 102 total parking spots are possible. Ten affordable units is still only four percent of its five-year goal of building 250 affordable units. Planning and Development officials confronted whether the current policy is sufficient or an update is needed.
Testing Revised Policy Ideas
Modifying the city’s affordable housing density bonus could increase the number of affordable units. Likewise, so could changing floor-area ratios and other building code requirements. Officials used ArcGIS Urban to test a change to the density bonus that allowed for different sized units – a 750 sq.ft. one bedroom and 1,200 sq.ft. two bedroom. With the one-bedroom option, more housing can be created, potentially up to 32 affordable units (13% of the city’s goal).
Even with that development, Rocky Mount would need 7-10 good sites to reach 250 affordable housing units, which is more than they identified.
Video 2: Building Scenario 1 to check existing housing policy
Scenario Development for Modifying Housing Policy
Next, the city tested changes to its floor-area ratios (FAR) in the hopes that increasing the height of a development would increase the number of affordable units. A code change that allowed for three stories (instead of the current two) demonstrated 47 affordable units are possible.
A four-story project, though, adds a maximum of 62 units – a significant percentage of the city’s goal. These 62 units would all be one-bedrooms. The city recognized that likely a mix of one and two-bedrooms are needed, requiring 5-7 total sites.
Illustration 2: Scenario development for modifying housing policy with 3 story development
Summary
The right use of technology tools allows the City of Rocky Mount to create and visualize potential plans for future development. This not only helps our department but also helps other city officials make informed decisions on how to best utilize existing land use and resources and ensure that development plans align with the city’s vision. Additionally, this facilitates communication and collaboration between city officials, planners, and community members.
The initial suitability analysis identified six sites in Rocky Mount that make for good infill developments. Thanks to the ArcGIS Urban analysis, Rocky Mount knows that it can achieve its goal of 250 affordable units in five years through code changes that allow for at least four stories of building height (in addition to keeping the existing affordable housing density bonus). The use of technology in urban planning is allowing Rocky Mount officials to make data-driven decisions to change affordable housing policy, to create a thriving, sustainable community.
Celebrating Success
Our innovative approach and successful execution of this project were key factors in earning ViewPro the prestigious SAG Award at the ESRI 2024 event. This award recognizes our dedication to using advanced GIS tools to drive positive change and sustainable development in communities.
The project in Rocky Mount showcased how technology can be harnessed to solve complex urban planning challenges. By creating a digital twin and utilizing ArcGIS Urban for scenario planning, we provided Rocky Mount with the tools and insights needed to achieve their affordable housing goals.
Moving Forward
At ViewPro, we are committed to continuing our work in leveraging GIS technology to address urban planning and housing challenges. Our team's dedication and expertise are the cornerstones of our success, and we look forward to partnering with more communities to create sustainable, thriving environments.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Stay tuned for more updates on our projects and how we continue to make a difference with innovative GIS solutions.
For more information about our work and how we can help your city, visit our website or contact us directly.
Let’s build a better future together!
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