The Natural Element and Resources (NEaR) GIS tool

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

The Natural Element and Resources (NEaR) GIS tool was developed via a partnership between Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department and numerous other government agencies within the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. This non-regulatory tool addresses a need for improved review and communication between local government agencies and developers in the protection of natural resources in Mecklenburg County. Because of this coordinated and collaborative effort, all large-scale residential and commercial plans submitted electronically to the county review staff will be compared to the NEaR GIS layer. If the project occurs within close proximity to wetlands, nature preserve/park properties or known populations of rare species, the county’s natural resources staff and the developer’s project manager will be contacted simultaneously to coordinate efforts to minimize environmental impacts. Additionally, natural resources staff will be able to use the Electronic Plan Submittal (EPM) system to add comments to plans. With this new program, it typically takes less than 10 minutes to review a notification for impact analysis.