News

The City of Richmond is pleased to announce the launch of the newly revamped Planning and Zoning Dashboard, an accessible and comprehensive online tool available on the city's website. The dashboard provides public information about current and past cases of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), Advisory Plan Commission (PC), and Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).

Users of the dashboard can easily navigate through the Current Cases section to get detailed information on current cases. The dashboard also includes a map of current cases, detailed information on each case, and a link to all case forms and supplemental information.

One of the standout features of the new dashboard is a searchable database of past cases. Residents can search past cases by address, owner's name, or case name, making it easier to trace the history of particular properties that have had past cases. Past PC and HPC cases from the past several years are accessible, while past BZA cases are available going to the 1960s and more are being added as they become availible.

The dashboard improvements were made possible by Saki Takizawa, an intern from Earlham College. As part of the Richmond Residency Program, Takizawa worked with the Department of Infrastructure and Development on several projects designed to best make use of her expertise in user design and user experience. The Richmond Residency Program is one of several funded internship programs available to Earlham students.

“This project was open-ended, so we had to come up with ideas for updates from scratch, “said intern Saki Takizawa. “I enjoyed the process of thinking about the user’s experience and how to make it a seamless experience. Being a computer science major, I was able to apply my coding experience with Python to integrate past cases with current ones.”

"Richmond's Planning and Zoning Dashboard is an excellent resource for residents wishing to stay informed about past and present cases," said Dustin Purvis, Zoning Administrator. "Saki has done a fantastic job making the dashboard more sleek and accessible for users navigating this trove of information."

The enhanced Planning and Zoning Dashboard will simplify the process of accessing this public information. The dashboard is now available online and can be accessed here or from the Infrastructure & Development department page at https://www.richmondindiana.gov/departments/infrastructure-and-development.