Lab 1: The Confluence Project

Background: In 2012, Clear Vision Eau Claire--an initiative group working to develop a collaborative vision for Eau Claire announced  intentions to construct "The Confluence Project." This project will is supported in partnership by UW-Eau Claire and the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center. It will consist of a new community arts center and student housing and commercial retail as well as three performance spaces, galleries, studios, and more. This complex is to be located in downtown Eau Claire at the river's confluence across from Phoenix Park and is to start construction in 2014.


In this lab, I prepare a basic report that contains base maps with all relevant information surrounding the Confluence Project. In order to do this, I had to:

1. digitize a proposed site for the Confluence Project
2. write up a legal description of the site parcels
3. and build several maps containing this information.


Digitizing a Proposed Site:
I first created a new geodatabase and feature class to store the proposed site as a new feature. The attributes were collected in the feature "Proposed Site" by adding parcel area data to the map and editing the proposed site using a polygon and without the use of End Snapping and Vertex snapping to insure the vertices and nodes of the proposed site match. The two polygons traced the outline of the parcel area and were saved in the "Propsed Site" feature.

Proposed area feature for The Confluence Project(shown in orange)

Writing a Legal Description of the Proposed Site:
I used the identify tool to find the parcel information for the parcels the proposed site resided in. I read documents explaining how townships and towns differ, what civil divisions are defined as, and how sections are described.                  

Parcel Information using Identify 

Legal Descriptions:

Parcel 1:

Parcel Number : 02365  

PIN: 1822122703200042068

Street Number : 128  

Street Name : Graham Ave. 

Township: 27

               Range: 9

               Section #: 20

               PLSS-DESC: NENW2027N09W

Parcel 2: 

Parcel Number : 020357  

PIN: 182212270920004263

Street Number : 202  

Street Name : Graham Ave. 

Township: 27

               Range: 9

               Section #: 20

               PLSS-DESC: NENW2027N09W

Building Maps:

Civil Divisions: displays the civil divisions between the city of Eau Claire and the surrounding area within Eau Claire County. I added the county boundary and civil division classes as well as the proposed site feature classes to a world imagery basemap.

Census Boundaries: shows population densities around the proposed site for the Confluence Project with the proposed site, tracts, and population 2007 feature classes (population 2007 was normalized by square mile) added to a world imagery basemap.

PLSS Data (Public Land Survey System): shows quarter quarter parcel boundaries with the proposed site, PLSS quarter quarter feature classes added to a world imagery basemap.

City Parcel Data: shows the parcels the proposed site occupies and the parcels surrounding it. The proposed site, centerlines, parcel area, and water feature classes were added to a world imagery basemap.
Zoning: displays the zoning districts surrounding the confluence project. The proposed site, centerlines, and zoning classes (grouped into commercial, industrial, public park, residential, and transportation) were added to a world imagery basemap.
Voting Districts: displays the voting districts in the area surrounding the proposed site. Proposed site and voting wards 2011 feature classes were added to a world imagery map. All voting districts are labeled on the map.

All six maps were laid out on a 11x17 landscape page format complete with legends (where necessary), scale bars, north arrows, and separate titles. The source (City of Eau Claire and Eau Claire County 2013) is written on the bottom right of the document. The file was exported as a .jpeg with 300 dpi.

Results: