Buildable Area

Learn how to create a buildable area to further analyze a project site.

Transect’s Buildable Area tool allows you to define the constraints of a preferred buildable area by using map layers to exclude landscape or infrastructure characteristics.

In this article, we'll review:

• Creating a Buildable Area
• Creating and Saving a Custom Template
• Building a Custom Exclusion Area
• Hiding Polygons from the Buildable Areas
• Exporting the Buildable Area
• Running a New Report on the Buildable Area
• Important Notes

Creating a Buildable Area

There are two ways to define a buildable area: during your initial site search using the Parcel Filter, or after creating a report for a specific project. Once a report has been created, users can follow these steps to generate the buildable area:

• Select Create within the Map Layers modal.
• Within the pop-out, check the boxes to add constraints or click the caret to populate a dropdown for options within that category.
  
• After adding a constraint, a dialogue box will populate where you can input the buffer (ft).
• When you’re finished adding constraints, click Save. It will take 2-5 minutes to generate the buildable area. You’ll receive an email and a bell notification when it’s ready.

Adding a Custom Template

If you are applying the same constraints to multiple reports, you can save time by creating a template. Templates are saved at the user level. 

You can create a custom template with the following steps:

• Within the Buildable Area modal, select +New.
• Check the boxes to add constraints, or click the carets to populate a dropdown for options within that category.
• Once you’ve selected your preferences, click the pencil and add a name for your template.
• When finished, select Save Template. 
• Add the template to your report by selecting the dropdown and then the template.
• Select Save to lock in your buildable area.

You can modify your template by checking the boxes to add more constraints and clicking Save next to the template name. You can delete templates in the dropdown by clicking the trashcan next to the template.

Building a Custom Exclusion Area

If you’re aware of areas on a parcel that should be excluded from the buildable area, you can create a custom exclusion layer to remove that area. 

• Within the Buildable Area, modal, click the icon.
• Select whether you’d like to identify your constraint by:
  • : A point
  • : A polygon
  • : A line
  • : A KML upload 
• Next, define the buffer (in ft) by adding it to the dialogue box.
• Click Save.
• In the pop-out, add a layer name and click Save.
• Click Save again.

Hiding Polygons from the Buildable Areas

The Buildable Area layer is often made up of many separate and distinct polygons (shapes) due to the dissecting nature of the exclusion areas. For this reason, you can hide polygons from the buildable area by clicking the acreage dropdown in the upper right-hand corner and selecting the eyeball icon. You can also hide polygons by clicking the area on the map. 

Exporting the Buildable Area

The Buildable Area can be exported to both KML and PDF formats. 

To export to PDF:

• Click the Export dropdown in the upper right-hand corner.
• Select PDF.
• Drag and drop the Buildable Area map layer to the right side, including any other layers you’d like to export.
• Click Generate PDF.

To export to KML:

• Click the Export dropdown in the upper right-hand corner.
• Select Map Layers.
• Drag and drop the Buildable Area map layer to the right side, including any other layers you’d like to export.
• Select the Generate Map Layers dropdown and then KML.

Your report will begin generating, and you’ll receive an email and notification when it’s ready.

Running a New Report on the Buildable Area

Once the Buildable Area has been generated, you can run a new report on that area by clicking Order New Report in the acreage modal. A dialogue box will populate where you can enter your project details and then select Order New Report.

Important Notes

Within the Land Cover constraint, there are options for low, medium, and high-intensity developed areas. See below for a breakdown of each definition:

• Developed/Low Intensity: Areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 20% to 49% percent of total cover. These areas most commonly include single-family housing units.
• Developed/Medium Intensity: Areas with a mixture of constructed materials and vegetation. Impervious surfaces account for 50% to 79% of the total cover. These areas most commonly include single-family housing units.
• Developed/High Intensity: Highly developed areas where people reside or work in high numbers. Examples include apartment complexes, row houses and commercial/industrial. Impervious surfaces account for 80% to 100% of the total cover.