An ordinance can state a spacing rule in one sentence. Checking that rule for a real address is hard without a map. The rule sets how close an alcohol-serving business can be to a school, a place of worship, or another licensed business. This project turns Millcreek's spacing requirements into a map, then into a public web application built on the same data.
How the buffers were built
The community-asset data covers places of worship, schools, and parks. It comes from Millcreek's 2022 Digital Divide Index mapping and from UGRC datasets. The map draws two buffers around each asset, at 300 feet and 600 feet. The zoning layer combines several zone queries with spatial joins against the relevant overlay zones (C, M, and MD zones, plus CCOZ and OHW-VCSD) and parcels. That combination decides where a new alcohol-serving business can locate.
From static rule to interactive tool
The base map shows zoning and spacing requirements for alcohol-serving businesses across the city. The same data feeds an online application. City planners, prospective business owners, and residents can check a specific address or area in the app instead of reading the ordinance next to a static map.
Designed to be found
A QR code on the printed map links to the live application, so the reference map and the interactive tool stay connected.
View the live application: Millcreek Alcohol Spacing Regulations.