Forward Pinellas Uses ArcGIS to Shape Community-Driven Redevelopment

Pinellas County, Florida, is one of the state’s smallest counties by land area, yet home to nearly a million residents. With little undeveloped space left, nearly every discussion about growth is now a discussion about redevelopment. The choices local governments make today will influence economic opportunity, neighborhood character, and long‑term resilience across the region.

“We don’t have the luxury of guessing anymore. ArcGIS lets communities see the future before they build it—so every decision is grounded in clarity, not risk,” said Rodney Chatman, planning division manager at Forward Pinellas. “When people can visualize the impact of redevelopment up front, the urgency shifts from being wary of change to designing it wisely.” 

At the center of these conversations is Forward Pinellas, the countywide planning agency that serves 25 local governments. Guided by a 19-member board, the agency maintains the countywide land-use plan, acts as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO), and provides technical assistance to municipalities—many of which operate with limited planning staff capacity. From corridor studies to zoning updates, Forward Pinellas helps communities make informed, future‑ready decisions. Supporting this work are modern geographic information system (GIS) technologies that help planners ground decisions in data and context.

But as redevelopment pressures intensified, traditional planning tools fell short. Static maps and dense reports couldn’t fully communicate the impact of policy changes or help residents understand trade‑offs. Forward Pinellas needed a modern, visual way to evaluate feasibility; compare alternatives; and bring the public into a clearer, more transparent decision‑making process.

For years, Forward Pinellas staff have relied on ArcGIS Online, secure and scalable software as a service (SaaS), to support mapping, geospatial analysis, and data collection across the county. But as redevelopment challenges grew more complex, these traditional workflows fell short. Local leaders needed a way to see the impact of their choices; model alternatives; and understand zoning, feasibility, and design trade‑offs before adopting new policy.

The turning point came in 2024 at the inaugural Esri Planning Directors Summit. There, Chatman saw how Fate, Texas, collaborated with Esri Professional Services to implement GIS for scenario‑based planning, and he realized the agency could do the same. He partnered with Esri Professional Services to build new capabilities that would help planners evaluate redevelopment options with greater accuracy and transparency.

To support this effort, Chatman and his project team incorporated three core geospatial tools:

• ArcGIS Pro—for performing advanced spatial analysis, managing data, and preparing datasets used in scenario modeling
• ArcGIS Urban—to test zoning parameters; evaluate feasibility; quantify metrics such as floor area ratio (FAR), height, parking, and housing capacity; and compare policy alternatives
• ArcGIS CityEngine—to create realistic 3D visualizations that show how redevelopment would look and feel at street level, helping residents understand the tangible impact of potential changes

With these tools, Forward Pinellas could move from traditional static planning to GIS‑powered, scenario‑based planning—a dynamic, iterative process where communities can visualize outcomes, weigh trade‑offs, and make informed decisions rooted in data and context.

To start, the project team applied this approach to two communities facing distinct redevelopment challenges: Indian Rocks Beach, a coastal city seeking to maintain character while diversifying revenue, and North Greenwood, a neighborhood in Clearwater working to revive its commercial corridor and expand housing options. While the two communities are in the same county, their priorities were unique—requiring planners to deeply understand local context before shaping solutions.

Indian Rocks Beach is known for its Old Florida, coastal small-town identity and arts scene. In 2020, the city contracted Forward Pinellas to develop a visioning study for its main thoroughfare. Through extensive public involvement, residents identified a vision: Maintain the community’s coastal character while encouraging small-scale mixed-use redevelopment to diversify revenue beyond hospitality and short-term vacation rentals.

Turning that vision into policy was more complex. Financial feasibility was one key factor to determine if the project was even viable and profitable for developers. Forward Pinellas used ArcGIS Urban to test different development scenarios and identify the factors that would make projects viable for developers. Then there was the added challenge that many Indian Rocks Beach residents were wary of change, and abstract plans planning concepts—like FAR, height, or parking requirements—were difficult to visualize. To give the community a clearer picture, planners integrated these models into ArcGIS CityEngine, adding realistic coastal architectural facades to show how redevelopment could look in the community. This shifted discussions away from arbitrary numbers and sparked thoughtful conversations about walkability, placemaking, and economic and environmental resiliency.

The Forward Pinellas team then modeled three scenarios: one using existing code, one using the proposed mixed-use option with a FAR bonus, and one representing a middle-ground option of mixed-use without the bonus. ArcGIS Urban models also allowed planners to assess the quantifiable effects that each scenario had on parking, impervious surfaces, and overall floor area.

“ArcGIS Urban is not just a visualization tool but a decision-making tool that helps planners, city staff, and residents see what their choices really mean,” said Nicole Galasso, planner at Forward Pinellas.

The result was a more informed and collaborative process. Visualizing the trade‑offs helped calm public concerns and led to constructive community input that will shape Indian Rocks Beach’s future redevelopment.

While ArcGIS tools helped residents in Indian Rocks Beach visualize redevelopment changes to a familiar coastal landscape, in North Greenwood the technology served a different purpose entirely: It helped generate excitement for long‑awaited revitalization.

North Greenwood is a historically Black neighborhood in Clearwater with a deep sense of pride and resilience. Forward Pinellas supported the community’s 2023 Community Redevelopment Area Plan, which prioritized revitalizing North Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue—the neighborhood’s historic core—as a hub for Black-owned businesses, community gathering spaces, and improved housing stock. Achieving these goals, however, required zoning updates that didn’t align with the existing code.

To refine these proposed changes, the Forward Pinellas team used ArcGIS Urban to identify where infill development of diverse housing types could fit and which existing design requirements were working against redevelopment goals. Once opportunities were clear, the team began modeling zoning scenarios to determine which parameters would best support Main Street‑style development and new housing types. Planners tested real development proposals against the draft code to answer questions like these: Would projects meet height and setback standards? Were parking requirements realistic? Did mixed-use bonuses offer enough value to encourage investment?

Just like in Indian Rocks Beach, viewing these models in 3D created a two-way learning experience. Instead of debating technical standards like FAR and setbacks, Forward Pinellas showed residents and planners how each choice would look and function in the environment they knew.

This clarity helped the community understand the trade‑offs behind each zoning decision and gave city planners the insights needed to refine a code that supports North Greenwood’s vision for a connected, vibrant, and economically resilient future.

Forward Pinellas is proving that using ArcGIS as a planning system delivers a decision-making engine that helps communities visualize outcomes, test feasibility, and build consensus around change.

Together, the Indian Rocks Beach and North Greenwood projects show how Forward Pinellas is rethinking its approach to planning in a county where redevelopment is now the norm. By bringing ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Urban, and ArcGIS CityEngine into its workflow, the agency developed a critical decision-making framework that grounded conversations in data, transparency, and shared understanding.

GIS makes complex planning concepts tangible—by taking real development proposals and modeling them against community goals, the agency was able to identify development trade‑offs and unintended barriers. The resultant iterative workflow of modeling, internal review, staff feedback, and code refinement created a more impactful and efficient approach to planning.

Looking ahead, Forward Pinellas plans to further expand the role of GIS into new use cases. This includes updating form‑based code standards, balancing historic preservation with evolving community goals, and supporting infill housing strategies such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and missing‑middle development. With ArcGIS Urban at the center of these workflows, the agency is positioned to continue using spatial modeling as a catalyst for clearer decision‑making, more predictable outcomes, and more collaborative community planning.

For Forward Pinellas, this shift isn’t about adopting new tools for their own sake. It’s about building trust, reducing uncertainty, and giving communities a clearer voice in shaping the places where they live and work. As redevelopment continues across the county, this approach offers a practical way to support thoughtful, community‑driven planning that strengthens long‑term resilience and economic vitality.

“GIS lets us preview the outcomes of our decisions, not just imagine them. When leaders and residents can see what’s possible, the conversation shifts from fear of change to confidence in the path ahead,” said Chatman.