Tutorial: Gathering Baseline Information

Gathering Site Plan Baseline Information Step-by-Step tutorial shows how to use the Portland and Metro mapsites to get the baseline information about your property for use on your site plan.

1. Start at Portland Maps

Enter your address:

Then click on the Search button to display, this will display the size and shape of your property, location, and orientation (North is at the top of each image) of your home on your property. Using this information you can more easily, quickly, and accurately start your site plan drawing; than if you tried to gather this information by hand, compass, or tape measure on your own.

2. Go to Metro Maps and enter your address and click on the Land Info button.

This displays:

3. Zoom in

Use the "zoom" tool to select the part of the map you want displayed in more detail, then in the column labeled "Visible" put check marks by the layers you want displayed(see screenshot for suggested layers), and click the "Refresh Maps" button; this displays 5' contours from which the slope and drainage on your property can be inferred, and also the location of any creek(s) on your property over an aerial photo of your property. Using the aerial photo you will also be able to indicate where the large trees and bushes are located on your property and the extent of their canopy.

4 Select Layers

In the column labeled "Visible" put a check mark by the "Land use plan" and "environmental zones" layers, and click the "Refresh Maps" button, this shows how far the environmental zone covers the property.