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Front-Lot Easements

Draws a closed front-lot easement strip along the FRONT edge of every lot at once (default 10 ft into the lot): the front-only, all-lots counterpart to Setback Lines. The front edge comes from VDCLOTFRONT , so there is no per-lot prompting; lots with no front designation are skipped and reported.

Command VDCFRONTEASE · VDC Lots tab › Lots panel
Draws a closed front-lot easement strip along the FRONT edge of every lot at once (default 10 ft into the lot): the front-only, all-lots counterpart to Setback Lines. The front edge comes from VDCLOTFRONT, so there is no per-lot prompting; lots with no front designation are skipped and reported.
Every lot gets a 10' easement strip hugging its front edge, in one pass. Front comes from VDCLOTFRONT. 10' FRONT ESMT 10' FRONT ESMT 10' FRONT ESMT ROW / road, lot fronts (from VDCLOTFRONT)

What it does

  • All lots at once: sweeps every lot parcel in the host drawing and its xrefs (non-lot parcels, ROW / pond / common area, skipped automatically).
  • Front from VDCLOTFRONT: uses each lot's stored front designation, no per-lot picking. A lot with no front stamp is skipped and counted (run VDCLOTFRONT, then re-run).
  • Closed strip: the front edge, offset the width into the lot, closed back, one closed polyline per lot on the easement layer. Interior direction from the lot centroid, so it always lands inside the lot. Curved (cul-de-sac) fronts are followed exactly, an arc front is offset as a true concentric arc (polyline bulges), not chorded.
  • Scope by parcel style (optional): run only lots of a chosen Civil 3D parcel style, e.g. Single-Family only.

Workflow

  1. Run VDCLOTFRONT once so every lot's front edge is stamped.
  2. Type VDCFRONTEASE.
  3. Set width (default 10 ft), easement layer (editable dropdown, default C-ESMT-FRNT, auto-created), and scope (all lots / by parcel style). OK.
  4. Read the summary dialog: easements drawn, lots skipped for no front, non-lot parcels ignored.

Settings

  • %APPDATA%\VDC\FrontEasement\settings.json (env VDC_FRONTEASE_SETTINGS). Width, layer, scope persist.

Dialog

Front-Lot Easements dialog
Front-Lot Easements, VDCFRONTEASE

When to use it

  • Adding the front utility/drainage easement to every lot on a subdivision plan in one command.
  • Right after VDCLOTFRONT has designated the lot fronts.
  • Refreshing the front easements after lot lines or widths changed (re-run; it redraws from current geometry).

How to run it

  1. Run VDCLOTFRONT first (once) so every lot's front edge is stamped - Front Easements reads that designation.
  2. Run VDCFRONTEASE - the dialog opens: easement width (default 10 ft), easement layer (editable dropdown, default C-ESMT-FRNT), auto-create layer, and scope (all lots, or only one parcel style). Click OK.
  3. The tool sweeps every lot, offsets each front edge into the lot by the width, and draws a closed strip on the easement layer.
  4. Read the summary dialog - easements drawn, lots skipped for no front designation (run VDCLOTFRONT for those), and non-lot parcels ignored.

Options

  • Easement width (ft): how far the strip reaches into the lot from the front edge (default 10).
  • Easement layer: an editable dropdown of the drawing's layers (default C-ESMT-FRNT); auto-created if missing.
  • Which lots: All lots (every lot in the drawing and its xrefs) or By parcel style (only lots of the style you pick from the dropdown - e.g. Single-Family only).

Watch out for

  • A lot with no VDCLOTFRONT front designation is skipped (and counted) - the tool never guesses a front. Run VDCLOTFRONT, then re-run.
  • Curved fronts are followed exactly: an arc front (cul-de-sac / eyebrow) is offset as a true concentric arc (polyline bulges), not chorded - the strip matches the lot geometry, curve and all.
  • Non-lot parcels (ROW, common area, pond) are ignored automatically.

Related: Lot Fronts · Setback Lines · Easement Widths