9 Essential Elements of a Good Site Plan

Whether you're working at a design firm, or you are a building owner, what you can’t deny is that the site is critical to the building design. That's why a great deal of time and resources are invested into site analysis before the design phase begins.

Elements, such as topography, infrastructure, weather, and local policies, all influence your building’s design. After a thorough site analysis, you need to create a site plan showing existing as well as proposed conditions. Here is a look at 9 most important things you must include in your site plan.

Property lines

Your site’s property line is one of the most important elements in your site plan. While you want to build the most well-designed building, you can’t encroach on a neighbor’s property.

Existing and proposed conditions

You have to present both existing and proposed conditions so that city officials and reviewers can understand the full scope of your design. This element indicates how your design will affect the site and even vice-versa.

Distance between buildings and property lines

Understanding of your site goes includes how surrounding infrastructure and affect your design. For example, zoning, building height and building usage are determined by what goes on around your site. So, make sure to include those dimensions in your plan.

Parking

Parking can be a huge planning issue, especially in a commercial setting or a dense downtown neighborhood. Parking could be at a premium in these areas. In addition, you need to invest time, thought and research into planning the adequate amount of parking. Include in your site plan, dimensions, traffic flow, signage and even handicapped accessibility.

Driveways

Do not forget to check code requirements around the access onto your site, such as driveway width and curb cut dimensions. Include all dimensions in your site plan, based on what the rules dictate.

Surrounding streets

Understanding the traffic flow through and around your site along with the surrounding streets, even dead ends will indicate design traffic loads around your site.

Ground sign locations

Ground sign locations, along with surrounding streets, tell the story of your site. When you draw the streets, include stop signs, highways signs and traffic lights, too.

Easements

There are various easements like right-of-way, easements of support and utility that should be shown graphically.

Fire hydrants

There may be codes about how close or far your building needs to be from fire hydrants. Include fire hydrants in your site plan.

Remember that your site plan tells the story of the site and your building. Don’t leave the story incomplete.

To learn more about San Diego as-built services, drawings and surveys or to request a quote, call Precision Property Measurements at 855-272-8458.

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Precision Property Measurements Joined: February 5th, 2019