At Quick Concepts Group, our clients often ask for insights on how to read a site plan. Even seasoned industry professionals may sometimes need assistance to get a full understanding of what is mapped in front of them. Here we will be breaking down just a few of the highlights to pay attention to when reading a site plan, and how you can use this info to your advantage.
What is a Site Plan?
A great place to start is understanding exactly what a site plan is. A site plan refers to a building or architectural plan that can come in the form of a drawing or document. These plans typically contain property boundaries, building footprints, sewer & water lines, parking, and other relevant fixtures. Site plans can be used to build on or improve an existing property, and can even be ordered for existing properties to confirm building codes are currently being met.
Below is an example site plan that we will use as a reference moving forward.
Scale
For a full understanding of what’s being shown, one of the first portions of the site plan to acknowledge should be the scale. In the example above, the scale is provided at the bottom of the legend in the upper right corner. This scale describes the ratio at which the drawing is expressed compared to what a real-life measurement would be.. 1:1 would be a 1-1 foot ratio, 1:50 is 50 feet actual size for every 1 used in drawing.
Property Lines
One of the primary features that you can note in a site plan is the establishment of property lines. These are the outer lines in a given design that show exactly how the boundary lines of a property will fit in a given parcel of land. This also helps indicate and confirm that setbacks requirements are being fulfilled.
Setbacks
Noted in the top right legend, setbacks are space requirements established by a given area’s zoning commission. Setbacks are a crucial element of ensuring a project can fit in a given building site while meeting code requirements. This portion in the example site plan above confirms that using this design, the project will meet local setback requirements.
Existing / Proposed Use
The existing usage portion of a site plan is demonstrating how the proposed building site is being used currently. The proposed use is the potential new usage if a project moves forward. This can be important when it comes to getting approval for permits and from local zoning authorities as a whole by at minimum acknowledging if usage is changing.
Site Orientation / Parcel Information
The direction a site faces, the parcel-ID, and lot information, are all used to identify and locate a parcel to the highest degree possible. These are all crucial moving forward for permitting purposes and other zone requirement fulfillment as knowing exactly what requirements are needed can be specific to individual plots.
Parking
Depending on the usage, and size of a given building, zoning requirements will have specific regulations for needed parking spaces and equivalent handicapped parking availability. This portion in the legend outlines the number of required spaces for a given project, and the amount provided in the plan. This can also be noted in the plan itself by the numbers within circles.
Street Access
Demonstrated by the arrows pointing in opposite directions, this portion of the site plan shows how cars will be able to access the property. This also shows the flow of traffic in and out of established roads, which can be important to express to governing zoning authorities for purposes of street traffic.
More Information and Getting a Quote
If you have any further questions about how to read a site plan, feel free to Contact Us anytime. We can not only help decipher a given plan but also have a host of other services for your upcoming construction project.