K M Construction Fort Smith Ar

A site development plan tells a story of the site and building(s) to be built upon it. For a design to be understood, the plan must tell the entire story, and tell it accurately. Every line on a drawing should be placed with purpose and accuracy to leave no room for interpretation, misunderstanding, construction delays, construction rework, or litigation. Every detail counts.

Site features are key elements of consideration when designing a building. Protecting a significant investment requires careful thought and planning. A thorough site analysis must be conducted before the conceptual phase of a building design ever begins. Sometimes a site is not feasible for what an owner wants to construct, such as being located in a flood plain or having no sewer availability. Obviously, this knowledge is valuable to have before a costly property transaction occurs. Topography, vegetation, existing structures and infrastructure, weather conditions, and culture of the community all influence the final design of a building.

Site plans show existing conditions and proposed improvements to a given property. Features such as building footprints, travel ways, parking, drainage facilities, sanitary sewer and water lines, franchise utilities, trails, lighting, and landscaping elements are shown on the site plan.

After a thorough site analysis has been conducted, the design plans are prepared. Aside from a north arrow and bar scale, listed below are ten items that your site plan must show:

Property lines — Boundary surveys can prevent encroachment on an adjacent property.
Easements — Rights for access ways, both existing and required, to cross or otherwise use someone else's land for a specified purpose often accompany site development.
Distance between buildings and property lines — In addition to property lines, information such as building height(s), zoning, building usage, building setbacks, and fire hazards must be shown on the site plan.
Existing and proposed conditions — City building officials need to understand the full scope of a site design, so everything from fences to utility lines to receiving drainageways must be depicted to avoid any conflicts.
Construction limits and lay down areas — Knowing what areas of the property where the physical construction will take place, including areas where construction supplies are stored, equipment is parked, and where partial assembly occur can head off construction conflicts and aid in safer operations.
Driveways — Code requirements govern the design of access to a site, including driveway widths and curb cut dimensions. All dimensions and any special designated areas, such as thicker pavement for truck entries, must be included.
Parking — Careful consideration to create efficient parking layouts are required in commercial or dense urban settings and shall be in accordance with local development regulations. Parking layout plans must include dimensions, traffic flow, ADA accessible parking and access routes, signage, lighting, drainage, and landscaping.
Surrounding streets and ground sign locations — Site plans must clearly show how traffic flows around and through a site. Everything from main drive lanes to dead ends are shown to illustrate the impact the building design has on traffic movements around the site. A complete site plan will also show stop signs, traffic lights, highway signs, fire lane striping and signage, painted pavement markings, and ADA parking delineation.
Emergency Access — Easy access around the site by emergency vehicles is critical to preserve human life. Some drives may need to be wider and their radii larger to allow for fire truck accessibility to the building. Included in this topic is the correct placement and number of fire hydrants to provide adequate coverage to the building and its surroundings.
Landscaping — Most city regulations require a detailed landscaping plan — these are more than aesthetic in nature. Often, landscaping is designed to help preserve or enhance the surrounding ecosystem. Existing and proposed landscaping should be shown. Depiction of erosion and runoff controls is critical to a successful site.

Site plans must be carefully prepared to consider safety, constructability, adherence to city codes, and cost. Ultimately, the finished site plan should reflect a well-though-out design that improves the site, conserves resources, and complements the building it will house.

Morrison-Shipley's commercial development teams have completed thousands of site plans ranging from small single building sites to those for multiple building complexes containing hundreds of thousands of square feet. We have developed a reputation among municipalities for preparing site plans that are accurate and complete and also among owners for creating cost-saving designs! Contact Greg Shipley, PE, in North Texas at (972) 472-2009 or John Wary, PE, in Northwest Arkansas at (479) 273-2209 to discuss the advantages Morrison-Shipley can bring to your design team.

Source: https://www.morrisonshipley.com/https-www-morrisonshipley-com-what-story-is-your-site-plan-telling/

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