The steps at a glance
| Step | What you send or decide | What the studio does |
|---|---|---|
| Brief | Site address, program, survey or sketch | Reviews the brief and sends a proposal |
| Zoning and code research | Answers on program and stage | Researches the rules for the parcel and the use |
| Layout | Comments on concept options | Draws buildings, roads, drive aisles, parking, pads, sites and units |
| Site data table | Confirms the program | Tabulates acreage, zoning, density, setbacks, parking and unit mix |
| Review rounds | Mark-ups on each draft | Revises the layout and the table together |
| Deliverables | Renderings, if you order them | Issues the plan sheets, and renderings tied to the plan |
| Handoff | Your engineer and architect of record | Hands over the plan they build the sealed set on |
The brief and the files you send
A project starts with the brief you send through the contact page: the site address, the asset and the program, where the project stands, and the files you hold, such as a survey or a sketch. The studio discusses the project details, goals and requirements with you, then sends a proposal that sets out the services, the timeline and the cost for that project. The duration depends on the project's complexity and scope, so the timeline is set in the proposal. The FAQ answers the common questions before you send a brief.
Zoning and code research
The studio begins every site plan with research: zoning analysis, satellite imagery, height maps and site-specific data. For the parcel and the use, that research establishes:
- the zoning district, where the use is allowed and the permit type it needs;
- the numeric standards that shape the layout, such as density caps, minimum site or pad sizes, setbacks, parking ratios and road widths;
- the approval path, and which stage accepts an unsealed concept plan.
The same method runs through the studio's research pages. The case studies trace each approval path and design standard to a cited code section, and state pages such as Colorado and Georgia set out the approval layers and who prepares and seals what. For RV parks, density has its own guide: how many RV sites fit on an acre.
The layout
With the rules in hand, the studio drafts the layout: site disposition, buildings, rooms and floor plans, amenities, internal roads, drive aisles, parking, and the pads, sites or units the program calls for. Early drafts can be test-fits and concept options that compare access, circulation, parking ratios and program mix. The chosen option is refined into a complete, detailed site layout.
Each asset has its own layout logic. The asset pages for RV parks, car washes, self storage and hotels show what a preliminary site plan carries for each.
The site data table
The sheet organizes the layout with a site data table that ties the drawing to the code.
| Item | How the table states it |
|---|---|
| Acreage | The site area the plan is drawn on |
| Zoning | The district the parcel sits in |
| Density | Against the cap |
| Setbacks | As the code sets them |
| Parking | Required against provided |
| Unit mix | The program by unit type |
The yield counts sit with the table, so a planner, a lender or a contractor reads the program and the drawing together.
Review rounds
You review each draft and mark it up. Each round revises the layout and the site data table together, and the studio works with you through the rounds.
Deliverables
The deliverables are the plan sheets: the preliminary site plan, drawn in CAD, with its site data table. If you order them, 3D renderings follow the plan: exterior, aerial and flyover views tied to the site plan. Interior visualization and conversions are a separate line that includes stand-alone render jobs: commercial interiors and conversions.
Handoff to the engineer and architect of record
The preliminary plan is the first representative and reliable draft of the project. Developers take it to the many cities and counties that accept an unsealed plan at the concept or pre-application stage, give it to a lender, give it to a general contractor to price, and use it to decide on a site and raise capital. Then it goes to the engineer and architect of record, who build the sealed set on it.
The engineer of record adds what the preliminary plan leaves out: sewer and water pipe design, electrical or utility engineering, and grading and drainage engineering. The studio holds no stamp. Where a jurisdiction requires a sealed plan, the preliminary plan is what the engineer of record builds on. Where the line falls between a preliminary and a final site plan, and who prepares a site plan at each stage, varies by jurisdiction. A studio blog post sets out the phases of commercial project design and construction that follow.