Site Design Guidelines - Rules of Thumb for sites

By Jeffery M. Seeley, Architect

Note:  While these guidelines are presented for general information, they do not replace the experience of a professional specializing in the design of church facilities.

SIZE OF THE SITE:
An acre of land will hold approximately 100 persons.  The area used in this calculation is all land remaining from the original acreage after the removal of setbacks, easements, buffers, encroachments, special requirements and floodplains.  This can easily be 20% or more of the original land.  The capacity of the land is also dependant on the resulting shape of the remaining property. 

Outdoor recreation spaces require another one to five acres.  Many times, these can be on easements, as long as there is no permanent structure in the easement.

PARKING:
There should be one parking space for every 2.0 to 2.5 persons attending the facility.  We recommend a ratio of 2.2 persons per space for the average church.

90 degree parking is the most efficient parking layout.  A parking space requires about 350 square feet and may cost between $1000 and $3000 per space.

80 to 100 parking spaces per acre is typical with islands, trees and other landscaping.  Fewer spaces are expected on steep sites or irregularly shaped sites. Most parking spaces are 9' x 19' with a 24' minimum wide driveway.
Handicapped parking is typically 5% of the total parking spaces, with a minimum of 2 spaces.  Handicap parking requires at least one 5 foot side aisle for every pair of spaces and a curb ramp.