The Church Master Site Plan

By Robert C. Foreman, AIA, LEED AP

When does a church need a Master Site Plan?

With the purchase of a new site or planning for expansion on an existing site, every church planning to build should have a Master Site Plan.  Every phase of expansion should be preceded by updating the Master Site Plan.  The Master Site Plan is a valuable tool in the planning process for a new facility because any church that wishes to provide for growth needs to know how much it will be able to grow on its currently available property.  The most important reason for a Master Site Plan is to provide a clear road map for future growth on a specific site.  It must allow for reasonable and practical current development while providing a path for future growth and facility expansion to accommodate that growth.  The goal is to provide for the most sustainable, economical, and efficient long term use of the site.  Poor planning will hinder growth.  Without careful planning, valuable resources may be wasted; and the church may eventually discover it has not been a good steward of its property. 

What is a Master Site Plan?

A Master Site Plan should not be confused with the Facility Master Plan or the Schematic Design.  The Master Site Plan is a conceptual site layout that shows the most ideal location for each of the major site elements.  It should show existing buildings, future buildings, parking lots, and the long term proposed expansion of each.  It should show each entrance and exit to and from adjacent streets and highways.  On-site traffic circulation should be shown, along with the location of the storm water retention area, easements, streams, steep slopes, utilities, setbacks, buffers, and all other property restrictions.  The future phased growth of each site element should show the most efficient long term potential of the property based on the church leadership’s vision of the future of the congregation.  It should show the approximate total parking space count for each phase.  It should indicate the number of people that can be accommodated by each phase of expansion and the ultimate capacity of the site.  These details can be provided in a separate document if too much information would make the master plan difficult to understand.

Who is most qualified to prepare the Master Site Plan?

This is not a “Do it yourself” project.  A church expecting to get the most benefit from their property should use an architect with extensive experience in the planning and design of church facilities.  Land planners, landscape architects, and civil engineers understand site planning, but they are not experts at church facility planning.  However, the architect preparing the Master Site Plan may need to consult with some or all of these professionals.  Hopefully, the property was thoroughly evaluated with a site feasibility analysis before purchase by a qualified church architect to make sure the site could be developed for a church without any significant drawbacks.  Such an analysis should have revealed the approximate ultimate capacity of the property – the total number of people the site could eventually accommodate at one time.

What information is required in order to prepare the Master Site Plan?

A complete topographic and boundary survey should first be completed by a professional land surveyor.  This survey shows existing site features, including buildings, parking, drives, utilities, setbacks, buffers, streams, ponds, easements, complete topography, and boundary lines.

Accurate utility information, including water mains, sewer lines, natural gas, electrical and phone / data lines must be clearly shown, including underground lines.  Not all of this information will be needed for the Master Site Plan, but it will become essential later when detailed site drawings are being prepared for the project.  If public sewer service is not immediately adjacent to the site, it will be important for the survey to show the nearest sewer location.

If sewer is not available, soil permeability testing will be necessary.  Some soil types and areas with rock just beneath the surface are not suitable for septic drain fields.  Therefore, it will be important to have soil tests to locate the best areas of the site for septic drain fields.  The Master Site Plan will show an area for the septic drain field, and it must be a large enough area to accommodate future growth.  Drain fields cannot be used for parking, but it may be possible to designate the area for recreational purposes.  Septic drain fields reduce the usable area of the site. 

If poor structural soils or rock are suspected, it may be advisable to have a comprehensive subsurface investigation conducted by a geotechnical engineering firm.  In areas of the country where poor soils are common, this should be completed before purchasing the property as part of the evaluation process.  The purpose is to know in advance if special building foundations will be required or to see if rock will be a problem.  Poor subsurface conditions can make some sites too expensive and impractical for use.

Tree preservation and tree replacement laws have become common.  It may be advisable to include a tree location survey in the duties of the land surveyor.  The Master Site Plan should include provision for the preservation of “landmark” or “specimen” trees.  It may be wise for the architect to consult with an arborist or landscape architect.

Some communities have strict environmental impact laws, and an environmental impact study may be required.  Historic or archeologically significant findings may limit where buildings or parking can be constructed.  Native American artifacts, old cemeteries, and endangered species can dramatically affect site use and may need to be indicated on the plan.  Another concern is hazardous materials and substances which may be discovered with a Phase One Environmental Study and which may require removal or remediation prior to site development.

Preparing the Master Site Plan

It is not usually necessary to get deeply into the civil engineering design prior to doing the Master Site Plan.  However, the architect must consider all of the site features revealed by the survey and site investigations.  The architect may consult with a civil engineer to determine the extent of site grading and to determine the best location for and size of storm water retention areas and septic drain fields.  An arborist or landscape designer may need to address the requirements of local tree ordinances.  A structural engineer’s advice may be needed if poor soil or other subsurface problems are encountered.

A Master Site Plan is not something that the architect and the engineering consultants can develop alone without church input.  Several meetings may be necessary for the architect to begin to fully understand the ministry needs of the church.  The architect must take into account the long term vision of the church leadership.  Are weekday child education programs or daycare anticipated?  Will recreation fields be part of the church’s vision?  How will the facilities be used during the week?  What does the church expect for projected attendance and capacity needs of the next phase of expansion?

What information should be on the Master Site Plan?

A detailed building floor plan is not essential for the Master Site Plan to be an effective planning tool.  However, the floor plan should be taken into account.  For this reason, an architect experienced with church facilities is essential to the site planning process.  Later on in the design process, once a schematic floor plan has been developed, the Master Site Plan may need to be reconfigured to align with the actual floor plan. The completed Master Site Plan should show a phased plan, possibly involving 3 or more phases of growth. 














Example of Master Site Plan

Capacity Chart

The capacity chart is a valuable tool to provide with the Master Site Plan.  It can show each proposed expansion phase, occupancy capacity, and total parking.  In some cases it can indicate approximate building square footage and number of stories in each phase. The most important information is the capacity – the total number of adults, young people, and children that can be accommodated at one time with each phase. 

Example of a Capacity Chart – Attendance

Function	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3
Worship	150	300	600
Fellowship (at tables)	0	150	300
Nursery -Preschool	20	40	60
Children – Small Groups	20	40	60
Youth – Small Groups	15	30	60
Adult – Small Groups	115	230	480
Parking Spaces	65	140	275

The example chart shows the capacity, the maximum number of people in the facility at one time for each major function area.  If the site for this chart has only six usable acres of land, it is doubtful that all functions could be concurrently loaded - unless augmented by nearby offsite parking.  Concurrent loading means that more than one event may be taking place simultaneously in different function areas.   

Site Capacity

Parking almost always determines site capacity.  When parking is available on adjacent property, site capacity is increased.  A building will always be restricted in attendance by the available parking, regardless of the building capacity.  The total number of people and cars that can be accommodated on a given site at one time depends on many factors.  A typical site will usually accommodate between 100 and 125 people per usable acre.  Larger sites usually accommodate more people per acre than smaller sites.  Usable site area is the part of the site that can be utilized for buildings and parking. 

Churches are finding ways to increase capacity and usability by scheduling multiple events and concurrent use of facilities.  Most modern growing churches do not use their buildings just one time on Sunday.  They have multiple services and many have multiple Sunday small group events.  Multiple use and concurrent use should be planned into the Master Site Plan from the beginning. 

A church with more than one worship service taking place at the same time or simultaneous worship and small groups must still accommodate the parking needs of everyone in attendance.  Depending on the demographics of the membership, churches today will require one parking space for between 1.8 to 2.7 persons in attendance.  The typical ratio is for one parking space for every 2.0 to 2.5 people.  A church with a large percentage of children will need less parking than a similar size church with a large percentage of older teenagers, singles or senior adults.  An aging church may require one space for each 1.5 attendees.  Some urban churches may need less on-site parking because off-site or street parking is available, or some members walk or take transit.  Parking needs change over time.

How will the Master Site Plan be used?

The Master Site Plan is a planning tool, but many churches will also utilize it for marketing or fund raising.  The leadership will present it to the members to help everyone get excited about the upcoming expansion.  It will be kept in front of the membership to help keep everyone interested in what the church plans to do. 

The Master Site Plan can also be used to show local land use or zoning boards the site development plans of the church.  It can also be shown to local neighborhood groups to assure approval and avoid opposition.  Some local communities require that long term site usage plans be “approved” by local planning authorities as a prerequisite to obtaining a development permit.  Finally, the plan should continue to be used as a planning tool to help shape the future direction of facility growth.

May the Master Site Plan change?

The Master Site Plan is only a snapshot in time.  The program and building program needs of the church are likely to change over time.  Communities change over time.  As a community becomes more urbanized, a denser site plan may be needed.  Adjacent property may become available for purchase.  A revised Master Site Plan can reveal the potential of the expanded property.  Roads may be widened or rerouted and traffic patterns may change.  New land use restrictions may be imposed by local governments.  A Master Site Plan must be ever changing and evolving reflecting the changing needs of the church over time.

Conclusion

Every site should be evaluated by an experienced church architect before it is purchased and before every phase of expansion.  Using data from the survey and with input from the church leadership, the architect should develop a phased expansion plan that makes the most efficient and most practical use of the property.  A Master Site Plan will help keep the church from making costly mistakes and will assure the efficient and effective use of the property for many years to come.