Land subdivision is usually a function of both the developer's intentions and the parcel size requirements mandated by the local zoning authority.

thats great thanks,

are there any general rules of thumb for parcel size requirements or is it really up to the zoning authority?

They probably have minimum lot s.f. and minimum lot widths.

that makes sense, but what about a maximum lot size? (potentially dumb question)

it all depends on how the developer wishes to make money. are they selling the pads or looking to collect rent? condo or co-op?

suburban thinking for a corporate office park generally conforms to:
1. a building can't straddle a property line.
2. if you can have separation in all directions of at least the code min. dimension, then the wall & openings don't need to be rated, saving $.
3. what is the available traffic capacity in the surrounding area?
4. how big of a building is desired & what will the market bear? beyond three stories it becomes a bit more complicated and expensive.
5. knowing the FAR and any height limitations plus the intended building type and budget, reveals the area & # of floors.
6. knowing the area reveals the amount of parking.
7. add building area + parking area, trying to keep min. separation values and you've got a parcel size.
8. then start thinking of options for future flexibility if desired.

repeat across the country.

well its an office park scenario, with shell buildings and tenants. So I imagine through rent.

Does the zoning use play into lot size as well? For instances - Industrial vs. Commerical. I imagine the zoned use would make a big difference

damn - el jeffe - thats great, yeah exactly repeat across the country

el jeffe - what do you mean by separation in all directions?

IBC section 506 & table 602.

1. Classify Building

a.Occupancy Classification
b. Type of Construction
c. Location of Property
d. Allowable Floor Area
e. Height and Number of Stories

2. Review building for conformity with occupancy requirements
3. Review the building for conformity with the type of construction requirements.
4. Review the building for conformity with egress requirements.
5. Review the building for other detailed code regulations.
6. Review the building for ocnformity with structural enginerring regulations and requirements for materials of construction.

is this a real project? check the local zoning ordinances. the local zoning code and maps will answer most of your questions about what is allowed on your site.

for the rest, check with the building code.

the building code will tell you how big the building can be based on use and construction type. the zoning code will tell you how much building you can put on your property - and what uses are allowed by the municipality.

the other thing to remember is that you can always go for a variance with the zoning code - that just means if you want to do something that doesn't conform you have to go through a process where the municipality decides whether or not to allow you to go ahead with the project. This typically happens whenever you're working on older lots and buildings (or the developer's proforma says they need to go 10 stories when the zoning only allows 3).

the building code on the other hand - you have to follow the building code.

its not a real project - I'm certainly not looking to develop an office park. All my work has been at a small scale leaving me really unaware of how large scale development projects happen.

I understand everything involving building code, occupancy types etc.

Its the master planning aspects I am unfamiliar with.

I appreciate the help

toasteroven - thats great thanks

toasteroven - the equivalent to a zoning variance in the building code is called a modification.

i've obtained one before; it simply ended up being a negotiation with the chief of the building department resulting in a letter asking for what we wanted, why, and listing the steps taken to mitigating any negative effects of the modification.

it was that specific experience that taught me to be very precise when selecting words around plan checkers and code consultants.

ignore the grammar....

yeah like saying commercial when you mean mercantile. etc.

el jeffe - I've never gone through that process... is it typically just with existing structures or can you get one with new construction?

I also wonder what part of the code you sought a modification - if it involves ADA, then it might be easier than if you were doing anything that dealt with fire protection.

Parcels and boundaries are determined still in part by The Land Ordinance of 1785.

I think there was a more recent review of this but basically almost all property lines in the U.S. are purely arbitrary.

Interestingly enough, if you overlay the hypothetical lines generated by The Land Ordinance of 1785 over Phoenix... you can see that Phoenix's road grip was entirely uninspired.

"The specific example I'm thinking of is a large corporate office park consisting of several different lots."

Lot's that are split can be easily recombined-- check the title history of the lots to see how historically the plots were originally pieced together. But this can require a lengthy battle with some assholes who really don't care one way or another.

"If the land for an office development is owned by one person is the development of property boundaries a result of a master plan developed by planners [strike]and architects?[/strike]"

See above, basically it depends on the title history. Property boundaries can be essentially arbitrary-- easements, setbacks, right of ways can all play significant roles in determining a property's usefulness past the actual property lines. Most property lines are generated by an old (obscure) coordinate system, Department of Interior and land surveys. Again, title history can determine the number of splits and transfers of title within the parcel.

Architects and private planners play almost no role in this process at all whatsoever.

"To what degree are site planning and other city agencies involved in determining the appropriate lot sizes?"

100%. There might be an issue of takings-- expensive or not, this is where the concept of where smart growth can to be. Instead of passing large and generalized zoning ordinances, smart growth typically approaches projects, developments and other zoning and permitting issues on a case by case basis. Typically, your planning, permitting and acquisitions departments have the move say in this with the ability to override from the commissioners (very few local governments are the same... so if you're doing hypothetical work, steal someone else's ordinances to work off of.)

"Is there a level of code involved?"

All local laws and ordinances are considered "code." Vague answer but in terms of planning, there might be other "codes" that play significant factors in determining land use and extent of land use (fire codes, OSHA codes, ADA codes). Land use policies in themselves are codes. But for purpose of explanations, there really is no difference between ordinance and code (again check with a city's ordinance [municode helps].)

It really is case by case, word by word. Look out for government weasel words like "shall, may, should, could, might, presumably et cetera"

The three biggest words of importance are "shall not, will and must."

damn rockandhill thanks

toasteroven - it was for new construction and the modification we got was regarding fire protection. but this was under the 1997 UBC; i suspect that under the IBC we would not have needed the mod.

there are also real estate typology requirements that you need to think about. At the end of the day, your design interpretation is going to be on the intersection of what the client wants, what zoning and permitting permits, and what the market will buy/lease at what price point. The latter demands very particular floorplate and lot coverage requirements for particular types of commercial buildings, which in turn affect the lot size. Hopefully the lot sizes you have to work with will support an appropriately sellable typology. This is especially the case in the current environment - when nothing is being built to spec (basically buildings are designed for particular tenant requirements and effectively preleased).

But in general, leave enough site space for parking and water management while making sure you have enough space to maintain a 50'-to-core distance per floor. Atria are expensive and thus need to be carefully considered, as they will likely be counted for FAR calculation purposes (although this does vary by jurisdiction). Provide adequate egress for loading. Make sure you can fit whatever rooftop plant will be required by the particular industrial-commercial tenant type the space will be occupied by. And consider carefully how many entrances you want - for multi-tenant buildings in commercial park settings you can create a lot of value by offering different tenants separate entries. All of these factors will influence how you use whatever space there is in the parcel you have to work with.