Today we turn a corner in the series of articles that I have contributed thus far. Previous writings have focused on the start-up activities of a building program — the formation of a building committee, an overview of the process, diverse surveys, and even a discussion of snappy themes — all as general matters to consider.
Then we examined specific master plan criteria and their direct implications with regard to site planning. Now we journey on to an overview of master plan criteria — something like a helicopter-look at site planning for your church.
Jim DePasquale
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Master planning is where the rubber hits the road, for it is the long-term physical commitment of your church. It is, furthermore, the defined interpretation of your mission, your program and, most significantly, who you are as a congregation, spiritually speaking. The master plan should, ultimately, be formally adopted by the church and strictly adhered to as development occurs over time. When new circumstances do demand potential modifications to the master plan it should be revisited in concert with the church and the architect; otherwise random changes will result in a train wreck.
Let’s start with a few basic site development guidelines.
Whether you are relocating to a new property or expanding within an existing one, the same criteria apply. A primary consideration is, of course, size: A church should secure one acre per 80 persons in attendance. (While this guideline has traditionally been known as 1 acre/100 persons, it is no longer applicable when one considers the full shopping cart of green space, tree cover and environmental regulations associated with site development). Facilities and parking are covered within the 1/80 formula. Large recreational spaces, such as ballfields, are not included; such area requirements will be examined in future articles.
Triangle Baptist Church master plan
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A couple of other pointers about the size of your property: Keep in mind that although local zoning ordinances typically require one parking space per four persons, there are very few churchgoers whom I know that regularly have four persons in their car. Today’s planning guidelines more practically demand one parking space per two to two and a half persons. This is a significant impact on master planning and, once again, it is factored into my one acre per 80 persons in attendance formula.
One simple conclusion: The minimum size of any church site should be seven acres. This, too, is contemporary thinking, as it replaces the old model of five acres.
No doubt you will find that the complete saturation of your site will occur more rapidly than ever imagined, but whatever direction your master plan takes, remember above all that God has called us to be responsible stewards of the earth he has placed within our hands. Plan practically, plan functionally, but also plan to preserve his beauty entrusted to us. He is the ultimate architect of the land!
Jim DePasquale, AIA, a member of Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, is currently chair of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture of the Virginia Society, AIA, and a partner in a Richmond architectural firm. This column is a regular feature of the Religious Herald, appearing in the first issue of each month. Send building, landscape or site-related questions to the editor at [email protected] or directly to Jim DePasquale at [email protected].