Valparaiso City Zoning Code
Appendix A
Site Capacity Calculations
Example Residential Site Capacity Analysis
- Area of parcel proposed for development: 100 acres
- Land within ultimate rights-of-way: 2.80 acres
- Zoning: Suburban Residential (SR)
- Proposed Use: Single-family homes (standard development).
- Open Space Ratio (from Table ____.A.):
- Gross Density (from Table ____.A.):
- Net Density (from Table _____.A.):
-
Resources:
- Water Body: 1.20 acres
- Riparian Buffers: 3.10 acres
- Floodplain: 3.44 acres
- Wetlands: 1.70 acres
- Woodlands: 6.03 acres
- Steep Slopes (15 to 25%): 3.44 acres
| Example of a Residential Site Capacity Calculation | |||||||
| Step 1 | Enter gross site area as determined by actual survey. | 100.00 ac. | |||||
| Subtract land within existing roads' ultimate rights-of-way or land within major utilities' rights-of-way (minimum 50-foot width for entire R.O.W.). | -2.80 ac. | ||||||
| Subtract land cut off from use by railroad, highway, or water body. | - ac. | ||||||
| Subtract all water bodies. | - ac. | ||||||
| Subtract land previously dedicated as open space. | - ac. | ||||||
| Equals Base Site Area. | = 97.20 ac. | ||||||
| Step 2 | Measure all natural resources in the base site area and enter in Acres Measured (Column 2). If resources overlap, measure only that resource with the highest resource protection ratio. These numbers provide each resource's area of land. Multiply by Resource Protection Ratio for the district (Column 3, 4, or 5 for the appropriate zoning) and insert result in Column 6. | ||||||
| Natural Resource | Acres Measured (Column 2) | Open Space Ratio (OS) (Column 3) | Open Space Ratio (ER, SR, AR districts) (Column 4) | Open Space Ratio (All other districts) (Column 5) | Protected Land (Column 6) | ||
| Water Bodies | 1.20 ac. | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.20 ac. | ||
| Riparian Buffers | 3.10 ac. | 1.00 | 0.90 | 0.70 | 2.79 ac. | ||
| Floodways | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||
| Floodplain | 3.44 ac. | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.20 | 3.44 ac. | ||
| Wetlands | 1.70 ac. | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.70 ac. | ||
| Woodlands | 6.03 ac. | 0.95 | 0.70 | 0.20 | 4.22 ac. | ||
| Steep Slopes more than 25% | 1.00 | 0.90 | 0.55 | ||||
| Steep Slopes 15-25% | 5.65 | 0.90 | 0.60 | 0.20 | 3.39 ac. | ||
| Wellhead Protection | 1.00 | 0.90 | 0.50 | ||||
| Step 3 | Sum of Column 2 equals Total Resource Land. | 21.12 ac. | |||||
| Step 4 | Protected Resource Land equals sum of Protected Land (Column 5). | 16.74 ac. | |||||
| Step 5 | Enter Base Site Area (Step 1). | 97.20 ac. | |||||
| Multiply by Gross Density for use and district from Table 3.201A. | 1.572 | ||||||
| Equals District Yield (round down to whole number). | 152 | ||||||
| Step 6 | Enter Base Site Area (Step 1). | 97.20 ac. | |||||
| Multiply by Open Space Ratio for use and district, Table 3.201A. | 0.10 | ||||||
| Equals District Open Space. | 9.72 ac. | ||||||
| Step 7 | Enter Base Site Area (Step 1). | 97.20 ac. | |||||
| Subtract District Open Space (Step 6) or Protected Resource Land (Step 4), whichever is greater. | 16.74 ac. | ||||||
| Equals Buildable Land. | 80.46 ac. | ||||||
| Times Net Density for use and district (Table 3.201A). | 1.965 | ||||||
| Equals Site Specific Yield (round down to whole number). | 158 | ||||||
| Step 8 | Select District Yield (Step 5) or Site Specific Yield (Step 7), whichever is less. | 152 | |||||
Effective on: 1/1/1901
Residential Site Capacity Analysis Worksheet
On Line Site Capacity Spreadsheet: An on line version of the Site Capacity calculation is available at the following link: It is placed here for illustrative purposes and can be used for evaluation of alternative forms of development. |
Effective on: 1/1/1901
Example Nonresidential Site Capacity Calculation
The table below is an example of a completed nonresidential site capacity calculation form. Applicants are required to complete the required data for all steps and submit the calculations. This form shall be presented with preliminary and final plats of all nonresidential developments and any zoning change requests.
Commentary: The form must be filled out with actual site data. The bold italic numbers in the table illustrate the calculation. These numbers represent data for a hypothetical 20-acre tract of land zoned for CG and intended for commercial retail use. Commercial retail in the CG district has a minimum landscaped surface ratio of 0.15, gross FAR of 0.28 and net FAR of 0.329. The example is based on a site having:
|
| Example of a Nonresidential Site Capacity Calculation | |||||||
| Step 1 | Enter gross site area as determined by actual survey. | 20.00 ac. | |||||
| Subtract land within existing roads' ultimate rights-of-way or land within major utilities' rights-of-way (minimum 50-foot width for entire R.O.W.). | - .50 ac. | ||||||
| Subtract land cut off from use by railroad, highway, or water body. | -ac. | ||||||
| Subtract all water bodies. | -ac. | ||||||
| Subtract land previously dedicated as open space. | -ac. | ||||||
| Equals Base Site Area. | =19.50 ac. | ||||||
| Step 2 | Measure all natural resources in the base site area and enter in Acres Measured (Column 2). If resources overlap, measure only that resource with the highest resource protection ratio. These numbers provide each resource's area of land. Multiply by Resource Protection Ratio for the district (Columns 3, 4, or 5 for the appropriate zoning) and insert result in Column 6. | ||||||
| Natural Resource | Acres Measured (Column 2) | Open Space Ratio (RU district) (Column 3) | Open Space Ratio (ER, SR, AR districts) (Column 4) | Open Space Ratio (all other districts) (Column 5) | Protected Land (Column 6) | ||
| Water Bodies | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||
| Riparian Buffers | 1.00 | 0.90 | 0.70 | ||||
| Floodways | 1.54 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.54 | ||
| Floodplain | 3.03 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.20 | 0.61 | ||
| Wetlands | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||
| Woodlands | 0.95 | 0.70 | 0.20 | ||||
| Steep Slopes more than 25% | 1.00 | 0.90 | 0.55 | ||||
| Steep Slopes 15-25% | 0.90 | 0.60 | 0.20 | ||||
| Wellhead Protection | 1.00 | 0.60 | 0.70 | ||||
| Step 3 | Sum of Column 2 equals Total Resource Land. | 4.57 | |||||
| Step 4 | Protected Resource Land equals sum of Protected Land (Column 5). | 2.15 ac. | |||||
| Step 5 | Enter Base Site Area (Step 1). | 19.50 ac. | |||||
| Multiply by Gross FAR for use and district from Table 3.201B. | 0.28 ac. | ||||||
| Equals District Yield (round to two decimal places). | 5.46 ac. | ||||||
| Step 6 | Enter Base Site Area (Step 1). | 19.50 ac. | |||||
| Multiply by Landscaped Surface Ratio for use and district, Table 3.201B | 0.15 | ||||||
| Equals District Open Space. | 2.93 ac. | ||||||
| Step 7 | Enter Base Site Area (Step 1). | 19.50 ac. | |||||
| Subtract District Open Space (Step 6) or Protected Resource Land (Step 4), whichever is greater. | 2.93 ac. | ||||||
| Equals Buildable Land. | 16.58 ac. | ||||||
| Times Net FAR for use and district (Table 3.201B). | 0.329 | ||||||
| Equals Site Specific Yield. | 5.45 ac. | ||||||
| Step 8 | Select District Yield (Step 5) or Site Specific Yield (Step 7), whichever is less. | 5.45 ac. | |||||
| Convert to square feet by multiplying by 43,560. | 237,540 sf. | ||||||
| Minimum Landscaped Surface (Step 4 or Step 6, whichever is greatest). | 2.93 ac. | ||||||
Effective on: 1/1/1901
Nonresidential Site Capacity Worksheet
On Line Site Capacity Spreadsheet: An on line version of the Nonresidential Site Capacity calculation is available at the following link: It is placed here for illustrative purposes and can be used for evaluation of alternative forms of development. |
Effective on: 1/1/1901