Lonesome Pine Regional Business & Technology Park


MARKET ANALYSIS

The key to master planning a corporate office, industrial, and research park is flexibility. Flexibility manifests itself physically with three primary factors: parcel size, circulation and utilities.

The first and most important factor is parcel size. The three uses contemplated for the Lonesome Pine Regional Business & Technology Park have disparate parcel size requirements. Industrial and telephone call centers typically require large parcels while research and computer related office facilities require substantially smaller parcels. The most advantageous solution is to subdivide the parcels in order to provide a variety of possible development solutions. Also, the smaller parcels should be configured to allow the assemblage of multiple smaller parcels into larger parcels. This configuration avoids limiting the options at the early stages of development. Care must be used in assigning parcels to prospective users to avoid "land-locking" smaller parcels in the initial development phases and limiting future options. Parcel sizes for research and computer office uses are in the range of three to five acres at a development density of 10,000 to 12,500 square feet per acre. This density assumes a parking ratio of four spaces for every 1,000 square feet. A typical industrial user requires a seven to ten acre parcel with a significantly smaller parking requirement. Telephone call centers range in size from three to five acres. Parking requirements are significantly higher and are typically in the range of six to eight spaces for every 1,000 square feet.

The second factor is vehicular circulation including parking and delivery requirements. The Park should be configured to allow industrial users access to the primary feeder road system, thereby restricting truck access on smaller secondary roadways. Non-industrial users should be located off of the secondary roadways. The telephone call centers typically have significant parking requirements which present two challenges. The first challenge is distributing the parking areas around the buildings to minimize walking distance and prevent creating large, unattractive surface parking fields. The second challenge is addressing the entering and exiting traffic from the call centers. Typically, shifts change on a regular schedule and large numbers of workers exit simultaneously. This can create traffic bottlenecks if the exit loading is not considered.

The third factor is utilities. Utility distribution should allow for a variety of uses corresponding to the subdivision master plan. Industrial users may require more significant gas, water and sewer service while computer and call centers will require more significant communications infrastructures. Both uses will require significant electrical service.

Addressing these three factors in the master plan will improve the marketability of the sites and allow the Park to adapt to ever changing development requirements.