Evaluate an assisted-living site plan by tracing every arrival and service route, testing the evidence for parking demand, checking accessible spaces and paths as a connected system, and confirming that resident outdoor areas are reachable and usable. Treat the result as a first-pass review—not a project-specific code determination. Zoning, building, fire, licensing, and accessibility requirements depend on the jurisdiction, facility classification, resident population, and whether the work is new construction or an alteration.
What a sound site-plan review must establish
A plan is ready for the next design or approval stage only when a reviewer can answer five questions from the drawing set and supporting calculations:
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- Which agency approvals and technical standards govern this property?
- Can residents, visitors, staff, deliveries, and emergency responders reach the places they need without unsafe conflicts?
- Is the parking supply supported by the facility’s actual population and operating model?
- Do accessible parking, passenger loading, sidewalks, entrances, and exterior amenities form a continuous accessible route?
- Are the courtyards, gardens, patios, or walking areas shown as resident amenities actually reachable from the building?
The reviewed 2010 FGI Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities calls for applicable land-use approval, internal roads to the main entrance and service areas, and fire and emergency access in accordance with local requirements. It does not establish one nationwide parking ratio or a universal outdoor-space quota for assisted living. Those gaps must be resolved through local rules, a project-specific study, and the facility’s program.
1. Set the project assumptions before measuring the plan
Do not begin by counting stripes on a site drawing. Record the assumptions that determine what the stripes, routes, and outdoor spaces must accomplish.
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Identify the legal and physical setting
- Property address and jurisdiction, including municipality, county, and any special district.
- Facility use and licensing category: assisted living, memory care, continuing care, or another classification.
- New construction, addition, renovation, or change of use.
- Applicable zoning, site-plan, building, fire, health, licensing, stormwater, and accessibility reviewers.
- Current adopted editions of codes and standards, rather than assuming the edition cited on a legacy drawing remains in force.
FGI’s 2010 assisted-living provisions describe different apartment and group-living approaches and say the environment should support the services and care levels provided. Use that principle to test whether the site layout matches the residents the operator actually intends to serve. A plan for mostly independent residents may have different arrival, staffing, and outdoor-circulation demands from a memory-care setting.
Describe the operating population
- Licensed resident capacity and the number of residents expected to use mobility devices or require assistance.
- Staff by shift, including nursing, activities, dining, housekeeping, maintenance, and administration.
- Family and visitor peaks, visiting hours, events, and transportation patterns.
- Deliveries, waste removal, linen, food service, pharmacy, maintenance, and other recurring service trips.
- Paratransit, shuttle, rideshare, ambulance, and other nonprivate-vehicle activity.
Ask the applicant or designer to place these assumptions on a project-data sheet. If a number is unknown, label it as an assumption and identify who must confirm it; do not let an unexplained occupancy figure drive the parking count.
2. Confirm approvals and map every access function
A site plan is not evidence that zoning or land-use approval has been obtained. Request the approval status and the reviewing-agency comments, then check that the drawing responds to them. FGI §4.4-1.3.1 expressly calls for applicable approval from the relevant jurisdiction.
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Draw four separate movement diagrams
- Visitor and resident arrival: trace the public street, driveway, visitor parking, drop-off, main entrance, reception, and any residential or activity entrances.
- Staff arrival: show staff parking, employee entrances, shift-change circulation, and whether staff paths cross resident drop-off lanes.
- Service movement: trace delivery vehicles to loading, kitchens, waste, laundry, maintenance, and back-of-house doors. Confirm that a service vehicle can enter, maneuver, and leave without reversing through the public arrival zone.
- Fire and emergency response: trace the approach, staging, access around the building, and connection to required fire-service features. The exact lane widths, turning radii, clearances, and surface requirements are vehicle- and jurisdiction-specific; obtain confirmation from the civil engineer and fire official.
Use a colored overlay or separate plan sheets so that a conflict is visible. Typical red flags are a delivery truck blocking the accessible route, a visitor queue extending into a fire lane, a dead-end drive without an approved turnaround, or pedestrians forced to cross a loading apron at an uncontrolled point.
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3. Test the parking rationale, not just the number of stalls
FGI §4.4-1.3.2 says parking should satisfy residents, families, staff, and visitors. It permits a local requirement, a formal parking study, or informed judgment that considers the size and type of population served; it does not prescribe one universal assisted-living ratio. Request the calculation, study, or written rationale behind the proposed supply.
Questions the parking analysis should answer
- How many residents have private vehicles, and how many family or visitor vehicles are expected at ordinary and peak times?
- How many staff members are present during the busiest shift, and how do shift overlaps affect demand?
- Are spaces reserved for service, contractors, medical transport, or temporary loading?
- Does the operator expect a shuttle, paratransit, rideshare, or frequent ambulance activity?
- Are shared, off-site, leased, or structured spaces legally available at the times residents and visitors need them?
- What happens during events, move-in days, severe weather, or a full dining or activity schedule?
Separate the demand study from accessibility scoping. A jurisdiction may require more total spaces than the ADA minimum, while a small lot may still need accessible spaces configured correctly.
Apply accessible-space scoping to each parking facility
The U.S. Department of Justice’s current ADA parking guidance, which summarizes the 2010 ADA Standards, gives these minimum counts for each parking facility:
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|---|---|
| 1–25 | 1 |
| 26–50 | 2 |
| 51–75 | 3 |
| 76–100 | 4 |
The complete federal table continues beyond 100 spaces. Count each lot or garage as its own parking facility, verify the full table in the applicable Standards, and check for stricter state or local rules. At least one of every six accessible spaces must be van accessible under the cited DOJ guidance. These are ADA minimums for accessible parking, not a demand ratio for an assisted-living operation.
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Check the drawn dimensions and conditions
| Element | Figure in DOJ parking guidance | What to verify on the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Car accessible space | At least 96 inches wide | Dimension the stall itself and check that striping does not reduce usable width. |
| Car access aisle | At least 60 inches wide | Keep the aisle clear of signs, wheel stops, landscaping, drainage grates, and vehicle overhangs. |
| Van space configuration A | 132-inch space plus 60-inch aisle | Confirm the combined layout and adjacent route. |
| Van space configuration B | 96-inch space plus 96-inch aisle | Confirm the aisle is not shared in a way that blocks the neighboring space. |
| Maximum slope | 1:48, or 2.08%, in all directions | Check the stall and aisle in both cross-slope and running-slope directions. |
| Vertical clearance | 98 inches for van space, aisle, and vehicular route | Check garages, canopies, signs, beams, tree branches, and the entire route to the exit. |
| Surface | Firm, stable, and slip-resistant | Specify pavement or other material and prevent loose aggregate or abrupt transitions. |
Provide compliant signs and markings required by the applicable Standards and local rules. Show dimensions on the civil plan rather than relying on a typical detail that may not match the built condition.
Judge location and convenience
Accessible spaces must be on the shortest accessible route to an accessible entrance. The Access Board’s parking guide does not set a maximum travel distance. Instead, draw the actual route and assess its distance, crossings, lighting, security, weather exposure, and convenience. A space that meets a stall dimension but sends a resident behind reversing vehicles or across a loading lane is a poor solution even if the arithmetic is correct.
4. Trace accessible routes as a connected network
Mark every arrival point, then draw a continuous route to the entrance and the site elements it serves. The Access Board’s Chapter 4 accessible-routes guide covers routes from accessible parking and loading areas, public streets and sidewalks, and on-site transit stops where provided. It also treats exterior spaces such as courtyards as destinations that may need route access.
Use a route-by-route markup
- Mark the accessible entrance or entrances and the interior destinations each exterior route serves.
- Connect every accessible parking space, access aisle, passenger loading zone, public sidewalk connection, and on-site transit stop.
- Check running slope, cross slope, curb ramps, detectable warnings where required, surface changes, drainage, handrails, and clear width under the applicable standards.
- Walk the route as a sequence of decisions: where does a wheelchair user turn, cross a drive, wait, or pass another person?
- Identify obstructions such as signposts, bollards, utility covers, landscaping, snow-storage areas, parked-car overhangs, and doors that swing into the clear path.
A route behind parked cars is not specifically prohibited by the Standards, according to the Access Board’s parking guide, but routing in front of spaces is recommended where possible for safety. Marked crossings across vehicle lanes deserve particular scrutiny for people using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids. Distinguish mandatory scoping from advisory safety guidance in your comments so the design team knows what must change and what is a risk-reduction recommendation.
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5. Evaluate passenger drop-off and loading
Locate the passenger pull-up area relative to an accessible entrance and trace the path from the vehicle door to the entrance. Under §209.3 of the 2010 ADA Standards, at least one passenger loading zone complying with §503 must be provided at an accessible entrance to a licensed medical-care or licensed long-term-care facility when the period of stay exceeds 24 hours. Confirm that the assisted-living project falls within that legal classification and that the current jurisdiction applies this provision.
Review the loading zone in context
- Show the pull-up area, access aisle, curb transition, and uninterrupted route to the entrance.
- Keep the loading maneuver out of fire access and avoid forcing residents to cross a moving lane.
- Provide enough space for the vehicles the operation actually uses, including wheelchair vans and medical transport.
- Coordinate canopy columns, bollards, signage, drainage, lighting, and snow or leaf storage with the clear route.
- Do not treat a canopy as federally mandatory: the Standards do not require a roof or overhang, although shelter can improve weather protection and comfort.
6. Treat outdoor space as a destination, not leftover land
List the outdoor areas promised by the program—such as a courtyard, garden, patio, terrace, or walking loop—and test each one as a destination. The route guidance expressly gives courtyards as an example of an exterior space that may need accessible-route access.
Evaluate each resident outdoor area
- Connection: Is there an accessible route from the building and, where relevant, from arrival points?
- Entry: Can residents pass through doors and gates without thresholds, tight turns, or hardware they cannot operate?
- Continuity: Does the route reach seating, shade, planting, exercise or activity areas, and the intended walking circuit rather than stopping at the edge?
- Comfort: Does the program address shade, weather, lighting, drainage, rest points, and seasonal maintenance for the resident population?
- Safety: Can staff observe the space, control exits where required, and separate resident circulation from service or vehicle movement?
- Maintenance: Are irrigation overspray, roots, leaves, snow, loose mulch, and furniture likely to make the route unusable?
The reviewed FGI site section does not prescribe an outdoor-space area, number of seats, loop length, planting scheme, or shade requirement. Do not present one as a nationwide standard. Ask the design team to show how the proposed space supports the stated resident population and program, then confirm any licensing or local design requirements separately.
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When two or more plans are under consideration, use the same marked-up criteria and record evidence rather than choosing the plan with the most attractive diagram.
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| Comparison axis | Questions to document |
|---|---|
| Accessible-route quality | Which plan has the most direct, continuous routes, fewest crossings, and least exposure to vehicle conflict? |
| Accessible parking | Are spaces near an accessible entrance, well lit, secure, protected where appropriate, and connected without crossing loading traffic? |
| Total parking supply | Which alternative has a documented rationale covering residents, staff, families, visitors, and peak operations? |
| Drop-off performance | Can vehicles pull up, unload, and depart without blocking the entrance, fire access, or pedestrian paths? |
| Emergency and service access | Can responding apparatus and service vehicles reach their destinations independently of everyday resident circulation? |
| Outdoor-space access | Does each plan connect the building to the resident outdoor spaces identified in the program? |
This is a practical decision framework synthesized from the cited guidance, not an official scoring rubric. Keep the underlying dimensions, route diagrams, calculations, and agency comments with the comparison so a later reviewer can reproduce the decision.
8. A repeatable review workflow
- Collect the current set: obtain the scaled site plan, civil grading and utility plans, landscape plan, photometric plan, floor plans, parking calculation, traffic or parking study, fire-access exhibit, and agency comments.
- Write the assumptions: record jurisdiction, licensing category, resident capacity, staffing, visitor pattern, service schedule, project stage, and adopted standards.
- Mark movement: use separate colors for public, staff, service, fire, and accessible routes.
- Verify parking: reconcile the demand rationale with the number of spaces in each facility, then check accessible-space scoping and dimensions.
- Verify grades and clearances: compare spot elevations, slopes, cross slopes, overhead obstructions, curb details, and route surfaces with the applicable requirements.
- Test operations: simulate a family arrival, staff shift change, delivery, waste pickup, ambulance response, wheelchair-van drop-off, and a resident trip to each outdoor area.
- Record findings: classify each item as required correction, design risk, missing information, or acceptable condition, and cite the responsible discipline or agency.
- Recheck revisions: repeat the route and vehicle simulations after any change to grading, parking, entrances, loading, landscape, or building location.
For a printed scaled drawing, an architectural scale ruler can help measure approximate distances, but confirm the drawing scale and verify dimensions with the design team. A paper measurement is not a substitute for surveyed grades, civil calculations, or an authority having jurisdiction’s determination.
Common failure modes and corrective actions
| Failure mode | Why it matters | Corrective action |
|---|---|---|
| Using a generic parking ratio | It may ignore shift overlap, visitors, resident vehicles, and local rules. | Provide a project-specific demand rationale or formal study and reconcile it with zoning requirements. |
| Counting accessible stalls across separate lots | Scoping is generally applied by parking facility, and a remote lot may not serve the entrance. | Count each facility separately and draw the shortest route from each accessible space. |
| Showing a compliant stall but no usable route | Vehicles, curbs, slopes, signs, or loading traffic can make the space inaccessible in practice. | Dimension the aisle, route, crossings, grades, clearances, and surface as a continuous system. |
| Putting the sidewalk behind parked cars by default | Reversing vehicles and limited sightlines increase conflict risk. | Route in front of spaces where feasible; otherwise add controlled crossings and document the safety treatment. |
| Leaving fire access to a later phase | Building placement, grades, gates, and landscaping can make a compliant route impossible later. | Have the fire official and civil designer confirm access geometry during site-plan review. |
| Calling a decorative courtyard accessible | An amenity at the end of an inaccessible path does not serve residents who need an accessible route. | Connect the building to the usable parts of the space and coordinate thresholds, gates, surfaces, and furniture. |
| Assuming a national outdoor-space quota | The reviewed FGI section supplies no universal area or amenity list. | Use the resident program and local licensing or design requirements as the basis. |
| Relying on an old code edition | Adoption dates and amendments vary by jurisdiction. | Confirm the edition and amendments with the authority having jurisdiction and qualified professionals. |
What to request before signing off
A defensible review package should contain:
- A jurisdiction and approvals matrix naming each reviewing agency and status.
- A project-data sheet with resident, staff, visitor, service, and emergency assumptions.
- A parking-demand calculation or study and a plan identifying each parking facility.
- Accessible-parking dimensions, van-space count, signs, aisle details, grades, surfaces, and vertical-clearance checks.
- Accessible-route overlays from streets, sidewalks, transit stops, parking, and loading to entrances and site elements.
- A passenger-loading exhibit showing the applicable facility classification and route to the accessible entrance.
- Fire and emergency access confirmation for the actual responding vehicles and site geometry.
- An outdoor-space schedule identifying each resident destination, route connection, furniture or activity areas, shade and comfort measures, and maintenance responsibilities.
- A response log showing who resolves each open item and which drawing revision incorporates the fix.
The final review should state its limits: it is a coordinated design and operations check, not a substitute for a licensed professional’s code analysis, a survey, a traffic or parking study where required, or an approval by the authority having jurisdiction.
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Approve the site concept only when its assumptions are explicit, its approvals are identified, and its circulation works for ordinary and emergency operations. Demand evidence for total parking rather than inventing a universal ratio. Check accessible parking by facility, then follow the actual route—slopes, crossings, clearances, lighting, and security included—to an accessible entrance. Finally, treat every resident outdoor area shown in the program as a destination that must be reachable and maintainable. The governing requirements will be local and project-specific, so use the cited FGI and ADA material as a structured starting point and obtain final determinations from the responsible agencies and qualified design professionals.
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