4. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

4.1 Development Criteria

An adequate level and range of commercial facilities are required to meet the business needs of the community. Commercial development also contributes to the process of economic development through the generation of business activities and the creation of employment opportunities. Depending on the form of development and the mode of operation, commercial development could however also generate certain adverse environmental impacts associated with environmental quality and traffic congestion.

Key development criteria for commercial development may therefore be outlined as follows:

• Safe and convenient location in relation to service population.
• Minimisation of any possible adverse impacts on the wider community such as noise, offensive odours, excessive traffic, etc.
• Provision of an adequate level and range of services in relation to service population.
• Provision of adequate supporting facilities and amenities such as parking and landscaping.
• Architectural design in harmony with surrounding environment and for fire protection and other safety requirements.

4.2 Forms of Commercial Development

Essentially, commercial development can take a variety of forms, including:

• Individual stand alone facilities such as a convenience shop located in a residential community.
• A hierarchy of planned shopping centres at the neighbourhood, community, and regional levels.
• Commercial strips and districts located in urban and rural district centres and subregional centres.
• Central business district, or downtown district, of major urban centres.

4.3 The Downtown District

Commercial activity in downtown districts usually takes the form of retail and office establishments clustered in a central business district. It is not unusual to find these uses existing as mixed use developments on individual properties with the retail activities on the lower floors and office uses at the upper levels. Also, in larger centres such as Port of Spain, distinct retail and office subdistricts may emerge within the CBD. Specialised retail areas, such as a banking district, may also develop over time. Downtown shopping malls are also developing as a relatively new phenomenon in downtown districts.

4.4 The Shopping Centre

Comprehensively planned shopping centres are developed at the neighbourhood, community, and regional levels, with each level having an increasingly larger service population, respectively. Neighbourhood and community shopping centres are generally associated with particular residential neighbourhoods and communities, while the regional centres comprise more foot loose facilities servicing much wider regions in the country.

Each level of shopping centre will usually provide a range of services based on its hierarchical position as well as the size, shape, and position of the site.

Shopping centres should also be provided with adequate supporting facilities such as parking, loading, lay-byes and shelters for public transport, landscaping, outdoor furniture, public toilets, and public telephones.

4.5 Architectural Design

The highest standards of architectural design are required in commercial buildings.  The design, siting, and scale of buildings should complement the surroundings and promote a harmonious urban landscape with proper relationships between open space and built development.

Amalgamation of sites for comprehensive development will be encouraged particularly in areas allocated for commercial development where existing plot sizes are small.

4.6 Parking

Parking and loading requirements for commercial development will vary with the location and type of development, as outlined in Table 4.1.

4.7 Utilities

Commercial development must be provided with adequate levels of utility services. Provision should be made for the basic services of water supply, wastewater management, storm water drainage, solid waste disposal, electricity, and telecommunications.

General requirements for the provision of these utilities are presented in Section 8.

4.8 Commercial Plot Development Standards

Table 4.1 outlines standards for commercial development. The standards are presented for five (5) commercial zoning districts, which are essentially categorised on the basis of intensity of development. The general development form and locational characteristics of the five zones may be outlined as follows:

C1: Low intensity neighbourhood convenience shops.

C2: Medium intensity commercial development in urban and rural district centres, as defined in the national system of settlements (NPDP).

C3: High intensity commercial development in sub-regional centres and urban districts in regional centres.

C4: High intensity commercial development in central business districts of regional centres.

C5: Planned shopping centres at the neighbourhood, district, or regional level.

Table 4.1: Commercial Site Development Standards

DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS	COMMERCIAL ZONES
	LOW INTENSITY COMMERCIAL	MEDIUM INTENSITY COMMERCIAL	HIGH INTENSITY COMMERCIAL		PLANNED SHOPPING CENTRES
	C1	C2	C3	C4	C5
MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA RATIO	0.5	1.0	2.0	5.0	0.5
MINIMUM PLOT SIZE	450m2	Existing established plots within the zone	Exist. small plots @ FAR 1.0 450m2 @ FAR 1.5 1000m2 @ FAR 2.0	Exist. small plots @ FAR 2.0 450m2 @ FAR 3.0 2000m2 @ FAR 4.0 4000m2 @ FAR 5.0	Neighbourhood Centre 1.2ha District Centre 4ha Regional Centre 5ha
MAXIMUM PLOT COVERAGE	75%	85%	100%	100%	90%
MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT	2 storeys or 8.5m	2 storeys or 8.5m	3 storeys or 12m	6 storeys or 23m 10 storeys or 37m (4000m2)	3 storeys or 15m
MINIMUM BUILDING SETBACK
Front	4.5m	4.5m 7.5m on major roads	4.5m 7.5m on major roads 3m from curb on main pedestrian shopping streets	3m from curb	7.5m
Side	2.5m	2.5m	Fire wall or 1.25m clear	Fire wall or 1.25m clear	7.5m
Rear	4.5m	3.5m	2.5m	Fire wall or 2.5m clear	7.5m
MINIMUM PARKING PROVISION	1 space per 40m2 commercial floor space	1 space per 40m2 commercial floor space	1 space per 40m2 commercial floor space None for establishments on main pedestrian shopping streets	To be based on transportation policy for the area	6 spaces per 100m2 gross floor area
MINIMUM LOADING PROVISION	1 loading bay	1 space per 450m2  gross floor area	1 space per 450m2  gross floor area None for establishments on main pedestrian shopping streets	To be based on transportation policy for the area	2 spaces per 1000m2  gross floor area and 1 space per 1000m2  in excess of 1000m2  up to a maximum of 4 spaces
NOTES:
1. This table is a guide only and should be used in conjunction with relevant local area plan.
2. For plots of a minimum size less than 450m2 site development standards are adjusted as required.