Community Shipping Area / Loading Dock Occupancy

[ajbarc]

So I have a question that I may be over thinking, but I wanted to get some feedback from someone who has maybe seen this before.

I have a building owner that has an old big box retail building with a loading dock at the back. He wants to divide the building up into three separate retail tenants each with their own storage area and an enclosed community area at the back that is a shipping / loading dock area that will give all three tenants access to the existing loading dock.

I am going to make sure egress for each of those spaces is handled without going through the community space, but beyond that what is the best way to treat that space when it comes to occupancy totals. Would that space be divided up equally and added to the occupancy load of each of the individual suites, or would you treat it as its own separate space and permit kind of like a lobby in an office building. If I treat it like its own space will it need its own restrooms? Suite number? etc?

 

[RLGA]

Yes, you are overthinking it just a bit. Treat it just like you would any other space: It has an occupant load (regardless of who is occupying it) that requires a means of egress.

For determining fixture counts, you can divide the occupant load equally among the three tenants and add each number to their respective tenant space occupant loads.

If the space is used as a transition area (i.e., from dock to tenant space) and not for storage, then its function is more in line with that of a corridor and can possibly be used as such for means of egress (assuming standard swinging doors are provided). It is not any different than the back egress door being used for deliveries to an office building. However, if materials will be stored in the space--even temporarily for noticeable periods of time--then I would consider the area a storage function, and egress through it would not be permitted.

 

[steveray]

Might be harder to handle egress vs. security at the doors out of the dock area....

 

[ajbarc]

Thank you both for your help