The Opportunity
Manufacturing sites need:- Heavy industrial zoning allowing manufacturing uses
- Public water service (wells often can’t support industrial demand)
- Public sewer service (septic systems can’t handle industrial effluent)
- Reliable power infrastructure (manufacturing needs consistent supply)
- Adequate acreage for buildings, truck courts, and expansion
Walkthrough: Finding Manufacturing Sites with Utility Access
Let’s find sites for a manufacturing facility requiring at least 15 acres with heavy industrial zoning. We need sites with public water, sewer, and power service, and we want to know which providers serve each area.Step 1: Write the Research Request
Name the target market in the request. In this example, the geography spans Orlando, Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Oakland—established industrial corridors in Central Florida.Step 2: Add the Criteria
We asked:Find sites for a manufacturing facility - need at least 15 acres with heavy industrial zoning that allows manufacturing. I need sites with public water, sewer, and reliable power. Show me which utility providers serve each area.This triggers a complex multi-layer analysis:
- Heavy industrial zoning research across 5 municipalities
- Water service area mapping
- Wastewater/sewer service area mapping
- Electric power service area mapping
- Cross-layer intersection to find sites with all utilities
Step 3: Watch the Research
Ploti recognizes that the study area spans 5 jurisdictions and researches industrial zoning codes that permit manufacturing for each: Industrial Zoning Codes Found:
Utility Providers Identified:
Step 4: Review the Research Approach
The completed research preserved: Ordinance Citations:- Orange County Sec. 38-77 — Use Table (manufacturing permitted in all I-districts)
- Orlando Figure 2B — Allowable Uses (manufacturing in I-G, I-P districts)
- Winter Garden Sec. 118-727/772 — I-1 and I-2 permitted uses
- Ocoee LDC Article V § 5-3 — Industrial district regulations
- Filter industrial-zoned parcels ≥15 acres
- Map water service provider territories
- Map wastewater/sewer service territories
- Map electric power service territories
- Intersect parcels with all three utility layers
- Identify which providers serve each site
Step 5: Review the Analysis Outputs
Once the data check was complete, Ploti ran the analysis. Ploti maps the qualifying parcels and each utility layer:
Key Finding: 100% of the industrial parcels have public water, sewer, and power service. No sites were eliminated due to lack of utility coverage.
Step 6: Review the Results
Step 7: Review Site-by-Site Utility Details
The analysis document shows exactly which providers serve each site:
This utility provider information is critical for:
- Capacity discussions — Know who to call before signing a contract
- Rate comparisons — Different providers have different rate structures
- Connection costs — Municipal utilities often have lower tap fees than county utilities
- Approval timelines — Some providers are faster than others
Step 8: Toggle Utility Layers
The analysis includes supporting layers you can toggle on the map:- Water Service Areas — See which water provider covers each area
- Wastewater Service Areas — See sewer provider territories
- Power Service Areas — See Duke Energy vs OUC coverage
Why This Matters
This analysis demonstrates infrastructure-aware site selection:- Zoning + utilities combined — Not just “is it zoned industrial” but “can I actually operate here”
- Provider identification — Know exactly who to contact for capacity verification
- Multi-jurisdiction research — Researched 5 different municipal codes
- 100% coverage confirmation — All sites passed utility screening
- Ordinance citations — Hyperlinked references to actual code sections
- Researching industrial zoning codes for 5 municipalities
- Obtaining water service area maps from each utility
- Obtaining sewer service area maps from each utility
- Obtaining electric service territory maps
- Manually cross-referencing parcels against all utility boundaries
Taking It Further
With utility providers identified, you can refine further:Which sites are served by OUC for all utilities?OUC provides water, sewer, AND power to some Orlando sites—single point of contact for all utilities.
What are the I-2 development standards in Winter Garden?Research setbacks, height limits, and screening requirements for heavy industrial.
Show me the sites with the lowest wetland coverageAdd environmental screening to the utility-qualified sites.
Which sites are closest to the highway interchange?Factor in transportation access for shipping and receiving.
Key Insights
Why Utility Coverage Matters for Manufacturing
Manufacturing operations typically require:- High water volume — Cooling, processing, sanitation
- Industrial sewer capacity — Process wastewater, pretreatment requirements
- Reliable power — Production interruptions are costly
- 3-phase power — Most industrial equipment requires it
- Well capacity limitations
- Septic system restrictions on effluent
- Generator backup costs
- Higher operating expenses
Power Provider Implications
In this market, two power providers serve industrial sites:
For power-intensive manufacturing, the rate difference can be significant. Contact both providers for rate comparisons before site selection.
Municipal vs County Utilities
Sites served by municipal utilities (Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland) often have:- Lower tap/connection fees
- Faster permitting
- More responsive service
- Economic development incentives
- Higher capacity
- More complex approval processes
- Different rate structures
Tips
- Call utilities early — Verify capacity before signing a contract; don’t assume availability means capacity
- Ask about 3-phase power — Most manufacturing requires it; not all sites have it
- Check pretreatment requirements — Some manufacturing processes require wastewater pretreatment
- Compare rates — Power costs can vary significantly between providers
- Consider redundancy — Some sites can access multiple providers for backup
- Ask about economic development rates — Some utilities offer incentives for new manufacturing
Other Example Prompts
Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Where can I build a food processing facility in Orange County? Research which zones allow food manufacturing and find sites with adequate water/sewer capacity.Food processing has specific zoning and utility requirements.
Heavy Manufacturing with Buffer
Find heavy industrial sites over 20 acres that are well-separated from residential areas. I want to minimize noise and odor complaints.Buffer analysis for industrial uses with environmental impacts.
Light Manufacturing / Assembly
Find sites suitable for light manufacturing or assembly - 5-15 acres with I-1 zoning and good road access.Smaller footprint manufacturing with different zoning requirements.
Power-Intensive Operations
I need a site for manufacturing with very high power requirements. Find industrial parcels and tell me which power provider serves each area so I can compare rates.Focus on power infrastructure for energy-intensive manufacturing.
Manufacturing Campus
Find sites for a manufacturing campus with room for expansion - at least 30 acres with heavy industrial zoning and full utilities.Large-scale manufacturing with phased development potential.