> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://terrascout.ai/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Pad Site Search > Find outparcel opportunities near major retail anchors for drive-through and freestanding development Pad sites—small parcels adjacent to larger retail developments—benefit from established traffic patterns and co-tenancy. Ploti combines POI data for retail anchors with vacancy filtering and drive-through zoning research to find outparcel opportunities near the stores that generate traffic. ## The Opportunity Pad sites are attractive because: * Built-in traffic from anchor tenants (grocery, big-box) * Established retail location with proven demand * Smaller footprint than ground-up development (typically 0.5-2 acres) * Often available when main center is fully leased * Drive-through uses capture pass-by traffic The challenge: Finding vacant parcels near anchors requires mapping POI data, filtering for vacancy, verifying commercial zoning, and researching drive-through requirements across multiple jurisdictions. ## Walkthrough: Finding Pad Sites Near Major Retail Anchors Let's find pad site opportunities for a drive-through restaurant near Walmart, Target, Publix, and other grocery stores. We need small vacant commercial lots that can support drive-through operations. ### Step 1: Select Your Search Area Draw a boundary around your target market. In this example, we drew an area spanning Orlando, Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Windermere—major retail corridors with established anchor tenants. Selecting a boundary for pad site search ### Step 2: Ask the Question Asking Ploti to find pad site opportunities We asked: > Find pad site opportunities near Walmart, Target, or grocery stores. Looking for small vacant commercial lots (under 2 acres) that could work for a drive-through restaurant. This triggers a multi-layer analysis: * POI discovery for retail anchors * Small parcel filtering (under 2 acres) * Vacancy detection * Drive-through zoning research by municipality ### Step 3: Watch the Discovery Ploti discovered retail anchor locations and researched drive-through requirements: **Anchor Stores Identified:** | Anchor Type | Count | Notes | | ----------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------- | | Walmart | 6 | Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets | | Publix | 10+ | Supermarket locations | | Target | 1 | West Grant St location | | ALDI | 5 | Colonial Drive corridor | | Department Stores | Multiple | Ross, Big Lots, Burlington, Bealls | | **Total Anchors** | **74** | All major retail traffic generators | **Drive-Through Zoning by Municipality:** | Municipality | Drive-Through Permitted Zoning Codes | | --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | City of Orlando | MU-1, MU-2, AC-N, AC-1, AC-2, AC-3, I-C (permitted); AC-3A/T (conditional) | | Orange County | C-1, C-2, C-3, P-D (prohibited in LARS Overlay) | | Winter Garden | Commercial districts (NC, GC) | | Ocoee | C-1, C-2, PD | **Key Finding:** Orlando has the most specific drive-through regulations with clear zoning districts where permitted per Sec. 58.740. Orange County prohibits drive-throughs in the Lake Apopka Rural Settlement (LARS) Overlay. ### Step 4: Review the Plan Analysis plan showing pad site search approach Ploti's plan: 1. Create anchor store checkpoint (Walmart, Target, Publix, grocery/department stores) 2. Create vacant commercial parcels checkpoint (under 2 acres, commercial zoning) 3. Spatial proximity filter (within \~1,000 ft of anchors) 4. Refine by jurisdiction with appropriate drive-through zoning 5. Create final checkpoint with supporting anchor store layer **Ordinance Citations:** * Orlando Sec. 58.740 — Drive-Through General Requirements (permitted zones) * Orlando Sec. 58.741 — Waiting Areas (6 spaces minimum for restaurants) * Orange County Sec. 38-74 — Permitted Uses (Use Table 38-77) * Orange County Sec. 38-1094 — LARS Overlay Prohibited Uses (drive-throughs prohibited) ### Step 5: Run the Analysis Click **Run Plan** to execute. Ploti creates checkpoints at each step: | Checkpoint | Count | Description | | -------------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------- | | Major Retail Anchors | 74 | Walmart, Target, Publix, grocery, department stores | | Vacant Commercial Parcels | 394 | Base set: 0.2-2 acres with commercial zoning | | **Pad Site Opportunities** | **24** | Within \~1,000 ft of anchors | The progressive filtering shows how Ploti narrowed from 394 vacant commercial parcels to 24 prime pad site opportunities based on anchor proximity. ### Step 6: Review the Results Map showing 24 pad site opportunities near retail anchors **24 pad site opportunities** within \~1,000 feet of major retail anchors: | City | Parcels | Primary Zoning | Drive-Through Status | | ------------- | ------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Orlando | 11 | AC-2, AC-3, C-1, C-2, C-3 | ✓ Permitted in AC zones per Sec. 58.740 | | Ocoee | 7 | C-2 | Verify per Ocoee LDC | | Winter Garden | 6 | C-2 | Verify per Winter Garden Code | The map shows pad sites with the anchor store layer—toggle it to visualize the traffic generators near each opportunity. ### Step 7: Examine Top Opportunities Detail view of a specific pad site opportunity **Top Opportunities by Proximity to Anchors:** | Address | City | Acres | Zoning | Nearest Anchor | Distance | | --------------------- | ------------- | ----- | ------ | ------------------- | -------- | | N Clarke Rd | Ocoee | 0.65 | C-2 | Publix | 170 ft | | W Colonial Dr | Ocoee | 0.20 | C-2 | ALDI | 177 ft | | 300 N Bluford Ave | Ocoee | 0.91 | C-2 | Supermarket | 289 ft | | 7218 International Dr | Orlando | 1.53 | C-2 | ABC Supermarket | 292 ft | | W Colonial Dr | Orlando | 0.79 | C-1 | Supermarket | 328 ft | | 1002 S Dillard St | Winter Garden | 1.46 | C-2 | Big Lots | 433 ft | | 5304 International Dr | Orlando | 1.65 | AC-3 | Ross | 564 ft | | 5954 Metrowest Blvd | Orlando | 1.98 | AC-2 | Walmart Supercenter | 640 ft | **Best for Drive-Through:** The Orlando AC-2 and AC-3 sites (Metrowest Blvd, International Dr) have drive-through uses explicitly permitted per Sec. 58.740—no conditional use or special exception required. ### Step 8: Understand Key Corridors The analysis revealed four key corridors for pad site opportunities: | Corridor | Opportunities | Notes | | ------------------------ | ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | W Colonial Drive (SR 50) | Multiple | Orlando and Ocoee, high traffic arterial | | International Drive | Multiple | Tourism corridor, AC zoning (drive-through permitted) | | Downtown Winter Garden | 6 | Growing retail area on Dillard St/Palmetto St | | Metrowest Blvd | 1 | Near Walmart Supercenter, AC-2 zoning | ## Why This Matters This analysis demonstrates **anchor-adjacent site selection**: 1. **POI discovery** — Found 74 retail anchors automatically from mapping data 2. **Small parcel filtering** — Focused on pad-appropriate sizes (0.2-2 acres) 3. **Proximity analysis** — Spatial filter within 1,000 ft of traffic generators 4. **Drive-through zoning research** — Municipality-specific permitted zones 5. **Supporting layers** — Toggle anchor stores to visualize traffic sources Without Ploti, this analysis would require: * Obtaining POI data for major retailers * Mapping anchor locations across the metro * Filtering parcel data for vacancy and size * Performing spatial proximity analysis * Researching drive-through zoning for each municipality **That's specialized GIS and zoning work.** Ploti translated "pad sites near anchors for drive-through" into the right spatial and regulatory analysis. ## Taking It Further With 24 pad sites identified, you can refine further: > Which of these sites have the highest traffic counts on adjacent roads? Layer in AADT data for site quality ranking. > Show me the drive-through stacking requirements for AC-2 zoning in Orlando Research the 6-space waiting area requirement (Sec. 58.741). > Which pad sites are NOT in the LARS Overlay? Exclude areas where drive-throughs are prohibited. > What's the typical land value for pad sites in this market? Compare assessed values across opportunities. ## Key Insights ### Why Anchor Proximity Drives Value Pad sites near grocery anchors benefit from: * **Frequency** — Grocery shoppers visit 2-3x per week * **Dwell time** — Shoppers already out of cars, willing to make secondary stops * **Captive audience** — Customers see your business entering/exiting the center * **Proven demand** — Anchor presence validates the retail location The closer to the anchor, the better—sites within 200 feet capture the most pass-by traffic. ### Drive-Through Zoning is Municipality-Specific Don't assume drive-through is permitted in commercial zones: | Municipality | Drive-Through Status | | --------------------- | --------------------------------- | | Orlando AC zones | ✓ Explicitly permitted | | Orlando C zones | Verify per use table | | Orange County C zones | ✓ Permitted (except LARS Overlay) | | Ocoee C-2 | Likely permitted, verify | | Winter Garden | Verify per code | **Orlando AC-2 and AC-3 sites are the safest bets**—drive-through explicitly listed as permitted use. ### The 1,000-Foot Threshold We used \~1,000 feet as the proximity filter because: * Walking distance from anchor parking lot * Close enough for visibility from anchor * Captures sites that feel "part of" the retail center * Industry standard for pad site trade area Sites beyond 1,000 feet lose the co-tenancy benefit. ## Tips * **Toggle the anchor layer** — Seeing which store generates traffic helps prioritize sites * **Verify access** — Pad sites need ingress/egress from the main road, not just anchor adjacency * **Check stacking requirements** — Orlando requires 6 waiting spaces for drive-through restaurants * **Consider visibility** — Corner parcels and road-facing sites perform better * **Research overlays** — LARS, tourism, and corridor overlays have special requirements * **AC zones are premium** — Orlando Activity Center zoning explicitly permits drive-through ## Other Example Prompts ### Bank Pad Sites > Find small commercial parcels under 1 acre near grocery stores for a bank branch with drive-through Banks need similar pad site characteristics. ### Pharmacy Pads > Show me vacant commercial lots near grocery anchors that could support a Walgreens or CVS with drive-through Pharmacy + grocery co-tenancy is common. ### Coffee Shop Pads > Find pad site opportunities under 0.75 acres near Publix or Walmart for a drive-through coffee shop Smaller footprint for morning traffic capture. ### Quick Service Multiple Sites > I need 5 pad sites across the Orlando metro for a QSR expansion. Find vacant commercial near grocery anchors in different submarkets. Multi-site analysis for expansion planning. ### Non-Drive-Through Retail > Find pad sites near big-box retailers for a sit-down restaurant—don't need drive-through capability Different zoning requirements when drive-through isn't needed.