Creating a multi unit development on one Lot is one level up
rung from
normal residential house entry point for most of us in real estate development. So today I want to take you to that next level and talk about developing several residences on one Lot. The number of residences we put on
Lot is not relevant at this stage, but for simplicity, let’s agree on a unit development of six (6). First lets understand that in
84 countries my e-book, “Residential Development Made Easy,” is studied there are different terms or names used for
unit development. I am talking about a number of residences that are all on one level - all on
ground – there is no other unit on top – and I’ll call each one a ‘unit.’
Yes, in places they are called town houses or town homes or cluster houses, but for ease of understanding, lets agree on calling
units.
So if your ambition is to develop six a unit development,
first question is, ”Where Do I Start?”
OK, every city or town in
free world has a Town Plan and it comprises, not surprisingly, of plans or maps, usually with lots of different colors all over them, to distinguish
different zonings of
land in your Town. In addition there are By Laws that define in writing exactly what is allowed to be developed in each zone. For example, Residential Housing may be Yellow; Medium Density Housing, like for unit development, may be Pink; and Industrial Buildings Orange, whatever.
So you can see at a glance how
town plan is broken up into land use categories. Just as you can’t build a house anywhere you like, you can’t have a farm or a factory in
middle of a residential area either.
So
first thing you must do is find out what is
‘Zoning’ of
land you own or are thinking of buying. Getting land Rezoned is another issue altogether.
Let’s assume your land is already zoned for Medium Density Residential. The Town Plan will tell you all
requirements you have to undertake to develop your six units. It will tell you
minimum Lot size allowed on which you can build two units.
It will tell you
distance in feet or metres you have to Set-Back
building line from
boundaries of
land,
road, either internal and/or external.