We’re looking at a 1219m2 block that may have future development potential and we’ve not looked into development as an option yet so have a few questions.
What zoning is required in order to be able to build townhouses? Is there a minimum block size you need to have or a minimum amount of land per townhouse? How do you determine the maximum height and number of townhouses that can be put onto a block of land?
Thanks for any help.
Originally posted by Kuade:We’re looking at a 1219m2 block that may have future development potential and we’ve not looked into development as an option yet so have a few questions.
What zoning is required in order to be able to build townhouses? Is there a minimum block size you need to have or a minimum amount of land per townhouse? How do you determine the maximum height and number of townhouses that can be put onto a block of land?
Thanks for any help.
A town planner (call your council or a local building inspector) will be able to help you with all that information. Alternatively if you log onto http://www.land.vic.gov.au and go to interactive maps enter in the address of the property you can call up a free property information sheet that will include the zoning for that piece of land amongst other things. I would imagine that you will need Z1 residential zoning. The block size will have a direct influence on how many units that you are able to put on the lot, you will definately get 3 but you may get 4. You need common areas (driveways to each unit) as well as a certain amount of permeable area for each dwelling (if you are going to get seperate titles for each unit). The height and design of the townhouses will be directly affected by the dwellings that already exist around it, as well as each other, this is a rescode requirement to ensure that everyone has some level of privacy from overlooking dwellings (there are more design elements than just privacy).
As mentioned above the first step is to speak to a town planner and get an idea of the zoning and whether you will be able to do what you want to do. You will need to make sure that it is feasable financially also; don’t want to buy the land, develop and then find out that your townhouses are dearer than others in the same area because you paid too much for the land in the first place. If it has a reasonable dwelling on it already you could also buy, hold/rent and develop in the future if the land is a little pricey at the moment.Due diligence is the word! Good luck
Julie Fisher
Daryl Fisher HomesThanks Julie.
We’re in Brisbane so the zoning codes may be different. The block is zoned Res A, which doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. I will ring up Bris Council and ask for a town planner. There are other townhouses in similar locations on the same street, though the blocks are slightly larger. The block is larger than the 1200 i mentioned as it has an easement driveway though that’s not usable land.
We can’t afford to develop on it at the moment, so are considering purchasing and looking for someone to partner with.
Thanks Julie.
We’re in Brisbane so the zoning codes may be different. The block is zoned Res A, which doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. I will ring up Bris Council and ask for a town planner. There are other townhouses in similar locations on the same street, though the blocks are slightly larger. The block is larger than the 1200 i mentioned as it has an easement driveway though that’s not usable land.
We can’t afford to develop on it at the moment, so are considering purchasing and looking for someone to partner with.
Originally posted by Kuade:Thanks Julie.
We’re in Brisbane so the zoning codes may be different. The block is zoned Res A, which doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. I will ring up Bris Council and ask for a town planner. There are other townhouses in similar locations on the same street, though the blocks are slightly larger. The block is larger than the 1200 i mentioned as it has an easement driveway though that’s not usable land.
We can’t afford to develop on it at the moment, so are considering purchasing and looking for someone to partner with.
OK then, the Rescode thing may not apply either in that case. Not sure if Qld have those design restrictions. Definately see a local building inspector or town planner then and they will be able to point you in the right direction. If you go to http://www.lgp.qld.gov.au this site appears to have some planning info on it, as well as noting that councils in you state have some say in planning strategy. Subheading Planning & Development.
Julie
Daryl Fisher Homes.Thanks again for the help Julie. I called a council town planner and was informed that in Bris the land must be at least 3000 m2 to put townhouses on. I didn’t actually ask if the same rule applies to duplexes.
Originally posted by Kuade:Thanks again for the help Julie. I called a council town planner and was informed that in Bris the land must be at least 3000 m2 to put townhouses on. I didn’t actually ask if the same rule applies to duplexes.
Wow, that is 3/4 of an acre! What if you only go single storey? Could you do it on a smaller allotment then? Alternatively how many townhouses could you fit on 3000m2? You might need to look for a JV partner with some serious equity/$. Good luck.
They basically said we couldn’t do townhouses on the lot we’ve found as its too small. I didn’t ask if we could do duplexes though
The property has a granny flat on it as well as a 3 bedroom house, but the granny flat has no plumbing and the ceiling is only 2.2m The deal could potentially be cf+ but we would need to do a fair bit of work with the granny flat (it has the potential to be 2 bedroom). The house and GF is full of asbestos too (roof and walls). Then there’s the issue of legally leasing the house and granny flats separately.
We currently own 7 lots on which we want to develop 4 gated, complexes with 26 townhouse units in total. In a time when people do not want to purchase off plan/pre-construction, what is the best way for me to minimize my cash outlay, my risk and to get payment ahead, during and exactly upon completion? Currently financing is planned via bank loans.
thanks,
Calabash
If you are planning a property development there are three major disciplines:
- Town Planning
- Architecture (design)
- Building
There are lots more people involved, but the three above are the key.
These three elements need to come together to deliver your project.
Before getting too far down the track, the first step is to talk with a good town planner. These are private, not municipal planners, that I am talking about. A good planner will be able to tell you in 10 minutes whether the land can be developed. Hopefully your planner can also provide you with an inexpensive assessment of the proposal.
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