Your real estate holdings offer you a wide variety of different opportunities. You may increase the value of your property by building new structures or improving the existing buildings. However, zoning may limit those opportunities.
How can zoning impact your options as a property owner?
Whether your property has been zoned as agricultural land, industrial, commercial, residential or recreational, that zoning can significantly impact the ways that you can use your property. Depending on the regulations in your area, zoning can impact:
- Required set backs for new structures or additions
- Building height
- Opportunities for parking areas
- Building density on a lot
- The number of rooms that a building can contain
- How you can landscape the property
These limitations can limit your ability to develop your land in the way that you want, and they can impact the value of your property long-term.
Is rezoning the right option for you?
Generally, property owners have two options available to them: a conditional use permit or a hearing for a zoning change.
Conditional use permits allow you to use your property in a way that the original zoning regulations do not cover while maintaining the existing zoning. Local ordinances will usually specify the uses for which you can request a conditional use permit.
Rezoning allows you to change the zoning for your property, allowing you to change the regulations that govern its use. Generally, property owners make these requests because changing the zoning of the property would improve its value or allow different uses for the land. Hearings for rezoning are governed by the planning and zoning departments of city or county governments, and the process for requesting a hearing will vary depending on the location of your property.
If you wonder whether a conditional use permit or rezoning is the right option for your property, consider seeking legal guidance to explore your options.
