3 ms·

You forget subdivision regulations which will require roads, curbs, a drainage system (lines, catch basins, retention ponds). You'll need an engineer. You may

You forget subdivision regulations which will require roads, curbs, a drainage system (lines, catch basins, retention ponds). You'll need an engineer. You may need a sewer system or, if you install septic tanks, you'll have to go to half-acre lots. You'll have to file a plat in the Recorder's Office, so you can sell lots. You can't do that without planning commission approval.You'll need a surveyor. Whether the roads are public or private, they still require the same public standards, because fire trucks have to drive on them and, because the county may have to acquire them to maintain so they'll want them to meet a certain standard. All of these costs have to be paid upfront. There's more but you soon begin to realize that you can't get 600 lots on 150 acres nor will your costs be limited to $6MM.

ctdonath 6y ago
Of course there are more details and costs. Question is whether those lamenting the abuse by profiteers are willing to solve the problems (as they lament) by purchasing & developing a comparable & competitive property just 1.75 miles away ... or, by failing to, demonstrate that at least the abusing profiteers are in fact providing a competitive service vs merely lamenting. Your reasonable complaints do raise the point that zoning laws drive the cost of housing out of reach of the poor. Having infrastructure beyond mere sewage, electric, and a gravel road is of course desirable, yet what is gained if residents can’t afford it? At what point, and how, does reality collide with objective costs of good intentions? And yes, 150 acres divided by 600 lots is 0.25 acres per lot - plenty of room for a single-wide and share of infrastructure.