Small lot subdivisions

Have any of you guys worked on small lot subdivisions within urban areas? I know the model looks at lots zoned for multifamily and then splitting the lot into smaller ones for single-family homes. I know they're just detached townhomes in a way but there is not true HOA, instead a maintenance agreement. I've worked on one project like this but we bought the project already entitled and permit ready so I'm curious to know what the approval process is like?

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Define urban areas. Small lot subdivisions are non-existent in a true urban area because its not financially feasible for a developer as they need to go vertical.

Now if by urban you mean like a suburb of a major metro, yes. They are common. I would not call them a "detached townhome". Theyre simply SFHs regardless of the lot size. I am not sure where you heard about HOA, but if its a planned subdivision, its under a HOA, typically. 

As the poster above said, this is a loaded question. Permitting & approval depend on so many different factors. Every state, county, municipality, and district has their own regulations. In some area you can see years of planning before even getting a shovel in the ground, in other areas, you could submit plans and have approval within weeks. Thats why the best developers are the ones that are local and use local land use attorneys that have significant knowledge/connections of the regulations within that area. 

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Ok I think I'm confusing people and i think it is becoming apparent how very different development requirements are in each state or municipality.

I'm not talking about planned subdivisions, those are pretty much always out in suburbs. By urban areas, I mean actual cities that are densely populated. 

A small lot subdivision is usually in cities or heavily populated areas. They usually have multiple single family homes built with looser setback requirements that increase density. It starts to look like a detached townhouse because of how small your setbacks are, it's to the point where two homes are almost touching. I'm in California and you do not have to have an HOA for this because not all of them will have a common shared area. Even if there is one like a shared driveway there is a maintenance agreement setup between owners. Not all planned subdivisions in California have HOAs either, you might have mello-roos instead, which is another assessment added onto your property tax bill.

I worked on a small lot subdivision project within the city of Los Angeles. I did not work on the one below specifically but that is an example of one. There are quite few that have popped up all over Los Angeles and am just curious about the initial process. I know other cities have them, they just get called different things like narrow lot homes or DC calls them Alley Lot developments where splitting the lot is key

 

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