Townhouse vs. Garden Style for small multifamily (~20 units)

[Jay Vance]

I'm looking working on permitting a small multifamily rental project in the Boston suburbs. It's an infill site, so the number of units is limited by parking and dimensional constraints, but it looks like we could get somewhere around 16 units in a townhouse layout or 24 units in a garden style layout. This would be a develop and hold project for us.

Does anyone have any knowledge of the different long-term ownership/management costs between a townhouse style vs. garden style project. My hunch is that the townhouses would have lower maintenance costs because there is no interior common areas/hallways to heat or maintain. My sense is they would also be more attractive as each unit would have a separate entry. But other perspectives would be appreciated.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!