Subdividing Lot and building a duplex

[Lance Rogers]

I live on a large 4.38 acre lot in an up and coming area in SC and my lot is off a major road in the city (property is not part of the city but is physically located inside city limits).  I am living in a guest house that was built on the property and there is an approved site for a main house.

There is another section of my lot that is .5-.75 acres and sits between the major road and a section of my driveway that I would like to subdivide and build a duplex on, but I am not sure where to start to know if I'm even allowed to build there.  The lot is zoned RC-I but is next to several RC-II properties.  Building on this part of my lot would not affect the plans for the main house and has enough room to meet all setback requirements.  The duplex would also be close enough to the road to access city water and sewage, where as the rest of the property is not close enough to access them.  I want to build an eye-catching, modern looking duplex that can easily be converted into a single family home.

Assuming I can get approval for a duplex here I'm going to try and buy a few of the older surrounding homes and modernize them in an attempt to increase development interest in this side of the city.  There has been major investment in other areas of the city, but so far my part of the city has not received much new investment yet.

Are there any good books on new real estate development that I should read first?  Should I start with calling the county and asking what I need to do?