Tiny home community new development - planning phase

[Jordan Thompson]

I'm working with my dad on an upcoming project of his: building tiny-ish homes on his farm (400 to 600 sqft each). The plan is to build 3 homes: 2 for long term rentals and 1 for STR. Land is already his and paid for, building materials will be out of pocket, he and I along with a few friends will do the construction. Septic, well, and utilities are already in place from a previous home that burned in that spot (different story and unrelated to existing utilities). Still some pieces to put in place, but hopefully he'll pull the trigger on getting started. I'm incredibly excited to work and learn.

I love the idea and would like to do the same for myself, but I do not currently have the land. If the logistics and numbers work, I'm committed to seeing this through. My main goal is make a healthy return (definition of health tbd) while providing affordable housing. I already have 2 units that I purchased 11/21, rehabbed, and self manage which surpass the 1% rule, and yield a 14.5% CoC return so I'm comfortable with the physical work, property management, and associated risk.

Now, I'm at the end of my knowledge leash so I'm turning to the pros at my BP home.  

Givens for each scenario: 

1. Land must have road access or room to build one to an existing road

2. Land must either have access to water/septic/utilities or accommodate well and septic and be close enough to run utilities

3. All actions taken will be legal.  I will break the law under no circumstances - I will pull permits and get approvals where required.

4. I intend to build 8 - 14 units and self manage with my existing processes.

5. I know cost will vary wildly with land constraints, location,  fit/finish, size and amenities - this is on my list to determine, but I need to understand the larger map first.

The part I'm having trouble understanding is the land acquisition, zoning and law adherence (I know I'll need to check local guidelines - still haven't determined exact county yet). Here are my ideas:

Idea 1: purchase 1.5 to 3 acres outright with no loan.  subdivide the land into individual lots of ~5k-7k sq ft (I'm open to keeping the land as 1 parcel - advice is welcome), build each unit out of pocket as cash is available.

Idea 2: purchase 1.5 to 3 acres outright with no loan.  Get a loan to build all units (or large batch) at one time.

Idea 3: Finance the land, build the units out of pocket (my least favorite option).

My questions:

1. I know tiny homes can be considered RV's, any idea on zoning requirements and the process of re-zoning?

2. What should I watch out for or avoid altogether? 

3. What is the best place to find current state/county regulations and laws on this type of community?

4. If any of you have done this or something like it, would you do it again? or differently?

All questions and feedback are welcome.  Thanks, Jordan