Multi-family Zoning/ Development in Palm Beach County

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Hey there trusty BiggerPockets,

Hope y'all are having a powerfully successful day! 

I'm looking at buying a plot of land in Palm Beach county and it is zoned 0800 - MULTIFAMILY < 10 UNITS. The land is the size of about 8-10 regular sized lots in the neighborhood. What I'd like to potentially do is develop town homes on the lot. 

Questions: 

1. Are town homes considered multifamily- units or do they need separate zoning?

2. Does up to ten units mean per x amount of sq ft or does it mean the whole lot?

3. What is the ration of sq ft. to unit allowed within Palm Beach county?

4. How flexible is Palm Beach in general with zoning?

I very much look forward to hearing from y'all. 

Much Love,

Meirah 

[Ivan Vargas]

You've got a whole lot of reading to do... Are you looking to subdivide the lot into 8-10 individual lots or build 10 units in the lot and make it one property with ten units? Or my actual question is do you plan on selling them individually or just renting them out and if you do decide to sell them later sell one big multifamily property? (very rare in palm beach) 

1. Townhouses are not multifamily and in Palm Beach County if you look around, they have their own lot and PCN. Commonly you'll see a townhouse which is actually classified as a condominium. I believe they have a special zoning just for townhouses which requires a special approval to get your lot zoned as a PUD (planned unit development).

2. The lot size will determine how many units can be built on it based on the zoning. 0800 - Multifamily is a use code not a zoning classification. zoning is either RS (residential single), RL (residential low density), RM (residential medium density), RH (residential high density). That code you mentioned means there is a multifamily structure under 10 units.

3. That depends on the zoning and you'll need to read the rules located at the link below to determine the ratio of your particular lot size. 

4. As flexible as any other county. But you'll probably need the right person or company to handle the permitting process. Try WGI The Wantman Group they're handling a 9 acre 33 home project I'm working on and another 40 acre 109 home project up the block. 

I believe you can call the zoning department and give them the PCN and they will tell you exactly what can be done on the lot right away over the phone. 

http://www.pbcgov.com/epzbcommon/asp_html/epzbMenu.aspx?ReferrerID=ezinfo&FROM=EZ&TargetMenuItem=ULDC+Interactive+Code

You may already know this one but in case you don't its a great resource:

pbcgov.com/papa