Why zoning matters to a commercial real estate deal

On Behalf of | Dec 18, 2020 | Real Estate Law |

Starting a business or finding a new location for a commercial enterprise can take a lot of planning. It can be difficult to find the right place in Boca Raton to establish a company and open the doors of a new entity. There are many considerations that must be evaluated in order to ensure the location is both sufficient and compliant for operations.

One variable that can have a significant impact on the availability of a location for a business is zoning. This post will generally discuss zoning and how it can affect where businesses operate. This post does not provide legal advice or counsel on specific real estate matters.

What is zoning?

Zoning is a legal designation that applies to property. It establishes what types of homes or businesses can be run on specific tracts of land, and where people and businesses can build structures. There are several types of zoning.

  • Residential: Residential zones are locations where homes may exist. Special designations may be imposed on whether only single-family homes or multifamily dwellings may be constructed.
  • Commercial: Businesses can be located in commercial zones. Often commercial zones have different building requirements than residential zones.
  • Industrial: Industrial zones contain factories and production-based businesses. Their zones may permit louder operations than standard commercial zones.

The main purpose of zoning is to keep similar things close together, such as restaurants and shops in zones away from homes. Zoning can help support traffic, noise, and population concentrations in communities.

How zoning impacts businesses

Readers can likely glean that their intended businesses may be limited to locations in commercial zones. Municipalities can grant exceptions to zoning rules, but often zoning regulations prevent and limit how and where entities may exist and operate. Before committing to a physical location for a business, it is important that the owner understands the zoning rules and impacts on their planned operations. A real estate attorney can be an asset in this capacity for those with zoning questions.

 

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