16 May Three Lots Are Better Than One
Fabian Edwards of ELIFIN® represented both the seller and buyer in the successful sale of the office land tract located at 9509 Jefferson Hwy in Baton Rouge, LA.
Challenge
The 1.2-acre tract along Jefferson Highway was zoned neighborhood office, which capped buildable square footage at 2,500 square feet per property. For a site with strong frontage and genuine development potential, that limitation made it nearly impossible to sell at a price the owner found acceptable. The owner had previously attempted to rezone the property to unlock more density, but adjacent subdivision residents opposed the change and the effort stalled. A conventional rezoning path was effectively closed.
Strategy
Rather than pursuing another rezoning attempt and running into the same neighborhood opposition, Fabian identified a more straightforward solution: subdivide the lot into three separate parcels. Each parcel carried its own 2,500 square foot building allowance under the existing zoning, tripling the total buildable square footage on the site without triggering the rezoning process or the community pushback that came with it. The subdivision satisfied the neighborhood’s concerns, as it avoided the prospect of a large multi-story development, while giving the seller the land value needed to close at an acceptable price.
Result
The subdivision was executed and all three lots sold to a local buyer who plans to build his own office on one parcel and lease the remaining lots as investment properties. The seller achieved the price point that had previously been out of reach under the single-parcel configuration. Fabian delivered a result that a second rezoning attempt likely never would have, by finding a cleaner path that worked for the seller, the buyer, and the neighborhood alike.
Leading Agent
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