Interested in getting into land development in Ontario. I own a 75 acres presently zoned agriculture but there are many new subdivisions appearing in the area. I was thinking of developing the land myself into a subdivision - any advice or suggestions??

What city or town? Have you rezoned it to subdivision?

The land is close to Milton - I haven't done anything as yet. The land is owned free and clear but wondering on average what type of costs are there with re zoning?

You may want to check City's Planning and Development office or website to inquire as fees may differ between cities. I think rezoning should be done first and foremost and depending on city, it is usually difficult and takes a lot of time, capital/money and the right people. Just my 50cents......

You need to hire an expert that knows how to navigate the city or municipality. Is there an ASP ? Where is the nearest water, sewer, gas or electricity line ? You need detailed drawings before you submit anything and it can take years. Start with the planning department of the city / municipality. Then find out if there is an ASP or if you need one.

Talk to an engineering firm that works already in the area. After these prelim talks start writing cheques.

^ Agreed. Land development is a very long-tailed process and very capital intensive. Your first two stages will likely have higher offsite costs (bringing services to your land) than total profit, speaking as someone in the industry. Your land equity will get you pretty far in the process if you own it outright.

To make land development work, you need relationships with many different experts. If the land has value, have any developers approached you? How near is it to new subdivisions? Contiguous? Or a couple quarter sections away? Quarter section is ~10 years to develop in low-density...depending on absorption in your area should give you some idea of value.

Rough-rough anticipate to spend $200,000 before any actual construction underway just on due diligence and professional fees for engineers and planners to achieve the NSP. Getting an engineer to estimate the offsite costs, should give you a good idea of initial development cost as well. Research on the city's website how they handle offsite expenditures...some cities require developers to share debt in a basin while others require a set assessment contribution + pay for any offsite you need. Massively different implications, total deal killers and will dictate when your land is feasible to develop. In Edmonton, there is a debt sharing system so paying $5 million up front to develop a hectare is a reality in areas with lot of infrastructure that has been installed by other developers (not a typo!).

What is land selling for an acre? Might be better money in that, just run the numbers.