Different Zonings
Three different basic categories of zoning:
Residential Zoning
There are four residential categories. The restrictions on the building or buildings to be constructed on the property are determined in terms of three elements known as coverage, F.A.R. (floor area, ratio) and density.
Coverage = the maximum area of land on which one is permitted to build
A.R. (floor area ratio) = bulk is the maximum floor area allowed under a roof
Density = the number of dwellings permitted per hectare (10 000 square metres
Residential 1
Zoning which stipulates that properties can have a density of only one dwelling per stand or erf, that is, a house. An example is:
Allows a person to build one house on the property in terms of this zoning. Coverage permitted is 40%, which means that on a 1 000-square metre stand one would be permitted to build a dwelling covering a maximum of 400 square metres, including garages and outhouses.
For a two or three-storeyed home, one can cover up to 400 square metres per storey. The maximum coverage cannot be more than 400 square metres.
Residential 2
Allows a density of between 10 and 20 dwellings per hectare, bearing in mind that a hectare is 10 000 square metres (or just under 2.5 acres).
This is obviously the ideal zoning for cluster housing or townhouse complexes.
Residential 3
Allows a density of between 21 and 40 dwellings per hectare, and is therefore usually used for smaller cluster or townhouse complexes.
For example, on a 26 000-square metre property, 40% coverage amounts to 10 400 square metres.
With a density of 25 units per hectare, the developer on this site could then typically build 65 townhouses (2.6 hectares’ x 25) of 160 square metres each (that is the total coverage of 10 400 squares metres divided by the 65 units) over two floors – 100 square metres at ground level (including a double garage) and 60 square metres upstairs.
Residential 4
Allows for a density of between 41 and 120 dwellings per hectare, and obviously caters for the construction of blocks of flats
Business Zoning
There are four clear sub-divisions.
Business 1
A person would seek this for general business in the form of shopping centres or malls. This category is mostly unrestricted, which means that the developer or owner would be allowed to have almost any type of shop on the premises.
Business 2
Business 2 is a zoning for a shopping centre, but with certain restricted businesses.
For example:
There will be a restriction on opening a specific type of shop, such as a clothing shop, pet shop or liquor store.
Business 3
A much stricter zoning category which does not allow a wider variety of businesses to open and operate in the centre.
Business 4
This zoning category only provides for office use (with or without residential use) and is characterised by the growing number of office parks that one sees in South African urban centres today.
An example here:
A 4 000-square metre property with the usual 40% coverage and 0.4 floor area ratio could place a maximum of 1 600 square metres under roof. A developer of this site would typically build three double-story office blocks of 530 square metres each (1 600 square metres divided by 3). Each block could be further split into four office suites of 132 square metres each.
Industrial Zoning
Industrial 1
Zoning category for normal factories, warehouses or storage depots.
Industrial 2
Zoning category for operations which can involve unpleasant odours and emissions, such as abattoirs.
Industrial 3
Zoning category for specific applications such as specialist workshops or mini-factories.
For industrial zoning a 70% coverage is typically allowed, which means a 3 100-square metre property could have buildings covering a floor area of 2 170 square metres.
A developer of this site would typically build a single-storey factory warehouse unit of 2 170 square metres with a high roof for an application like a gantry crane or pallet storage.
When is zoning or rezoning necessary?
Sometimes a person would decide to rezone when he/she is running a business from home, which grows to such an extent that his/her business activities could upset and inconvenience neighbours. Such a person could then apply for rezoning from Residential 1 to Business 4.
Property Sub-division
People sometimes buy a vacant stand or a large property and wishes to break it down into separate units. Such a person could then apply for the property to be converted from a Residential 1 zoned property with one house per stand, to a property zoned for one house per 500 square metres.
How do I apply for re-zoning?
First option: A private town planner can assist to facilitate the process on behalf of the owner, but it would be at a fee for this service, although one should bear in mind that any such fee may well be the cheaper option in the long run.
Second option: The person does it on its own. It’s a very long process which can lead between anything from a few months to a year to finalise. The alternative is to handle the entire procedure oneself, but it can take a very long time to finalise.
Contact the town planner of the relevant municipality which will provide the owner with the documentation and guide the person through the process.
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