The Search for a More Walkable Urban Lifestyle
We weren’t looking for a house – we were looking for a different way to live.
The community we lived in was comfortable, but it wasn’t walkable. Outside of a nearby park, everything required getting in the car. Day-to-day life felt quiet, predictable… and a little too removed from everything.
We wanted something different.
Something with energy.
Something we could walk to.
A place where restaurants, coffee, and everyday life were part of a more vibrant, walkable community – not a drive across town.
At the time, we had no idea that search would eventually lead us to a small urban infill lot – a vacant piece of land tucked into an already developed neighborhood – in a downtown area.
If you already own land, you’re further ahead than we were. We started with nothing but a goal: to find a walkable urban area where everyday amenities and community life were just steps away.
The Million-Dollar Fixer-Upper Housing Reality
Like most people, we started with the obvious strategy: buy a home and renovate it.
We spent nearly two years searching the MLS, convinced we’d find something with potential. Instead, the Bay Area housing market quickly reset our expectations.
Homes in walkable residential areas fell into two categories:
Older homes in historic zones – renovating them meant upgrading everything to current building codes, which was expensive, time-consuming, and often restrictive
Already renovated homes – these came with premium price tags, and we’d still want to make changes
There wasn’t really a middle ground.
You either took on a major renovation… or paid a premium for someone else’s version of “done.”
Either way, the entry point for a walkable, urban lifestyle was already in the millions – before making it your own.
That’s when we started asking a different question: what if we didn’t buy a home at all? What if we found land and built something ourselves?
The Urban Infill Lot Everyone Passed On
At some point – partly out of curiosity – we expanded our search to include land and even commercial properties. Who hasn’t seen those amazing warehouse conversions that get shared online?
That’s when we found it: a small, empty urban infill lot near downtown that had been sitting on the market for years.
There was a reason no one wanted it.
The lot came from an irregular, L-shaped parcel where the owner had split off a portion to sell. In our city, creating a new parcel like this typically requires a Certificate of Compliance, which the owner declined to obtain. As a result, the parcel was not officially recognized as a legal, buildable lot.
Any buyer would have to:
Pay the fees
Submit the application
Take on all the risk
…with no guarantee the city would approve it.
Most buyers walked away.
Planned Development Zoning and Site Feasibility
We decided to dig deeper.
We visited the city Planning Department with our realtor to evaluate feasibility – a step we found extremely helpful and would encourage anyone considering land for development to explore.
Our realtor had a background in residential development, and that experience made a difference.
The Planning Department told us the lot was zoned Planned Development, which in our city provided more flexibility than typical zoning laws. They even encouraged us to consider adding a basement to maximize the roughly 2,500 square-foot footprint.
We were also able to confirm:
Utilities (water, gas, electric) were nearby
The surrounding area was already developed
The city could provide permit requirements and fee schedules upfront
At that point, everything sounded promising.
The Check That Changed Everything
For us, the combination of the location, the Planning Department’s initial feedback, and our realtor’s development experience made the risk feel acceptable, even though the outcome wasn’t guaranteed.
We submitted the application for the Certificate of Compliance, along with a processing fee that was uncomfortably close to a monthly mortgage payment – a risky investment for a lot that wasn’t confirmed by the city to be buildable.
That fee alone explains why most buyers passed.
We were essentially writing a large check for the possibility of owning a legal, buildable lot.
Fortunately, the gamble paid off.
The city approved the parcel, officially confirming it met local zoning requirements. We received the Certificate of Compliance and made it over the first major hurdle.
What’s Next for the Infill Lot Development
Securing the lot was just the beginning.
Owning an undeveloped parcel in a walkable downtown area opened the door – but it also introduced a new set of challenges we hadn’t fully anticipated. These challenges are common when working with urban infill lots, especially in developed areas with strict zoning and regulatory requirements.
Our experience reflects one Bay Area city’s process. Zoning rules, parcel‑legality requirements, and fee structures vary by jurisdiction, so it’s important to confirm details with your own local planning department or qualified professionals.
We’ve covered some of these topics in more detail and will continue sharing more as our project progresses:
The Basement – Why maximizing space below grade became one of our most expensive and complex decisions
Urban Infill Development Challenges – The hidden costs and constraints of building in an established neighborhood
The Bureaucracy – Why you can’t always rely on local government processes to unfold as expected
Changing Local and State Regulations – The added costs and complexity of evolving requirements
California Senate Bills and Zoning Changes – How shifting regulations impact design, density, and housing development
Pro Tip: If you’re considering modular construction, don’t miss our breakdown of the real costs beyond the base price. On an urban infill lot, site work, permitting, and regulatory requirements can add up quickly – making it one of the biggest surprises in the entire process.
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