Legal Definitions - development

In legal terms, development refers to any significant human-made alteration or improvement to land, whether it is currently undeveloped or already contains structures. This encompasses a wide range of activities that change the physical characteristics, use, or value of real estate.

• Residential Subdivision: A construction company purchases a large, previously untouched parcel of farmland on the outskirts of a city. They then proceed to clear the land, grade it, install water and sewer lines, pave new roads, and construct dozens of single-family homes.

  Explanation: This is a clear example of development because it involves extensive human-made changes to unimproved real estate, transforming it from agricultural land into a residential community with new infrastructure and buildings.

• Urban Redevelopment Project: An older, underutilized industrial complex in a city center is acquired by a developer. The existing factory buildings are demolished, and the site is then prepared for the construction of a new multi-story apartment building with ground-floor retail units and an underground parking garage.

  Explanation: This illustrates development as it involves significant alterations to already improved real estate. The demolition and subsequent construction fundamentally change the physical characteristics and intended use of the property.

• Infrastructure Expansion: A state transportation department undertakes a project to widen an existing two-lane highway into a four-lane expressway. This involves excavating new roadbeds, laying asphalt, constructing overpasses, and installing new drainage systems along a several-mile stretch of land.

  Explanation: This activity constitutes development because it involves substantial human-created changes to real estate (the land alongside and beneath the highway) to improve infrastructure, altering its physical form and capacity.