Advice on Land Development. Plot of land in Lindale, TX. Pics included
Hello, I purchased a 5 acre plot of land with a house on 2015 in Lindale, TX; the city has been expanding rapidly towards it. I have frontage on a county road in one side and frontage to highway 69 in the other. the problem with the highway frontage is that the highway is much higher than the land, like 20 ft higher. I assume that if I want to develop I would need to put a lot of soil to raise the level. Anyone has any experience with this kind of  development? I attached some pictures; I had a realtor tell me that if I ever want to sell I will make a lot of money but he was residential realtor and I feel he was guessing about the land value. I want to develop the land somehow but have zero experience as a developer. This is the only plot of land I have and I bought because I was extremely lucky (the house was not finished so there were not a lot of interested buyers when I bought it. I finished the house myself as I am into remodeling but not into land development). 

Any help will be appreciated
[{"id": "g4nxch2", "text": "There are many variables at play there. You need to know the zoning bylaws, requirements for rezoning, whether you are able to plug into the highway or not, etc.\nI highly discourage you to develop by yourself without any previous experience. The best option for your situation seems to be a joint venture.\nReach out for a commercial real estate agent specialised in land in Dallas, and ask them about the potential of the land, and tell them you are interested in a joint venture. See what happens from there. You can learn a lot from the developer, and will still own a part of the property when it's done.", "replies": [{"id": "g4o2epj", "text": "Outside city limit so I am free to do whatever. At least is what I have seen, my neighbors built a full house without drawing a single permit or permission from anyone (my neighbor is a builder). I am allowed to build an entry way as the frontage is longer than 100 ft (already checked that). I will follow your advice about the development. Thankyou!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "g4oskti", "text": "Where are the pics?\n\nZoning is the first big question. Just because your neighbor didn't pull permits does not mean that your county does not permit or zone.......", "replies": [{"id": "g4pi2hz", "text": "just to tack on this the county (or other local gov entities) can be a great source of information.  They typically want to see development in their region and will help how they can.  You shouldn't look at them as only being there to deny or approve your stuff, but as potential partners that can help you in a number of ways.  Call up your local economic development folks and see what they see as potential development there.  They can point you in a successful direction a lot of the time and let you know about any programs you could take advantage of that you may not be aware of.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "g59dy41", "text": "&gt;comments\n\nZoning is mixed, commercial and agriculture.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "g4p0j0p", "text": "It sounds a little over your experience level.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "g4q2e87", "text": "Small world, I grew up nearby and know the area well. Without getting too far down the rabbit hole, your best bet is to (i) ensure that the property is correctly zoned for commercial use and (ii) sale to an experienced developer. You\u2019ll still collect a nice profit, and it\u2019s much less risk than you trying to develop yourself. As previously mentioned, you can also forgo cash for equity in the developer\u2019s project.", "replies": [{"id": "g4qqfom", "text": "Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely follow them. I was thinking to hire soil dump trucks at about $1,000 a load but I agree that is sounds like a bad idea.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "g4rydob", "text": "In addition to zoning requirements, you may also want to explore [subdivision restrictions](https://development-club.com/2020/04/08/article-two-lots-for-the-price-of-one/) with the city.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]