Cayey Development Potential – 39.83 Cuerdas

Location, terrain & flood

📍 Open in Google Maps — Las Vegas Beatriz, Cayey, Puerto Rico 👁 Street View 🛰 Satellite

⛰ 1,384 ft elevation 🌊 FEMA Zone X — minimal flood

Barrio-level pin (listings give barrio + municipio, not the exact lot) — verify the parcel location. Elevation: USGS. Flood zone: FEMA NFHL.

Drive times

Area notes

Cayey lies in the mountainous interior of central Puerto Rico, ~2,000 ft elevation, known for cooler temps and freshwater springs—a popular retreat zone from coastal humidity. Barrio Vegas is inland and relatively remote from Humacao (~40 min routed drive southeast). The town sits well above hurricane-surge zones and flood plains but experiences mountain runoff; no ocean or rainforest (El Yunque is north). The listing's 'coolest zones' language reflects Cayey's reputation for pleasant year-round climate and views, but terrain is heavily developed for agriculture and residential sprawl rather than pristine nature.

Buildability

Raw land; topography described as 'mostly usable.' PR-52 highway access is straightforward. Primary concern: zoning (listing frames it for urbanization/commercial), flood-zone eligibility, utility extension costs, and whether single-family use is permitted or requires variance in Barrio Vegas.

Questions to verify

• Obtain a FEMA flood-zone map and verify the specific parcel is not in a high-risk or agricultural-flood corridor.
• Confirm zoning classification (municipal or regional) and whether single-family residential construction is permitted without variance; listing emphasizes 'urbanization' and commercial, which may signal zoning barriers for a private home.
• Walk the property with a surveyor to assess actual topography, view corridors, access road condition, and neighbor proximity (privacy claim is unsupported).
• Verify water and sewer availability/cost; 39.83 acres may require on-site wells and septic, or expensive municipal extensions.
• Clarify 'as-is' caveat: check for liens, back taxes, or abandoned structures; obtain a title search and recent survey.
• Confirm timeline: raw land development typically takes 6–12 months for permits; December move-in is unrealistic unless they plan short-term rental elsewhere during construction.

What the web found

A matching 39.83-cuerda (38.7 acres) parcel in Barrio Vegas, Sector Los López is listed on Dalton Wade real estate site with focus on development potential. Market data shows Cayey land is actively marketed for residential/commercial development with comparable parcels in the $100K–$200K range for smaller plots. Flood risk warnings exist for Cayey mountain communities, with documented landslide susceptibility and flooding concerns post-Hurricane Maria.

Also found online:

• Dalton Wade — Matches the exact property—39.83 cdas in Barrio Vegas, Sector Los López, marketed for residential/commercial development with PR-52 access

Area intel: Comparable land sales in Cayey (2025–2026): smaller parcels ($2.8–15.54 acres) sold for $45K–$199K on Zillow; a recent ~4.88 acre parcel sold for $95K (June 2026) at $19,487/acre. This 38.68-acre parcel at $585K prices to ~$15,128/acre, roughly in line with higher-end raw land. Cayey experiences cool mountain climate and is a bedroom community 30 minutes from San Juan. Flood/hazard risk: Cayey experienced documented flooding and landslides during Hurricane Maria (2017) and Hurricane Fiona (2022); terrain is 75% mountainous with high landslide susceptibility and floodable river valleys. Buyers should verify updated flood zone maps and conduct geotechnical surveys before development.

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]