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Projects to demonstrate market value of development rights

Projects in two counties will demonstrate the power of transfer of development rights programs to achieve substantial conservation and move development to more appropriate places under a measure passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

The $250,000 in funding, contained in the overall budget bill, will be used to assist Pierce and Snohomish Counties and other organizations in establishing the land-use programs that include transfer of development rights.

The Cascade Agenda supports market-based approaches such as transfer programs as the most effective non-regulatory way to conserve land while moving development onto more suitable sites.

Legislative support is an important endorsement of one of the principal ideas in The Cascade Agenda.  And the coalition that supported this legislation is an example of the power of The Agenda to marshal support from seemingly disparate interests.

Members of the coalition ranged from the Audubon Society to the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties.
As with any proposal wending its way through the Legislature, broad support by many legislators was needed.  Many had a hand in keeping the TDR proposal alive but special recognition goes to three legislators:

Rep. Brian Sullivan was the initial sponsor of the concept in the House and convened work sessions and public hearings on the TDR project.

Sen. Margarita Prentice, as Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, provided crucial support as did Rep. Helen Sommers as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
The demonstration projects approved will establish programs to allow the movement of development rights from lands targeted for conservation (sending sites) to those lands best suited for development (receiving sites). Sending sites can be farmland, working forests or other natural areas while receiving sites can be areas where growing, vibrant communities are being encouraged.

Developers who purchase the rights would be able to increase a project’s potential size beyond what might otherwise be allowed.

The Legislature’s action also shows that The Cascade Agenda is gaining widespread support as a means of answering some of the vexing problems facing the region because of the huge growth in population expected in the Central Puget Sound.  The population is expected to double to more than 7 million over the next 100 years.

The demonstration projects can create “a template for the protection of natural resources that can be emulated by other areas in the state,” according to the text of the measure.

“TDR programs are challenging to run on a regional scale, but they hold the potential to address such very real economic issues as those faced by small family foresters, trying to steward lands they have held for generations,” said Michelle Connor, Vice President of Cascade Agenda for the Cascade Land Conservancy.

In the past 20 years, dozens of TDR programs have been established nationwide for purposes ranging from conservation to historic preservation.  The most effective programs succeeded by creating a strong economic rationale to make transfers work.  Our challenge is to create programs that are wider reaching and more accessible than previous efforts.

John Howell, Cedar River Group and one of the early supporters of The Cascade Agenda said that “transfer programs on a regional scale are both the most challenging and most exciting path to large scale land conservation envisioned by The Cascade Agenda. I have no doubt these demonstration projects will show TDRs to be a valuable, equitable conservation tool.”

"The broad appeal of the TDR makes it especially attractive. When so many interests line up behind an effort, it must be a good idea," said Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg. "Conservation is a top priority for Pierce County and we're looking forward to working with all the other parties to protect our natural assets for generations to come."

“If we do this right, we can create TDR programs that promote both housing and conservation,” said Sam Anderson of the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties.  “The MBA is really pleased to work with Washington Farm Forestry Association, Audubon Society and local governments to try and find a way to reach this goal.”

“Snohomish County considers itself a leader in growth management in our state,” Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon said.  “Our county is committed to developing and implementing a TDR program that can both demonstrate success and be applied elsewhere in the state.”

The Cascade Agenda was launched last May after an 18-month grass-roots process.  It calls for the conservation of 1.3 million acres of working forests and farmlands, plus critical shoreline and stream banks. The Agenda links such conservation to the quality of life and the economic vitality of the region.

The Cascade Land Conservancy works to conserve land in the King, Kittitas, Pierce and Snohomish County areas.  The organization has conserved about 130,000 acres over the past decade and is actively engaged in efforts to conserve 250,000 more acres.

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