Press Release: July 15, 2009

In one of the most far reaching uses of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) in the state, the Cascade Land Conservancy has conserved nearly 800 acres of family-owned working forest through five transactions in three counties.

The lands range from 640 acres of pine forest in Kittitas County to the wooded, 62-year old Hidden Valley Camp in Snohomish County (photo above), a place of fond memories for many in the Puget Sound region. Lands were also conserved along South Prairie Creek and near Eatonville in Pierce County.

In a Transfer of Development Rights transaction, landowners are paid an agreed-upon market-based price for the development potential of their lands, creating credits that can be sold to builders or developers. The credits allow a development project to be larger or contain more living units than might be permitted under existing zoning. A conservation easement is put in place on the seller’s property ensuring that it remains working land.

In these transactions, the Conservancy now holds 78 TDR Credits. When used to create more vibrant and livable cities, the proceeds from the credits will be revolved back into efforts to conserve additional lands.

Completion of these projects demonstrates how a Transfer of Development Rights program can be used throughout the region to successfully conserve resource lands through voluntary transactions in the private market. The projects also showed the broader ability to achieve the goals of The Cascade Agenda through the marketplace. Use of TDR to accommodate a portion of future growth is an important element in achieving The Cascade Agenda goals of conserving 1.3 million acres in the region as well as creating vibrant and livable cities.

The properties:

• Parker Ranch (Kittitas County) – 480 acres conserved and 24 TDR Credits (pictured).

  

  
  

• Masterson Ranch (Teanaway, Kittitas County) – 160 acres conserved and 7 TDR Credits.
• Soler Forest (South Prairie, Pierce County) – 64 acres conserved and 6 TDR Credits.
• Van Eaton Forest (Eatonville, Pierce County) - 25 acres conserved and 24 TDR Credits, in partnership with Nisqually Land Trust
• Hidden Valley Camp (near Lake Roesiger, Snohomish County) - 60 acres conserved and 17 TDR Credits.“

The Cascade Land Conservancy and their partners have demonstrated the power of transferring development rights to create real change in our region," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "Forests are now being conserved, providing us all with clean air and water. This innovative effort by the Conservancy maintains our rural quality of life and creates new housing choices in our cities and towns."

“These projects show the power and reach of using Transfer of Development Rights to conserve working forests,” said Gene Duvernoy, President, Cascade Land Conservancy. “This is a first step but an important one. TDR can be used to conserve thousands of acres of resource lands throughout the region. And when the Development Rights are used in cities and towns, they will make our communities that much more vibrant and livable.

“Quite simply, this is The Cascade Agenda on the ground.”

“This is a major accomplishment for the Cascade Land Conservancy and for our region,” said Bruce Williams, Board Chair. “It is heartening to see this work helping family forest landowners facing pressure to convert their lands and who want to keep their land in active forest management.” Williams is Chairman and CEO of HomeStreet Bank.

The Conservancy staff has worked to develop the contacts and negotiate the terms for the land transactions. The five projects announced today represent “sending sites” for Transfer of Development Rights. Work continues in the three counties to develop the “receiving sites,” places where cities and towns will benefit from the application of the development credits.

The projects also are the result of a $3 million Washington State Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED) grant for a TDR pilot program, purchasing Development Rights from family forest landowners.

Going forward, the Conservancy will work with counties, municipalities and developers to identify development projects in which to use these rights. The Conservancy becomes now a major player in using a TDR program to both conserve resource lands and make cities and towns places people want to live, work and play.

These projects represent a strong first step in the regional application of TDR. The Conservancy and The Cascade Agenda now must turn attention to developing appropriate receiving sites for the Development Credits. It is when the Development Rights are used to make cities and towns more vibrant and livable that the true power of TDR to transform the region will be realized.

The Agenda leadership continues to work on policies to provide incentives for communities that accept Development Rights. The costs of providing additional infrastructure are often seen as one of the road blocks to completing a full circle in a TDR market – the purchase of Development Rights from resource lands, the sale of Development Rights in communities and the revolving use of funds to acquire additional lands.

In addition to achieving conservation through these five transactions, The Conservancy’s efforts to establish TDR as a viable planning tool have resulted in other important accomplishments. The Conservancy published a series of policy papers that informed state legislation creating a Regional TDR Program and developed a resource guide to help interested communities design their own local TDR programs. Collectively these efforts have increased the opportunity for conservation on a landscape scale while expanding communities’ options for steering their future growth.  Additional information is available at www.cted.wa.gov/site/1060/default.aspx.