Benefits of TDR

 
 

Land Use Benefits

By combining TDR with Smart Growth principles, the program can also provide additional land use benefits associated with Smart Growth strategies in the receiving district. Land use benefits include:

  • Preservation of Agricultural Land

  • Conservation of Sensitive Environmental Areas

  • Protection of Flood-Prone Areas

  • Protection of Historical Buildings

  • Promotion of Smart Growth Principles

 

Economic Benefits

  • Economic development: Increased density in the receiving area will bring additional economic activity and will improve the retail market.

  • Agricultural Industry: As agricultural lands are protected under a TDR program, the aggregation of permanently protected agricultural land helps to ensure that blocks of agricultural land are available to sustain a varied agricultural industry.

  • Property Owners: TDR provides benefits to property owners in both the sending district and in the receiving district. Sending district property owners are given an opportunity to realize some economic value of their property, whereas a zoning change that removes all or some of their development rights would provide no such recourse. Receiving district property owners are given the option to acquire incremental development rights, allowing for construction of a greater number of units than would have been allowed under existing zoning.

  • Property Values: Conservation of environmentally sensitive land and open space areas has the potential to increase property values for adjacent property owners.

  • Municipal Finances: Higher density development has less intensive infrastructure requirements per dwelling unit than low density development (e.g., lane miles of roads, length of utility connections, fire and police). TDR can guide development towards areas with adequate and efficient infrastructure, away from lower density areas where infrastructure is more costly.

 

Environmental Benefits

  • Deed restrictions that create conservation easements on property in sending districts have the benefit of being permanent conservation commitments, whereas zoning amendments are always subject to changes. This permanency represents a significant long-term environmental benefit.

  • By shifting development from sprawling areas to “smart growth” areas there is an opportunity to significantly reduce Vehicle Miles of Travel and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

  • The preservation of land with all its natural amenities is a benefit that is appreciated by residents in both sending and receiving zones and allows for permanent use of the sending zones for recreational or environmental purposes.