Town of Canandaigua - TDR Report
Padelford Brook Greenway
Town of Canandaigua Demonstration Project
The overall objective of a potential TDR program in the Town of Canandaigua is to interlink concepts favored by the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, Agricultural Enhancement Plan, Padelford Brook Greenway Plan, and existing Incentive Zoning districts. The Town has expressed interest in preserving agricultural land and natural land through conservation as response to development pressure from single-family residential expansion. The Town also has existing Incentive Zoning in the Mixed-Use Overlay (MUO) Districts, which are used to promote future development in areas with existing infrastructure in close proximity to commercial centers.
A potential TDR program would further advance the Town’s goal of preserving agricultural land and open space by providing a market based tool that promotes growth in MUO areas while collecting funds to support the purchase of conservation easements to protect agricultural land and open space.
Proposed Sending and Receiving Areas
Sending Area:
Padelford Brook Greenway
Receiving Areas:
Mixed-Use Overlay District 1
Mixed-Use Overlay District 3
Mixed-Use Overlay District 3 Extensio
Proposed TDR Process
Sending Site Process
Receiving Site Process
TDR Fund
The report proposes creation of a TDR Fund to assist in implementation of the TDR program by purchasing and selling TDR credits. The report anticipates that the Fund would be administered by the Town, with the Town Manager serving as the Executive Director. The TDR Fund would be able to acquire development rights only from properties located within the designated Sending Area. The TDR credits purchased from the TDR Fund could be used to increase development density for properties located within the designated Receiving Areas.
Zoning Approach
Transfer of Development Rights must be adopted in the Town’s zoning code to designate the Sending Area and Receiving Areas on the Town’s zoning map. The zoning code will also include specific development incentives in the Receiving Area.
The proposed Sending Area, which is defined by the Padelford Brook Greenway boundary, is largely zoned AR-2 Agricultural Rural Residential. This zoning district has a minimum lot area of two acres per dwelling unit for single-family residential homes. The proposed TDR program for the Town of Canandaigua does not suggest any revisions to the underlying zoning in the Sending Area. Rather, the mapped Sending Area would allow property owners in this area to sell TDR credits to the TDR fund. After this sale, a conservation easement would be placed on the property, preventing future development.
The proposed Receiving Areas are the MUO-1, MUO-3, and newly extended MUO-3. These parts of the Town have a variety of underlying zoning districts. The overlays currently give the Development Office some discretion in approving development that would not be permitted by the underlying zoning. However, the existing MUO zoning text does not specify maximum development densities. In order for the TDR program to provide an adequate incentive for Receiving Area property owners, the MUO zoning text would have to be revised to provide a specific maximum density for the MUO districts (without participation in the TDR program) as well as an additional development incentive for participation in the TDR program.
Receiving area incentives to promote participation in the TDR program could include:
Density bonus.
Expedited approvals.
Greater flexibility on permitted uses.
Reduced parking requirements.
Revised area and bulk regulations.
