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JCC Supes to Hear Results of Feasibility Study for New Growth Control ToolBy Desiree Parker Saturday, October 22, 2011 James City County got results from a recent Transfer of Development Rights feasibility study and, based on the results, staff believes it is not a good idea for the county to pursue the idea. A Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program is a means to protect areas from development. A locality chooses an area to keep undeveloped and transfers development rights from that area into another area targeted for higher density. The county has been batting around the idea of using TDR to help preserve some rural areas, and asked the company Design, Community & Environment to conduct the study as part of the investigation process.The study indicates that a TDR program is feasible in the county, and offers the county several options on how to go about implementing such a program. The study also outlines some critical components needed to make TDR a success, some of which staff feel the county cannot meet; therefore, staff doesn’t recommend the county pursue such a program right now. One important part of a good TDR program is the need for high transfer ratios, meaning one sending area unit of development needs to equal multiple receiving area units, according to the staff memo about the study. This will make it hard for the county, because the board has indicated it doesn’t want to increase the number of units able to be built countywide. To encourage the use of TDRs without having multiple receiving units per sending unit, the county would need to add incentives such as waived proffers, which would mean the cost for the program would shift from developers to the public to cover the extra growth. Other concerns about a local TDR program are the extensive changes to ordinances and possibly to the Comprehensive Plan that will be needed, and the limited amount of space that would be preserved when following some of the board’s direction on the issue. DC&E will have representatives at Tuesday’s board work session to give supervisors a detailed presentation on the study findings and suggestions. See the agenda and all the related documents online. |
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Comments
1) base density on developable acreage and not gross acreage
2) Down zoning. Instead of 1 house per 3 acres, which I believe lead to a potential population of 180000 in JCC, move to 1 house per 10 acres.
An extreme option would be for taxpayer supported purchase of development rights to some of our more visible green space. But the existing PDR program has not been very well received.