Transfer of Development Rights | Development Standards
21.06.070 Transfer of Development Rights A. Purpose and intent 1. The purpose of the transfer of development rights (TDR) program is to implement a market-based tool to permanently preserve partially developed or undeveloped land with important public benefits, such as farmland, forestland, open space, and wildlife habitat, through the private acquisition of the development rights on those lands (“sending sites”) and the subsequent transfer of those rights to lands more suitable for development (“receiving sites”). 2. The TDR provisions supplement land use regulations, resource protection efforts and open space acquisition programs and are intended to encourage increased residential development density or increased commercial square footage where it can best be accommodated by: a. Providing an incentive process for property owners of partially developed property, undeveloped land, farmland, forestland, open space and wildlife habitat to preserve lands with a public benefit; and b. Providing an administrative review process to ensure that transfers of development rights are evaluated and administered in a fair and timely manner in accordance with other City goals and policies.
owners owning a site that qualifies as a sending site pursuant to SDC 21.06.070C. and SDC 21.06.070E. shall have the option to request sending site certification and to sell the development potential of a sending site to an interested buyer. The development potential of a sending site, as determined by site certification pursuant to SDC 21.06.070F., may be transferred and credited to a receiving site only when the transfer is approved in accordance with this chapter.
C. Sending site categories and criteria
1. A sending site may be certified by the City pursuant to SDC 21.06.070F., provided the sending site meets the criteria for one of the following sending site categories, and the provisions of subsection 2. of this section: a. In-City Sending Sites. Undeveloped or partially developed properties located within the following areas may qualify as in-City sending sites. The department shall maintain maps of the approximate location of these areas, which shall be subject to field verification as part of the certification process:
i. Properties located within the Thompson subbasin; or
ii. Properties located within the Inglewood subbasin; or
iii. Properties located within erosion hazards special district overlay; or iv. Properties located within the wetland management areas special district overlay.
B. Applicability
All new development on a site identified as a receiving site pursuant to SDC 21.06.070D. shall have the option to acquire a certified transfer of development rights to increase the development potential of the receiving site. All private property
b. Interjurisdictional Sending Sites.
Effective | January 1, 2022 Errata Revisions | November 17, 2022
Title 21: Sammamish Development Code | 377
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