Welcome to Skagit County
County planners release development rights report prepared with advisory committee
MOUNT VERNON – Skagit County Planning and Development Services this week released a report, “Skagit County Transfer of Development Rights: Project Findings and Program Recommendations,” which reflects almost two years of work with a citizen advisory committee.
The report is available here or on the Skagit County Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) project website at: www.skagitcounty.net/tdr.
The report provides a comprehensive overview of TDR programs and methods and their potential use in Skagit County. It reflects the diverse views and opinions of TDR Advisory Committee members and others who have participated in discussions during the course of the project. It also draws on research and analysis conducted by Planning and Development Services staff with the help of two project consultants, Forterra and Heartland.
“TDR is a tool that can help a jurisdiction implement its growth and conservation goals,” said senior planner Kirk Johnson, who manages the TDR project for the county. “It uses the economic engine of new growth to conserve from development lands that provide benefits to the community, such as working farms and forest lands.”
Johnson continued, “TDR can provide options to natural resource landowners interested in permanently conserving their land, while offering incentives to developers to concentrate development in areas best suited for growth.”
The report contains a dozen recommendations regarding the design of a potential Skagit County TDR program, as well as majority and minority recommendations on whether the county should take action to implement a program at this time.
A majority of Advisory Committee members recommended that the county should move forward and consider specific comprehensive plan policies and development regulations to implement TDR. They concluded that putting a TDR program in place now would allow the county to capture funds for land conservation when the development market improves and would encourage cities to consider becoming TDR receiving areas.
A minority of committee members recommended that the county not take action to implement TDR at this time, citing concerns about lack of demand for development and too few TDR receiving areas. The also suggested that current county policies and programs adequately conserve natural resource lands.
The report seeks to provide the Board of County Commissioners with information to help them decide whether to move forward with consideration of specific TDR policies and code. If so, the next steps in that process would include:
- Drafting of proposed comprehensive plan policies and development regulations by Planning and Development Services;
- Consulting on the draft with the Planning Commission and other county advisory committees;
- Reviewing and analyzing potential environmental and land use impacts of the proposal under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA);
- Releasing the proposal for public review and comment;
- Conducting a public hearing and deliberations by the Skagit County Planning Commission; and
- Final action on the proposal by the Board of County Commissioners.
Alternatively, the Board may decide it does not want to move forward with consideration of a TDR legislative proposal at this time.
Contact: Kirk Johnson, AICP, Senior Planner
Skagit County Planning & Development Services
(360) 336-9410, ext. 5916, or kirkj@co.skagit.wa.us