Slutzky unveils Transfer of Development Rights initiative

On October 3, 2006,

Albemarle County Supervisor David Slutzky

(Rio District) held a press conference to launch what he describes as a new rural area protection initiative based on the

Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)

. A TDR program for Albemarle would allow rural area landowners to voluntarily sell any unused potential housing lots as credits to landowners building in designated receiving areas. The rural land would be protected because the development lots would be permanently eliminated once purchased. A landowner acquiring development rights under a TDR typically does so in exchange for the ability to build more housing than would be allowed under the land’s existing zoning. The receiving areas are typically located near growth areas with adequate public facilities and infrastructure.

Mr. Slutzky was joined at his press conference by representatives from the Farm Bureau, the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Free Enterprise Forum, and the Piedmont Environmental Council. While none of these organizations were ready to endorse the proposal in its current form, all expressed support for having the Board of Supervisors carefully examine a Transfer of Development Rights program as a rural protection strategy.

Download David Slutzky’s

media release