What are the fundamental pieces necessary to develop a purchase of development rights (PDR) program?
During the program Ralph Robertson plainly said, “without a plan you can go nowhere.” Communities must have a goal that they aim to achieve. In Carroll County, Maryland, a primary goal is permanent preservation of 100,000 acres of agriculture land. This goal is supported by a land use plan that targets urban development toward areas where urban infrastructure exists or will soon be in place (e.g., water, sewer, roads, parks, schools), and focuses agricultural development where rural infrastructure exists (e.g., most productive farmland, suppliers, processors, markets). These mostly objective characteristics form the foundation for developing both urban and agriculture development zones. These zones are supported through zoning. In the agriculture zone, housing is limited to a density of one lot per 20 acres of land. PDR cannot exist without the foundational mechanisms of planning and low density zoning in the agriculture area and high density zoning in the urban area.
