What Reasons Against a TDR Program Did the Prosecuting Attorney Discuss with the Planning Commission?
While the TDR program is attractive, even elegant, in theory, the implementation of the program has proved difficult and cumbersome, and in Washington State is unproven. Good land use planning relies on established programs that work, such as large lot size, planned unit developments and cluster programs. Depending on the design of the program, it has the potential to shift wealth from those least able to pay first time home buyers to large, wealthy property owners. This would have the undesirable effect of increasing housing costs for those least able to pay. I foresee great potential for the program to create as many inequities as it is designed to counter because there is no connection between development costs and property values and the price of certificates. Why should a person with high cost of development receive a certificate of equal value to a person who has low development costs? Why should a landowner whose property is valuable as a large lot estate and would likely never
