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Home My WebLink AboutTransfer of Development Square Footage presentationTown Council Workshop Transfer of Development Square Footage Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Agenda: 1.The Scoop on Transfer of Development Rights •Concept of TDR •History of TDR and who uses it •Enablement of TDR 2.TDR vs. Transfer of Development Square Footage (TDSF) •What’s appropriate in Westlake •Importance to the Town and Property Owners 3.How the Program will work in Westlake 4.Next Steps Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 The Scoop on Transfer of Development Rights Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Concept of TDR •TDR works within the context of zoning •TDR is NOT a substitute for Zoning •“…development rights from one parcel [defined by zoning] are lifted up and placed on another” -TDR Handbook •“This transfer protects the first parcel from [over]development and causes the other parcel to carry the additional load as more building area” -TDR Handbook Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Some TDR History •NYC 1916 Zoning Code TDR first introduced with passage of the first American Zoning Ordinance. •Since 1916, TDR employed as a Growth Management Tool throughout the US •1978, US Supreme Court Case: Penn Central v. City of New York TDR was sufficient to mitigate any financial burden imposed by NYC’s Preservation Law •The principal of rights transfer became the foundation of other policy mechanisms such as fishing permits (1986, Australia) and Sulphur Dioxide Emissions (1990’s, US) Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Who Else is Using TDR? •35 states in the US have TDR •9 states (including Texas) have TDR without special State Enabling Legislation •Cities in Texas with Active TDR: •Dallas: Written by Robin in 1973 to provide an incentive for historic preservation •Austin: Part of Barton Creek Watershed Ordinance. Protects environmentally sensitive areas from development. •San Marcos: Part of Aquifer Recharge, Rivers, and Springs Protection Ordinances. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Enablement •Texas Gov. Code, Ch. 45: Sec 51.012: “The municipality may adopt an ordinance, act, law, or regulation, not inconsistent with state law, that is necessary for the government, interest, welfare, or good order of the municipality as a body politic…” •The lengthy Comp Plan process sets the framework for, thresholds for, and calls for a TDR program in Westlake, establishing a connection between this effort and Sec 51.012 (Comp Plan adopted by ordinance) •Main supporting reason for Program: Existing entitlements saturate the capacity of any conceivable future road system within the Town…need to increase density where desirable without additional traffic impact. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) vs Transfer of Development Square Footage (TDSF) Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 TDR or TDSF? •The PD’s = Complex set of “rights”:Rights are more than density, height, and coverage. •Land Use Integrity:Important to preserve •Transfer will not alter flood plains, wetlands, buffers, etc.: These are rights of use not permitted and specific to a location. •Working within a Variance Authority:Allowing a new Land Use is not a variance; However, TDSF (without re-zoning) is a variance. Therefore, TDSF not TDR: WESTLAKE’S PROGRAM WILL TRANSFER DEVELOPMENT SQUARE FOOTAGE ALONG WITH NEEDED VARIANCE TO DENSITY, HEIGHT, AND COVERAGE…IT WILL NOT DEVELOPMENT LANDUSE. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 TDSF’s Importance to the Town •Avoid the burden of increased traffic volumes as a result of additional zoning. •Comp Plan establishes maximum capacity. •To maintain balance, future up-zoning would require down-zoning somewhere else in the Town…impossible to do. •Preservation of environmental and visual character that supports value. •Protection of natural systems. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 TDSF’s Importance to the Land Owner •Most Zoning accomplished through Planned Development Ordinances, which have been refined and adjusted over the years (since 1992), contain permitted development conditions and rights land owners want to keep. •Predate newer ordinances = vested rights •Reopening PD’s through zoning change process = possible recalibration and new conditions Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 How it will Work in Westlake Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Westlake’s Updated Comp Plan •Establishes:the development entitlement capacity for Westlake overall and a template for redistribution of existing development square footage. •Sets up:the justification for identification of areas from which development square footage should be exported and areas to which development square footage should be imported •Identifies:Sending Areas and Receiving areas •Describes:desirable levels of development in each area which can be attained through Transfer of Development Square Footage Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Westlake’s Updated Comp Plan Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Westlake’s Updated Comp Plan •Virginia Legislation:“Receiving Areas are 1 or more areas identified by ordinance and designated by the Comprehensive Plan” •The Literature:“Ideally the Comprehensive Plan should identify Receiving Areas and establish maximum densities…the plan should clearly state that future zoning code amendment will require acquisition of TDR’s to achieve the plan’s maximum densities” •TDR Handbook:“The Comprehensive Plan as an instrument that gives the TDR Program particular substance and legal strength” Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Sending and Receiving Areas Sending Areas: •Areas identified in the Comp Plan as places where view exposure, environmental sensitivity, proximity to residential use, and public uses makes commercial development above certain FAR levels potentially disruptive. •Areas from which development square footage would be authorized to be “severed” •Once “severed” they can be relocated to a Receiving Area Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Sending and Receiving Areas Receiving Areas: •Areas identified in the Comp Plan as places where the visual/ environmental impacts of increased development can be tolerated without negatively affecting those cherished aspects of Westlake’s visual and environmental quality. •Areas where traffic capacity and infrastructure opportunity is (or will be) greatest; or where existing topo can conceal more intense development. •Moving Commercial SF from an environmentally/visually sensitive Sending Area for the purpose of preservation is in the best interest of the Municipality. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 •Any proposed importation of development SF to a tract located in a Receiving Area will require a Site Plan that must be approved by Commission and Council Action before the Transfer can be executed. •Approval of the Site Plan constitutes a Variance to the Spatial/ Density conditions of the PD as they are applicable to the area of the Site Plan. TDSF Through Variance •Site Plan must show total amount and usage of the imported SF as well as document the SF exported from a specific parcel, tract, PD District, etc. within the Sending Area. •Parcels/Tracts/PD Districts not included are not affected. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Next Steps Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 We Need the Following: •Final Tabulation:A single specification for Development Square Footage. We currently have 3 different ways of specifying: •Absolute number •FAR •Percent of total land area •A Yield Plan:The potential severability. Additional SF above the preferred SF for the Development Area •Transfer Capacity Plan:The additional SF that can be added to the base entitlement in receiving areas through TDSF Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Inconsistencies PD 1-1 PD 1-2 PD 1-3 Land AreasOrdinance 251.757 AC 92.08 AC 92.24 AC Appraisal District ---35.97 AC 27.12 AC GIS Parcel Data 231.76 AC 86.53 AC 83.51 AC We have to establish one binding definition of the entitlement in terms of the square footage os use it permits. At present the different land areas derived from different sources translates into different entitlement. Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Setting up the Administrative Tool Existing entitlement as per PD Development intensity as recommended by the COMP PLAN YIELD Development intensity as Recommended by the COMP PLAN Existing entitlement as per PD TRANSFER POTENTIAL Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 Where to from here? •Establish:The TDSF Option (voluntary Program) within the Municipal Zoning Code (Ch. 102) •Establish:Sending Areas •Determine:The Development SF that can be Transferred •Establish:A process for Severance of Development SF and its recordation •Establish:Procedure for protection of severance •Establish:Receiving Areas •Establish:Special Site Plan submittal requirements and procedures •Establish:Process for Commission/ Council consideration and final recordation of the Transfer Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016 RECAP: What’s been done so far •Literature Research •Other Ordinance Review •Review of Chapter 102 •Dialogue with the Town Attorney •more is needed on certain topics •Some dialogue with property owners •more is planned •Settling the Entitlement issues… •in progress •Beginning Ordinance based on Virginia Questions? Town Council Workshop January 25th, 2016