Department of Community Development
Reference: Historic Splendid Valley TDR Study
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Jane Bais DiSessa, City Manager
Holly Prather, AICP, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Anneli Berube, Ag Innovation Specialist
Date Prepared: November 18, 2020
PURPOSE
To present the findings of a TDR (Transfer of Development Rights) Study completed by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS).
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA
• Recognizable and Well-Planned Community
BACKGROUND
The City of Brighton (City) and Adams County (County) are working together to preserve agricultural land and encourage local food production for the future of the greater Brighton area and the benefit of residents. The District Plan, a joint plan adopted by the City and the County in 2016, highlights the appetite of the local community to preserve its unique heritage and assets. This plan also identifies necessary initiatives to preserve valuable, productive farmland, promote agritourism, and attract local food businesses.
A TDR program is one possible tool to both preserve farmland and encourage context-sensitive development. Exploring this tool is listed as a tactic in the District Plan Action Plan: “Evaluate the County’s Land Development Code to further explore Transfer of Development Rights and/or improve Cluster Standards to align with market realities and recommendations of the District Plan and the Be Brighton Comprehensive Plan. Key outcomes of this TDR study include reflecting market conditions, identifying receiving areas within the Brighton GMA, establishing maximum densities in receiving areas, applying the programs to properties under 160 acres, and outlining potential City code revisions to incentivize TDR and Clustering,” (District Plan, pg. 72).
In order to explore a TDR program, City Council and the Adams County Board of County Commissioners adopted an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) in April of 2020 to share the costs of this study. A bid was put out by the City for this study, and EPS was chosen as the consultant to complete the project. The Historic Splendid Valley TDR Study was launched in May of 2020. EPS worked closely with the Ag Innovation Specialist, as well as staff in the City’s Community Development Department and the County’s Community and Economic Development Department. The attached TDR Study Final Report details the findings and recommendations of this comprehensive market study.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS/STAFF ANALYSIS
The Splendid Valley TDR Study found that the conditions needed for a successful TDR program are only met partially, and therefore this program is not recommended for Historic Splendid Valley. The major limitation to a successful TDR program was a lack of viable receiving areas in the City’s Growth Management Area (GMA) or within City limits. It was found that allowable residential densities in the potential receiving areas are already consistent with current demand.
As part of the scope of work, the consultant also explored alternative strategies to TDR that could complement current farmland preservation methods. The consultant identified two additional strategies, a density transfer fee and farmland mitigation program, that could be considered for Historic Splendid Valley. Further exploration would be needed to determine the feasibility of adding these tools to the toolbox for farmland preservation.
Though this study found that a TDR program is not an effective strategy to preserve more farmland in Historic Splendid Valley, it was necessary to complete this project in order to reach this conclusion.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
There are no recommendations for further action at this time.
ATTACHMENTS
• TDR Study Final Report
• Staff presentation introducing project
• Consultant presentation outlining report findings