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June 18th, 2012

Skagit County Commissioners Seek Applications for Two Positions on Transfer of Development Rights Advisory Committee

SKAGIT COUNTY - Skagit County is seeking letters of interest from County residents for two at-large positions on an advisory committee evaluating potential creation of a Skagit County transfer of development rights (TDR) program.
A TDR program is a market-based mechanism that enables the voluntary transfer of growth from places where a community would like to see less development ("sending areas") to places where a community would like to see more development ("receiving areas.")

Sending areas might include farmland, forestland, or wildlife habitat. Receiving areas typically include cities or other lands that already have the infrastructure and services to meet the needs of increased growth.

Landowners in sending areas may voluntarily sell the development rights on their land while retaining ownership and continuing to use the land for other purposes, such as forestry or agriculture. Development rights are purchased by buyers looking to obtain additional development potential in receiving areas (where the community has decided it wants development to go). A receiving area might be a downtown district where a city is looking to encourage second-floor residential development over first-floor commercial uses. The TDR program facilitates the sale and transfer of these development rights.

TDR Advisory Committee

The purpose of the TDR advisory committee is to review and provide input on key policy and technical issues, and TDR public outreach efforts, to the County planning staff and consultants, the Planning Commission, and the Skagit County Board of County Commissioners. The TDR advisory committee is not a decision-making body and is not expected to "vote" on recommendations or achieve consensus on all issues brought before them.

The TDR Advisory Committee will consist of up to 15 members. Most committee members have already been selected to represent groups or organizations that might directly participate in a TDR program, including agriculture, forestry, conservation, builders, developers, real estate professionals, bankers, and city planners. This request for applications is specifically for two at-large members of the committee who may or may not be direct participants in a TDR program but can help to represent the interests of Skagit County urban and rural residents. The two at-large TDR advisory committee members may live in urban or rural parts of the county and will be selected by the Board of County Commissioners.

Required qualifications include:

Project staff will provide an overview of the project to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, June 19 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., in the Board of County Commissioners' hearing room at 1800 Continental Place in Mount Vernon. This presentation is open to the public, and interested citizens are encouraged to attend to learn more. The presentation will be recorded by Skagit TV21 for live and future viewing.
Citizens interested in serving on the TDR advisory committee are encouraged to apply by submitting a letter of interest describing their background, interests, and reasons for wanting to serve on the committee. Finalists may be asked to provide references.

Letters of interest and contact information should be submitted to: Linda Hammons, Clerk of the Board, 1800 Continental Place, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273 by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 9.
A schedule of advisory committee meeting dates, times and locations has not been finalized; however, it is anticipated that the committee will meet for approximately two to three hours at a time at the County offices in Mount Vernon on a monthly or every-other-month basis, from the fall of 2012 through the end of 2013.

For further information about the TDR project, visit the Skagit County TDR website at www.skagitcounty.net/TDR, or contact: Kirk Johnson, Skagit County Planning and Development Services, at (360) 336-9410 ext. 5916, or kirkj@co.skagit.wa.us.