Transfer of Development Rights

Transfer of Development Rights Pilot Feasibility Study

1.0 Project Overview:

Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) is a specific, market-based mechanism and innovative conservation tool based in the principle that the right to develop a property is severable and moveable to a different property.^[1]  TDRs are most commonly used to relocate the construction of a building of a certain size from a property to be conserved, to an area desired for development. TDRs can assist the Pittsburgh region in addressing serious issues such as lack of protected green spaces, landslides, water management and combined sewer overflows; which have arisen from inappropriate development and poor and aging infrastructure.  These issues combined with our regional topography has created dangerous flash flooding, landslides and other concerns which necessitate leveraging all available tools as possible to address them.  ALT is working on a TDR Pilot Study to demonstrate the benefits of allowing Transfer of Development Rights in urban contexts, with the goal of facilitating a supported TDR Pilot and the eventual larger-scale application.

^[1] TDRs and Other Market-based Land Mechanisms: How they work and their role in shaping metropolitan growth. June 2004 Fulton, W.; Mazurek, J.; Pruetz, R.; & Williamson, C.  A Discussion Paper Prepared for The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy