TDRs: A prescription for growing pains in Harford County
From a conservative perspective, the zoning rewrite in Harford County provides residents with considerable upside.
Let’s state the obvious: With its scenic rural vistas and close proximity to Baltimore, Wilmington and Philadelphia, Harford County proved to be an attractive location for the many families who moved here in the late 80s, taking advantages of the designated growth area and reduced land costs for housing. With Interstate 95 running through it, it was, and continues to be, an attractive location for businesses looking for ready transport of goods and services to urban population centers.
And with the County currently facing the increased housing, infrastructure and retail pressures associated with the BRAC mandate, officials must determine how to manage the growth efficiently and effectively.
Growth always creates additional business opportunities. Where there are increased businesses, there are more jobs. Where there are jobs, there are people. And with rising consumer uncertainty about fuel costs, more people are choosing to live where they work. This choice creates demand for housing, schools and additional infrastructure, which in turn create tax revenue at the state and county level.
With the fiscal crisis facing Maryland and the State shifting more of the cost burden for infrastructure and support services to the County level, the County needs to have a fiscally sound development process, which provides for tax revenues, while at the same time preserving property values for property owners. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. And TDRs are one means by which Harford County can accomplish this goal.
According to Realtor.com, Transfer of Development Rights (TDRs) is
the exchange of zoning privileges from areas with low population needs, such as farmland, to areas of high population needs, such as downtown areas. These transfers allow for the preservation of open spaces and historic landmarks, while giving urban areas a chance to expand and experience continued growth.
In the case of land that falls outside the development envelope, the agricultural mainstays of Harford County life can continue to thrive as farms. Owners can sell these farms’ designated housing density to land developers looking to increase housing density in areas within the designated growth areas, which in Harford County’s case, exist around existing infrastructural improvements. Targeting these particular areas for growth reduces the cost burden of infrastructural expansion and new infrastructure development.
As the demand for development in Harford County increases, TDRs will allow farmers to get the economic benefit of increased property values without having to sell their farms for development.
As the saying goes, “Change is the only constant.” Changing the zoning requirements recognizes the economic realities facing Harford County and increases the benefits of smart growth and development while retaining the rural nature of the County that makes it such an attractive place to many of its citizens.
