TDC Conservation Areas

Expansion of TDC Conservation Areas

Goals for land use and conservation evolve. Oftentimes, as a TDC program matures, there is call from the community to expand the program, and include additional lands as TDC Conservation Areas. Many American TDR programs are decades old, and have expanded over the years. There are several considerations both in the initial planning and in actually expanding TDC Conservation Areas, but the most important guiding principle is to consider this possibility at the outset, so as to avoid creating unintended structural barriers.

In the planning stages, it is important to discuss this possibility internally and with the community. If the program expands, which additional lands or features could it include? Which additional parcels could be included as associated TDC Development Areas? Is this the expansion of one program, or the creation of an additional program? Drafting the Municipal Development Plan in terms that would accommodate this evolution is key.

Once the decision is made to undertake an expansion, there are more explicit operational considerations and questions. Any TDC Bylaw would need to be amended, as would the Land Use Bylaw. In particular, these changes would need to be based on careful consideration of the existing opportunities (acceptability on the part of the community, availability of suitable land parcels), and the impact on credit transfer ratios (new TDC Development Areas would likely be required to accommodate the new credits).