King County’s Transfer of Development Rights program celebrates new partner and 147,000 acres of protected forest, farmland, and open space 

One of King County’s most effective tools for protecting increasingly threatened private forestland, farmland and open space, the Transfer of Development Rights program, celebrates the addition of the City of Shoreline as its newest partner in building vibrant communities. 

From its inception in 2001, TDR has conserved more than 147,000 acres of land spanning rich farmland on the Enumclaw Plateau and in the Green and Snoqualmie river valleys, critical saltwater habitats along Vashon-Maury Island, and pockets of deep green forests from Carnation to Covington. 

“Since 2001, our TDR program has conserved and maintained the character and attributes of King County’s rural and resource lands and shifted new development into urban areas where infrastructure already exists,” said John Taylor, Director of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, where the TDR program is managed.  

How it works 

Landowners agree to put restrictions on the deed to their land that means it can never be developed, which lowers the sale value of their property. In return, they receive payment from King County that they can use today to invest in their property and businesses and a lower property tax bill. 

By selling development rights, landowners achieve an economic return on their property while maintaining ownership of the land, which can remain in farming, forestry, habitat or open space in perpetuity.  

King County acts as a bank in which the TDR credits are held until a developer wants to purchase the credits for an upcoming project in one of the participating cities where increased density is wanted.  
 
Developers can use TDR credits to build taller buildings than otherwise allowed, alter parking requirements for multifamily and mixed-use projects in certain areas, or get other bonuses. 

King County shares revenue from TDR credit sales with cities in exchange for accepting development rights. Cities can use this revenue to support healthy and sustainable neighborhoods by investing in parks, infrastructure, and affordable housing. King County uses its revenue to buy more development rights in the rural area. 

Shoreline joins the TDR program 

Not surprisingly, most of the TDR credits that have gone from rural to urban areas have gone to the City of Seattle, where more than 1.7 million square feet of residential and commercial space have been built through the program – that’s more than 29 football fields of additional development, end zones included.  

There are also several other King County cities that incentivize the use of TDR in their jurisdictions. Bellevue, Issaquah, Normandy Park, and Sammamish have all partnered with the county as “receiving sites” for development rights. Expanding the partnership network is a priority for the county with the goal of bringing benefits to support growth in more communities and preserving valuable farmland and open space. 

“We’re excited the City of Shoreline has signed on as a participant in the county’s program,” said King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who sponsored the ordinance to partner with Shoreline. “The TDR program will support the city’s growth vision around high-capacity transit and creating new demand for market-based conservation.” 

The TDR program contributes to King County’s Land Conservation Initiative, a partnership to preserve the last, best 65,000 acres of open space within 30 years. By partnering with the private sector, TDR helps save taxpayer dollars for other land conservation efforts.