Transfer of Development Rights
Municipal Implementation Tool #008

Transfer of Development Rights

Product No.: MIT008
Date Published: 08/2004

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If you would like to request a printed copy (or copies) of this product, please call DVRPC at 215-592-1800 or email the staff contact listed below. If you would like to request this publication or portion of this publication in another language or format, please fill out a request form.

This brochure is the eighth in a series of "implementation tools" brochures based on the recommendations in Horizons 2025, the region's long-range plan, prepared and adopted by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). Protecting valuable agricultural and environmentally sensitive land is an important, yet daunting task. Without protection, sprawl could consume all the remaining open space in the region. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is a tool municipal officials can use to conserve high-value agricultural land, environmentally sensitive areas and recreational areas by shifting development to areas where growth is appropriate - all while providing just compensation to land owners for new development.

Geographic Area Covered: Nine-county Delaware Valley region, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania; and Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties in New Jersey.

Key Words: transfer of development rights (TDR), sending zone, agricultural land, environmentally sensitive land, receiving zone, growth management, just compensation, open space protection, land banking, Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Chesterfield Township New Jersey, clustering, New Jersey Pinelands, development credits.

Staff Contact(s)

Translation Request

DVRPC’s publications or portions of publications can be translated in alternative languages and formats if requested. To request translation, please submit the form below. You can also contact DVRPC’s Office of Communications & Engagement at 215-592-1800 or public_affairs@dvrpc.org.

Title VI Statement

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice, and related nondiscrimination mandates in all programs and activities. DVRPC's website, www.dvrpc.org, may be translated into multiple languages. Publications and other public documents can usually be made available in alternative languages and formats, if requested. DVRPC’s public meetings are always held in ADA-accessible facilities, and held in transit-accessible locations whenever possible. Translation, interpretation, or other auxiliary services can be provided to individuals who submit a request at least seven days prior to a public meeting. Translation and interpretation services for DVRPC’s projects, products, and planning processes are available, generally free of charge, by calling (215) 592-1800. All requests will be accommodated to the greatest extent possible.

Any person who believes they have been aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice by DVRPC under Title VI and/or ADA has a right to file a formal complaint. Any such complaint must be in writing and filed with DVRPC's Title VI Compliance Manager, Alison Hastings, and/or the appropriate state or federal agency within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory occurrence. For more information on DVRPC's Title VI program or to obtain a Title VI Complaint Form, please visit: www.dvrpc.org/GetInvolved/TitleVI, call (215) 592-1800, or email public_affairs@dvrpc.org.

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