Redmond, Washington

Redmond, Washington, 20 miles east of Seattle, has a TDR program designed to protect agricultural land and critical habitat. The program is profiled in Beyond Takings and Givings. That profile reported that Redmond?s TDR program had preserved 43 acres as of 1998.

The Sammanish River Valley in Redmond

According to a February 2003 update, the City has now issued certificates for 503.9 TDRs. Some recent applications for TDR certificates resulted from the preparation of a Draft Wildlife Plan. Of this total, 284.24 TDRs have been used to preserve 342.506 acres of land in the northern Sammamish Valley and in critical habitat areas citywide. Additionally, easements have been placed on 5.4 acres of habitat in southeast Redmond. The update identifies the City?s latest success as the protection of 2.5 acres of critical habitat in the Willows/Rose Hill neighborhood. The City calculates that TDR purchases have totaled $12.982 million so far at an average per-TDR price of $35,000. However, the most recent per-TDR sale price was about $22,000. The update reports that 18.4 TDRs generated by the preservation of 2.5 acres of habitat will be used in the new Marriott Hotel at Redmond Town Center.

The City Council has reviewed the Historic Resources Comprehensive Plan and has given preliminary approval to include historic sites as sending areas in the TDR program. In addition, staff is investigating expanding the TDR program to promote the construction of affordable housing.