The County Planning Commission got the go-ahead to explore
further options for the Transferable Development Credits (TDC)
program at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning.
Hollister – The County Planning Commission got the go-ahead to explore further options for the Transferable Development Credits (TDC) program at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning.
The TDC program, once laid-out and approved by the board, would give owners of agriculturally productive land – land where crops are being grown or that has been designated as conducive for agriculture – the opportunity to benefit financially from the sale of development credits. Formerly part of the Measure G growth initiative, which failed in the March election, the TDC program is now being modified by the Planning Commission to stand on its own for consideration before the board.
If the program is eventually approved, land-owners would be given a certain number of “credits” for their land depending on how many acres they own. These credits would apply not to their own farmland, but to separate land the county had already approved for development, according to Supervisor Pat Loe.
Owners of productive ag land could then sell the credits to developers, who could use them to build in the areas approved for development by the board. By selling their credits, farmers would be preserving San Benito County’s agricultural lands while still reaping the financial benefits of selling credits to developers.
Loe said Tuesday the TDC advisory board is looking into incentive programs for developers to buy TDC credits. The main incentive would be a proposed one-half percent building allowance on top of the county’s current growth cap of 244 new homes per year. This would equal a total of about 30 more new homes, Loe said. Developers who bought TDC’s would be able to split this number.
“For example, if we had 10 developers buy credits, they wouldn’t get to build 300 new homes. They would have to split the 30,” Loe said.
Supervisor Reb Monaco clarified at Tuesday’s meeting that the Planning Commission was essentially “seeking the blessing of the Board of Supervisors” before continuing discussions regarding the TDC program.
The board gave its blessing by a two-thirds vote. Monaco and Loe approved continuing the TDC Advisory Group discussions, while Supervisor Ruth Kesler voted against it. Kesler said she would rather wait to approve any discussions until a full board was present. Supervisors Bob Cruz and Richard Scagliotti were absent.
