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4 not apply to the government to have that density changed.
Instead, the developer must purchase “development rights” from another landowner who has not used his density allotment - generally a person who has no plans to develop his property. The purchaser transfers the right to place housing units from the seller to his property, usually at the ratio of one-to-one, but in some cases double the number of housing units.
In return, the seller loses the right to develop his property, thus creating an area which will be permanently undeveloped. The payoff, for the seller, is the cash which he receives for the sale of his development rights.
In a variation of the TDR concept, the developer buys the development rights from the local government, with the money thus raised going to pay for the increased services necessary because of the population growth. In other instances, developers have offered to build roads, extend water and sewer connections, and provide other services traditionally held to be the responsibility of the local government.
In most cases, the offers have been made as inducements to the local officials to approve the developer’s proposal. These offers have proven to be especially attractive in cases where the proposed development would strain municipal services.
Mr. Wilson said that obviously the value of a given piece of land lies in its development potential. His “greenbelt plan,” in which high density development is clustered and other areas are left as open spaces, “preserves some areas of any development as open space - with no development allowed.” But, Mr. Wilson added, “you have to plan now for those high-density areas. The conservation areas should be noted, and the owners compensated for their development rights ... To conserve the land, the owner is entitled to the value of the development rights.”
A warning
“The dynamics for growth are not here yet,” Mr. Wilson conceded. “But they are coming - and much faster than you ever think.”
As proof, the developer suggested the triangle formed by Dulles Airport, Fair Oaks Mall, and Tysons Corner. That area, he said, contains a larger commercial and industrial base than Washington, D. C., had in 1960. It is, in essence, “a new city - 45 minutes closer to Rappahannock than D. C. . . . It will grow exponentially in the next 20 years. The plans are there, the dynamics are there, growth will occur.” He added that the same area contains more office space than D. C. has now: 80 million square feet, versus 60 million square feet in the city.
Northern Virginia is “the garden spot of the world,” and lots of people want to live here, Mr. Wilson said. “It’s unfortunate, I told too many of
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