New resources and city partnerships are helping communities explore innovative approaches to conservation and infrastructure funding.
Commerce continues to advance the use of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) and the Landscape Conservation and Local Infrastructure Program (LCLIP) as tools to support growth management, protect critical lands, and help fund infrastructure in the Puget Sound region.
As part of this effort, in partnership with a team of consultants led by ECOnorthwest, Commerce has developed a draft TDR and LCLIP Guidebook and Toolkit (PDF), designed to help local governments better understand these programs, evaluate their feasibility, and identify opportunities for implementation. The draft guidebook and toolkit are available on Commerce’s TDR webpage, along with materials from the project’s first educational workshop held in June 2025.
Our team is working directly with cities in the central Puget Sound to explore the feasibility of implementing or expanding TDR and LCLIP programs. Three feasibility studies have been completed to date:
Burien: Following its feasibility study, the City Council voted to include TDR and LCLIP in its 2027 work plan, creating an opportunity to further explore how these tools could support the city’s planning and infrastructure goals.
Bothell: The city also voted to include TDR and LCLIP in its 2027 work plan, providing a foundation for continued evaluation and program development.
Bellevue: The feasibility study was designed as a planning tool to help inform the city’s discussions around updates to its existing TDR program and considering opportunities to strengthen its approach.
Our team continues to work with three additional cities to evaluate local opportunities and implementation considerations. These partnerships help identify practical strategies, lessons learned, and approaches that other communities may be able to adapt.
Next steps and upcoming workshop
Looking ahead, Commerce will host a second educational workshop in 2027 to share findings from the feasibility studies, highlight lessons learned, and provide local planners with additional information about how TDR and LCLIP can be used to advance conservation and support local infrastructure investments.
Visit Commerce’s TDR webpage to access the draft TDR and LCLIP Guidebook and Toolkit and materials from the first educational workshop.
This content is sourced from
Washington State Department of Commerce
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
