There is no doubt that Douglas County's transfer development rights program has preserved agricultural land in Carson Valley. The question is at what cost.
Development rights are being transferred at a rate of 1.3 homes per acre of agricultural land preserved. Add to that a bonus for every 100 acres preserved, and some feel that the program is encouraging development.
But that question is being asked in a vacuum. The assumption is that no approvals would be granted for higher density on agricultural land had there been no development rights program.
Looking at the history of both the master plan and the Douglas County commission, that is not an assumption we would be willing to bet on.
The last decade has shown that the ebb and flow of politics affect growth in the Valley as much as economics.
While development rights transfers may end up being challenged in court, at least the promise they represent is recorded against the title of the land. No one could purchase a ranch in Carson Valley without knowing the development rights were gone ahead of time.
We look at the example of the Hussman Ranch, 560 acres of agricultural land partially preserved by development rights and partially by conservation easement.
No one knows what this Valley will look like in a century, but no one can say that we haven't tried to preserve the Valley's agricultural heritage. The county's transfer development rights program is part and parcel of that attempt.
