San Francisco's Transfer of Development Rights Program

San Francisco's Transfer of Development Rights ProgramIn response to record growth in San Francisco’s downtown in the mid-1980s, San Francisco created the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program to preserve the City’s “unique historic, architectural and aesthetic character.” The TDR program allows owners of historic buildings to transfer unused development floor area to other properties that can benefit from adding more buildable square footage than would otherwise be allowed. For the past three decades, the TDR program has helped the City to accommodate growth downtown while providing owners of historic buildings with incentives to maintain cultural resources.