Citizen Planner Online Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Access Management Plan: A set of policies and standards that manage the number and location of access points (driveways) on the public road system. (Wayne County, Ohio)
Accessory Structure: A detached subordinate structure or building located on the same lot as and incidental to the principal structure. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Adaptive Reuse: The rehabilitation and utilization of existing (typically historical) structures for a different use than the structure was originally built to accommodate.
Administrative Appeal: A process to review a contested ordinance interpretation or an order of an administrative official.
Adverse Impact: A negative consequence to the physical, social, or economic environment. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Affordable Housing Development Agreement: A written agreement between an applicant for a development and the local government containing specific requirements to ensure the continuing affordability of housing included in the development.
Affordable Housing Development: Any housing subsidized by the federal or state government, or any housing development in which at least twenty percent of the housing units are affordable dwelling units.
Affordable Housing Development Plan: A plan prepared by an applicant for an Affordable Housing Development that outlines and specifies the development’s compliance with the applicable requirements of this ordinance.
Affordable Housing Dwelling Unit: Any affordable housing subject to covenants or restrictions requiring such dwelling units to be sold or rented at prices preserving them as affordable housing for a period of at least thirty years.
Affordable Housing: Housing with a sales price or rental amount within the means of a household that may occupy moderate- and low-income housing. In the case of dwelling units for sale, affordable means housing in which mortgage, amortization, taxes, insurance, and condominium or association fees, if any, constitute no more than thirty percent of such gross annual household income for a household of the size that may occupy the unit in question. In the case of dwelling units for rent, affordable means housing for which the rent and utilities constitute no more than thirty percent of such gross annual household income for a household of the size that may occupy the unit in question. (Section 4.4 Model Affordable Housing Density Bonus Ordinance Model Smart Land Development Regulations Interim PAS Report, © American Planning Association, March 2006)
Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Housing trust funds (HTFs) are distinct funds established by cities, counties, and states that dedicate sources of revenue to support affordable housing. Housing trust funds are usually created by legislation or ordinance. At present, there are more than 170 housing trust funds in the United States. Housing Trust Funds commit public sources of revenue; create dedicated, ongoing funding for the support of affordable housing; and do not depend on interest or earnings from a fixed fund, or on contributions from corporations, financial institutions or foundations. (www.policylink.org/EDTK/HTF)
Affordable Housing Unit: Either a housing unit subsidized by the federal or state government or an affordable dwelling unit. Comment: Note that an “Affordable Housing Unit” can either be federally or state subsidized or subject to covenants and deed restrictions that ensure its continued affordability.
Agri-tourism: Refers to the act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness operation for the purpose of enjoyment, education, or active involvement in the activities of the farm or operation. (University of California Small Farm Center)
Amendment: A local legislative act changing a zoning ordinance to make alterations, to correct errors, or to clarify the zoning ordinance. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Amenities: Desirable features of a neighborhood, housing development, or condominium, such as nearby parks, playgrounds, shuffleboard courts, swimming pools, community centers, and bocce courts. (www.canequity.com/mortgage-resources/)
Americans with Disabilities Act: Legislation enacted in the United States in 1990 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disability. One of the goals of the ADA is to ensure equal access to public transportation [which includes pedestrian access to facilities open to the public]. (www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0799/terms.html)
Appearance of Impropriety (see also Conflict of Interest): An action or inaction that gives the impression or implication that a conflict of interest could, would, or did take place.
Appointed Officials: Municipal representatives chosen by the municipality’s legislative body to perform specific duties for the community (i.e. planning commission members, zoning board of appeals members, etc.).
Architectural Review: Regulations and procedures requiring the exterior design or structures to be suitable, harmonious, and in keeping with the historic character or general style of surrounding areas.
B
Balanced Growth: A policy approach to community development seeking to coordinate expansion with infrastructure development, environmental concerns, and services.
Blight: A piece of property, building, or structure in a deteriorated condition, or a neighborhood or area that has generally deteriorated.
Big-Box Retail: A singular retail or wholesale user who occupies no less than 75,000 square feet of gross floor area, typically requires high parking to building area ratios, and has a regional sales market. Regional retail/wholesale sales can include, but are not limited to, membership warehouse clubs that emphasize bulk sales, discount stores, and department stores. (Redmond, WA which uses the term “large-box retail”)
Brownfield: Abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Buffering: The use of landscaping or retained native vegetation or the use of landscaping along with berms, walls, or decorative fences that at least partially and periodically obstruct the view from the street or an abutting property in such a manner that vehicular use areas, parking lots, parked cars, detention ponds, and conflicting activity areas will be partially or completely screened. (www.greenlaws.lsu.edu/terms.htm)
Build-out: The maximum, theoretical development of land as permitted under zoning regulations. A build-out analysis determines the maximum development of a specific area of community based on current regulations. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Bulbouts or Curb Extensions: This measure targets pedestrian crossings at corners or mid-block. It reduces the width of the crossing and also reduces vehicle speeds, which both improve safety for people on foot. It also directs pedestrians to marked crossings, which can be visually enhanced with landscaping. (Local Government Commission)
Business District: The commercial center of a town or city. (www.wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)
Business Improvement District: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are an expansion of the Principal Shopping Districts Act of 1961. BIDs allow qualified downtown and commercial areas (including multiple units of government) of municipalities to levy a special assessment (in addition to ad valorem property taxes) for district improvement. Tax revenues may be bonded against to finance district improvements. (Citizen's Research Council of Michigan)
Business Improvement Zone: A Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) is created by business owners within the established zone whereby they petition the city or village clerk to create the boundaries of the proposed zone. The BIZ is under no authority of the city or village. BIZ provides businesses with the opportunity to come together and use their expertise, experience, and financing to improve the marketing, infrastructure, and operational aspects of their business area, each of which has an impact on their individual businesses. (Michigan Economic Development Corporation)
Bylaw: A rule or regulation governing the internal affairs of a municipal entity, such as the planning commission.
By Right: A use that complies with all zoning regulations and other applicable ordinances. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
C
Capital Improvement Program (CIP): A proposed schedule of all future projects listed in order of construction priority together with cost estimates and the anticipated mans of financing each project. Included are all major projects requiring the expenditure of public funds over and above the annual local government’s operating expenses, for the purchase, construction, or replacement of the physical assets for the community. (Park City, UT)
Case Law: The body of law that is created when decisions are made by judges in state and federal courts that apply and/or interpret constitutional law and statutory law.
Certified Local Government: The Certified Local Government Program was established to enhance local government preservation efforts by increasing public interest and involvement in preservation activities. To become certified, a government must, at the very least, have a local historic district commission with design review control over established or planned locally designated historic districts. (Source: Michigan Historic Preservation Office)
Charrette: A charrette (sometimes spelled charette and often called “design charrette”) is an urban planning technique for consulting with stakeholders. Charrettes are typically intense, possibly multi-day meetings involving municipal officials, developers, and local residents interacting with planning, architecture, and design professionals. A charrette promotes joint ownership of the solution and attempts to diffuse traditional confrontation between residents and developers. (Adapted from wikipedia.org)
Charter: A legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or township. In the United States, such charters are established either directly by a state legislature by means of local legislation, or indirectly under a general municipal corporation law, usually after the proposed charter has passed a referendum vote of the affected population. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_charter)
Closed Session: A governmental meeting or portion closed to everyone but its members and members of its parent body for purposes specified in state law. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Cluster Development: See Open Space Development
Collaboration: Cooperation among varied organizations and people (i.e. governing bodies, private organizations, community leaders, etc.) toward the fulfillment of a common goal.
Commercial: Land use designated for community services, general business, interchange of services, and commercial recreation. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Community Character: The set of qualities that makes a place distinctive, interesting, and attractive.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): A federal entitlement program administered by HUD's Community Planning and Development Office. The purpose of CDBG funds is to improve communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities—principally for persons with low and moderate incomes. Since the program began in 1974, more than $55 billion has been appropriated. (www.senioraffordablehousing.org/development/glossary.htm)
Community Indicators: Community indicators are known by different names in the many distinct fields that use them. “Social indicators” and “quality-of-life indicators” are frequently used synonymously with the term “community indicators,” and delving into specific subjects uncovers many more. There are community indicators specific to demography, economy, education, environment, health, and public safety, for example. (Association for Community Health Improvement Health Research and Educational Trust)
Community Involvement Program: A plan that establishes goals, objectives and strategies to raise awareness and encourage active and effective public participation in the planning process.
Community Opinion Survey: A tool used to gauge community attitudes by requesting responses to a series of objective, standardized questions or statements relating to community issues. The survey content is usually related to a variety of community issues that citizens have a stake in, and measures public opinion at a certain point in time. (Michigan Society of Planning Officials. Community Planning Handbook prepared by Planning and Zoning Center Inc., 1992)
Compact Design: Compact building design suggests that communities be designed in a way that permits more open space to be preserved, and that buildings be constructed in a way that uses land and resources more efficiently. By encouraging buildings to grow vertically rather than horizontally, and by incorporating structured rather than surface parking, for example, communities can reduce the footprint of new construction, and preserve more greenspace. (Smart Growth Online)
Compact Development: Municipal policies aimed at limiting sprawl by encouraging, among others, higher land use densities, walkability, and redevelopment.
Comprehensive Plan: Regional, state, or local documents that describe community visions for future growth. Comprehensive plans describe general plans and policies for how communities will grow and the tools that are used to guide land use decisions and give general, long-range recommendations for community growth. Typical elements include land use, housing, transportation, environment, economic development, and community facilities. (Smart Growth Gateway)
Conditional Use (see also Special Land Use): A land use, construction activity, or structural development, which must be tailored to the site conditions and adjacent property uses through a public and technical review process, that is listed as a conditional use in a zoning district. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Conditional Zoning: Special conditions an owner must meet in order to qualify for a change in a zoning district designation. In Michigan, conditions related to a rezoning request must be proposed and voluntarily accepted by the applicant.
Conflict of Interest: Occurs when the personal interest of a public official places him or her in a position where he or she cannot execute his or her public duties without affecting his or her private interests, thus denying the public the fair, impartial, and objective judgment to which it is entitled. (Michigan Attorney General Opinion #5681)
Constitutional Limitations: Boundaries or confines, established by the United States Constitution or the state constitution, of governmental power protecting an individual’s interest in the use, enjoyment, and productive capacity of his or her land.
Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS): A collaborative interdisciplinary approach to developing transportation projects. Under CSS, the state Department of Transportation solicits dialogue with local governments, road commissions, industry groups, land use advocates, and state agencies early in a project's planning phase. A cooperative spirit and an awareness of community interests help achieve the ultimate goal--projects that fit their surroundings while effectively serving transportation needs.
Conversion: A change in a residential rental development or a mixed-use development that includes rental dwelling units to a development that contains only owner-occupied individual dwelling units or a change in a development that contains owner-occupied individual units to a residential rental development or mixed-use development.
Correlational Statistics: Used to measure the extent to which two variables are related to each other.
Cul-de-sac: A cul-de-sac (originally from the French, literally "bottom of a sack") is a dead-end street or road with only one entrance and exit. Generally, a cul-de-sac ends in a circle, bulb, or similar turn-around. While some are true culs-de-sacs, with no passage possible, others allow cyclists, pedestrians, etc. to pass. (Adapted from wikipedia.org)
D
Density: The number of dwelling units situated on or to be developed upon a gross acre of land, generally expressed as “x dwelling units per acre.”
Density Bonus: An increase in the number of market-rate units on the site in order to provide an incentive for the construction of affordable housing pursuant to this ordinance.
Descriptive Analysis: The process for better understanding current community conditions that entails summarizing data, making calculations, and creating tables and graphs.
Design Guideline: A standard of appropriate activity that will preserve the historic and architectural character of a structure or area. (St. Charles, MO)
Development: The entire proposal to construct or place one or more dwelling units on a particular lot or contiguous lots including, without limitation, a planned unit development, site plan, or subdivision. (Section 4.4 Model Affordable Housing Density Bonus Ordinance Model Smart Land Development Regulations Interim PAS Report, © American Planning Association, March 2006)
Development Reviews: The process for determining the appropriateness of a proposed development project.
Down Zoning: A change in zoning classification that permits development that is less dense, less intense, and more restrictive. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Downtown Development Authority (DDA): A public body established under Michigan Public Act 197 of 1975, as amended, to improve the property tax base and promote economic development in the downtown business district. Public improvement activities are financed by the DDA through mechanisms including, but not limited to, tax increment financing, proceeds from mill tax, grants and donations.
E
Economic Base: The commercial and industrial businesses within a community serving residents and providing employment.
Economic Development Commission (EDC): An agency charged with seeking economic development projects and economic expansion at higher employment densities. (California Planning Roundtable)
Economically Viable Use: A use of land that provides an economic return.
Eco-tourism: Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present), that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples. (Nature Conservancy and World Conservation Union)
Eminent Domain: The right of a government unit to take private property for public use with appropriate compensation to the owner. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Enabling Statute: Legislation authorizing a government agency to do something that was previously forbidden. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Equal Protection: Guarantees the right of similarly situated individuals to be treated in a similar manner, and to bear no greater burdens than are imposed on others under like circumstances.
Ethics: A system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for an individual or group.
Euclidean Zoning: A land use regulation method that separates land uses into zoning districts, named for Euclid, Ohio after the U. S. Supreme Court legitimized zoning in the Village of Euclid (Ohio) v. Ambler Realty Co. (272 U.S. 365) decision in 1926. The Court concluded that comprehensive zoning is a valid application of a community’s police powers – the right to adopt regulations reasonably designed to protect public health, safety, and welfare.
Ex Parte Contact: Communication with a decision maker in a quasi-judicial proceeding, which is not part of a public hearing or the official record in a matter. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
F
Fiscal Impact Analysis: Estimates the public sector costs to serve projected new development and infrastructure needs.
Fix-it-First Policy: Includes calls for reinvestment in public transit and other travel options to revitalize existing communities, improved operations and system management, better design of development around highways, taking a new look at strategies to better manage traffic demand on existing highways, and improvements to existing facilities to address environmental impacts, such as water pollution. This reinvestment strategy also will allow the region to preserve and protect its natural, cultural, and historic resources. It also includes efforts to ensure traffic modeling is based upon realistic projections for population and employment. (Sustainable Pittsburgh)
Flexible Design Standards: Design standards provide the direction needed to reach design solutions that meet the intent of the Comprehensive Plan policies relative to a particular issue at hand. The flexible application of specific development standards to achieve a qualitative instead of quantitative result may be appropriate in specific cases and, when incorporating an innovative solution, will lead to a more compatible project and livable community. (Spokane, WA)
Floodplain: Areas near rivers and/or lakes that are prone to flooding. They are usually designated according to theoretical frequency of flooding. In the U.S., most floodplains have been mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and are shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
Focus Group: A small group selected from a wider population and queried, as by open discussion, for its members' opinions about or emotional response to a particular subject or area, used especially in market research or political analysis. (The Roper Center for Public Research)
Form-based Zoning: Form-based zoning creates a visually based zoning code that emphasizes the form of the built environment. Traditional zoning regulates the function of land use. This prescriptive approach uses community visioning processes to create a shared physical vision for the community. The community vision is translated into straightforward diagrams that illustrate the zoning code, rather then using lengthy text. A focus on form allows diverse architectural development that can serve multiple and changing functions.
Future Land Use Plan: A plan that guides physical development such as the location of different land uses, open space, circulation, and other important features of a community.
G
Geographic Information Systems/Science (GIS): Computer technology, tools, databases, and applications that provide spatial (geographic) data management, analysis, and mapping capabilities to support policy evaluation, decision-making, and program operations. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Goal: The end point toward which effort is directed. In land use planning, goals should be:
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Broad enough to inspire, but narrow enough to meet #1 and #2
- Limited to no more than 2-3 major points
- A picture of the future (10-20 years) as community residents would like to see it
Greenfield: Undeveloped land typically located at the perimeter of a municipality.
Green Infrastructure Plan: A document that provides the rationale for, and goals, objectives, strategies, and standards for, the implementation of a network of greenways and other green infrastructure, including a map of existing and proposed green infrastructure.
Green Infrastructure: A strategically planned and managed network of wilderness, parks, greenways, conservation easements, and working lands with conservation value that supports native species, maintains natural ecological processes, sustains air and water resources, and contributes to the health and quality of life for America's communities and people. The Green Infrastructure network encompasses a wide range of landscape elements, including: natural areas - such as wetlands, woodlands, waterways, and wildlife habitat; public and private conservation lands - such as nature preserves, wildlife corridors, greenways, and parks; and public and private working lands of conservation value - such as forests, farms, and ranches. It also incorporates outdoor recreation and trail networks. (The Conservation Fund)
Greenway: A linear open space; a corridor composed of natural vegetation. Greenways can be used to create connected networks of open space that include traditional parks and natural areas. (Smart Growth Gateway)
Grayfield: Vacant or unused commercial or industrial properties with development potential (i.e strip malls, shopping centers, factories, etc.). Often, the development potential of a greyfield is affected by environmental factors, such as soil or groundwater contamination, etc.
Growth Management: The methodology by which a municipality controls the expansion of the community.
H
Highway Development: Buildings that are diverse in size, scale, and use that are located along the primary transportation routes within a community and region. High levels of visibility and accessibility support local businesses.
Historic District Ordinance: The local historic district ordinance sets forth the administrative procedures that must be followed when establishing a local historic district. It also establishes the membership requirements and the duties and powers of the historic district commissions, the design review standards by which work in historic districts is reviewed, and a process for appealing historic district commission decisions. The local historic district ordinance is a land use regulatory tool similar to a zoning ordinance. It enables the community to say that resources in a specific, designated area are of such importance to the community overall that work in the district must meet established standards and guidelines. (Source: Michigan Historic Preservation Office. The Local Historic District Ordinance)
Historic District: An area designated as a “Historic District” by local ordinance or by state or federal designation, which contains within definable geographic boundaries, properties, or buildings that may or may not be landmarks, but which contribute to the overall historic character of the designated area. (Adapted from Champaign, IL)
Historic Resources Inventory: A comprehensive identification, evaluation, and protection of historic resources within a community used to support historic preservation efforts. An official listing of nationally registered and protected historic resources is maintained by the National Register of Historic Places. (www.cr.nps.gov/nr)
Home-based Business: Any business or commercial activity that is conducted, or proposed to be conducted, from property that is zoned for residential use and is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling unit for residential purposes. The list of occupations that are specifically excluded from the definition of home-based business include, but are not limited to, bed and breakfast establishments, nursing homes and group homes. (Village of Homewood, IL)
Home Occupation: An occupation, profession, activity, or use that is clearly a customary, incidental, and secondary use of a residential dwelling unit and which does not alter the exterior of the property or affect the residential character of the neighborhood. (Phoenix, Ariz. From American Planning Association)
I
Incentive Zoning: The granting of additional development possibilities to a developer because of the developer’s provision of a public benefit. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Incompatible Office: A situation that occurs when holding two offices at the same time (i.e. planning commission member and zoning board of appeals member) affects the official’s decision making process.
Industrial: Land use characterized by establishments founded in, among others, manufacturing or research and development.
Infill: Development or redevelopment of land that has been bypassed, remained vacant, and/or is underused as a result of the continuing urban development process. Generally, the areas and/or sites are not particularly of prime quality, however they are usually served by or are readily accessible to the infrastructure services and facilities provided by the applicable local governmental entity. Use of such lands for new housing and/or other urban development is considered a more desirable alternative than to continue to extend the outer development pattern laterally and horizontally thus necessitating a higher expenditure for capital improvements than would be required for infill development. The use of infill development, among others, promotes the best use of resources and also will tend to have a positive impact upon the tax and other fiscal policies. (Topeka, KS)
Infrastructure: Facilities and services needed to sustain industry, residential, commercial, and all other land use activities, including water, sewer lines, and other utilities, streets and roads, communications, and public facilities such as fires stations parks, schools, etc. (Redmond, WA)
Institutional: A land use characterized by nonprofit or quasi-public establishments (i.e. churches, schools, libraries, medical facilities, etc.).
Institutional Building: A development that provides for nonprofit or quasi-public use, such as a church, library, school (public and private), medical facility, courthouse, city or town hall, or community center.
Interconnectedness: The desirable characteristic of pedestrian or green infrastructure networks in which the network forms complete connections between where people live and where they work, go to school, shop, recreate, and other frequented destinations.
J
Judicial Appeal: The review of a local zoning decision by the state or federal judicial system. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
L
Laissez Faire: A French phrase loosely taken to mean “to let people do as they choose.” A strong belief that the private market should determine the land use as well as where development takes place.
Land Banking: The purchase of land by a local government for use or resale at a later date. Banked lands have been used for development of low-and moderate-income housing, expansion of parks, and development of industrial and commercial centers. Federal railbanking law allows railroads to bank unused rail corridors for future rail use while allowing interim use as trails. (California Planning Roundtable)
Land Suitability: The determination of appropriateness for the development of a piece of property.
Land Use: How a certain area of land is utilized.
Legislative Body: The governing body of a municipality (i.e. city or village council, township board, or county board).
Level of Service (LOS): A mechanism used by highway departments to determine if a road is operating at ideal, average, or poor efficiency. Generally, each road or highway is given a grade from A to F that indicates how well the roadway is serving its intended traffic. Roads with a level of service "F" are generally the ones with major traffic issues and are generally prioritized for improvements and innovations to make the roadway better. (Adapted from www.AARoads.com)
Live/Work Unit: A work space or shop that is integrated with a dwelling unit occupied by the proprietor of the work space or shop. Generally, the work unit is separated from the living unit by walls or stories.
Local Leader Survey: A survey of local leaders is a type of community opinion survey that targets local elected and appointed officials, local business persons, and others of significance in the community. It is used to gauge the opinions of persons who others look up to, and/or who are the major decision makers.
Location Efficient Mortgage®: Increases the amount of money homebuyers in urban areas are able to borrow by taking into account the money they save by living in neighborhoods where they can shop at nearby stores and use public transit, rather than driving to work and to the mall. The Location Efficient Mortgage® program was designed to encourage the development of efficient, environmentally progressive communities and to reduce urban sprawl and dependence on cars.
Lot: Either
- The basic development unit for determination of area, width, depth, and other dimensional variations; or
- A parcel of land whose boundaries have been established by some legal instrument, such as a recorded deed or recorded map (such as a plat of subdivision), and is recognized as a separate legal entity for purposes of transfer of title.
Low-Income Housing: Housing that is affordable, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, for either home ownership or rental, and that is occupied, reserved, or marketed for occupancy by households with a gross household income that does not exceed 50 percent of the median gross household income for households of the same size within the housing region or county in which the housing is located.M
Main Street Program: The Main Street Program is an entity of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its purpose is to revitalize older, traditional business districts throughout the United States. The underlying premise of the Main Street approach is to encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation in ways appropriate to today's marketplace. The Main Street Approach advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets: distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community. In several states, the Main Street Approach is extended to local communities through a state-funded office or program. (Adapted from the National Trust for Historic Preservation)
Manufactured Home: A detached residential dwelling unit fabricated in a factory completely or in parts, and designed for transportation to the building site on its own wheels or on a truck or other conveyance, and further designed to be occupied as a dwelling without the necessity of further substantial construction or alteration except for unpacking, assembly, foundation work or construction, utility connections, site preparation and other minor work, construction, or installation.
Master Plan: (see also Comprehensive Plan) A comprehensive long-range plan intended to guide growth and development of a community or region and one that includes analysis, recommendation, and proposals for the community’s population, economy, housing, transportation, community facilities, and land use. (Iowa State University Extension Service)
Median Gross Household Income: The median income level for a specific housing region or county, as established and defined in the annual schedule published by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, adjusted for household size.
Minimum Lot Size: A provision of a zoning ordinance stipulating the minimum dimensions of a lot necessary for the construction of a building, for example, two-acre lots for each residence. (www.nevada-real-estate-online.com/real-estate-terms-M.html)
Mixed Use Development: Development that is created in response to patterns of separate uses that are typical in suburban areas necessitating reliance on cars. Mixed use developments include residential, commercial, and business accommodations in one area. (Smart Growth Gateway)
Modeling: The use of data to predict future trends or patterns based on past performance as well as expected forces behind future change.
Moderate-Income Housing: Housing that is affordable, according to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, for either home ownership or rental, and that is occupied, reserved, or marketed for occupancy by households with a gross household income that is greater than 50 percent but does not exceed 80 percent of the median gross household income for households of the same size within the same housing region or county in which the housing is located.
Multi-Jurisdictional Planning: The collaboration between neighboring or adjacent municipalities for the development of a regional planning approach or for reaching common planning goals or objectives.
Multiple Family: A land use categorized by three or more families living independently of one another within the same building. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
N
Neighborhood Businesses: Businesses located within residential neighborhoods that provide convenience goods and personal services. Neighborhood business buildings generally should replicate the size, scale and character of the neighborhood.
Neighborhood Commercial District: An area designated for neighborhood businesses in the Zoning Ordinance.
Neighborhood Enterprise Zone: A locally-initiated zone program that provides tax incentives for housing development and improvement. Qualified local units of government may designate one or more areas as Neighborhood Enterprise Zones (NEZs) for the purpose of extending property tax abatements for residential construction and rehabilitation. (Citizen Research Council of Michigan)
New Urbanist/New Urbanism: The process of reintegrating the components of modern life—housing, workplace, shopping, and recreation—into compact, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighborhoods linked by transit and set in a larger regional open space framework. Initially dubbed “neotraditional planning,” the principles that define new urbanism can be applied successfully to infill and redevelopment sites within existing urbanized areas. (Congress for the New Urbanism)
Node: An identifiable grouping of uses subsidiary and dependent upon a larger urban grouping of similar or related uses. (Concord, NC)
Nonconforming Structure: Any building that does not meet the zoning ordinance limitations on building size or location on a lot for its use and district. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Nonconforming Lot: A use or activity which lawfully existed prior to the adoption, revision, or amendment of an ordinance but that fails to conform to the current ordinance. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Nonconforming Use: A use (or structure) that lawfully existed prior to the adoption or amendment of an ordinance but that fails to conform to the standards of the current zoning ordinance. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Non-Use Variance (also known as a “dimensional variance”): A variance to the dimensional requirements in the zoning ordinance, such as minimum yard setback distances, building heights, required number of parking spaces, etc.
Notice: An announcement containing information pertaining to a future event typically required for certain planning and zoning activities, such as a public hearing.
O
Objective: Objectives state what is to be achieved and cover the range of desired outcomes to achieve a goal. (www.cdhb.govt.nz/glossary.htm)
Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Tax Credits: A tax-credit program targeted specifically at the rehabilitation and reuse of obsolete structures. Qualified structures in approved obsolete property rehabilitation districts can receive significant property tax breaks on the improved value of the rehabilitated property.
Office: A room, suite of rooms, or building in which a person transacts the affairs of a business, profession, service, industry, or government. (Huntington, IN)
Open Space: A substantially undeveloped area, usually including environmental features such as water areas or recreational facilities. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Open Space Development: An alternative site planning technique that concentrates dwelling units in a compact area to reserve undeveloped space elsewhere on the site. (Stormwater Management Resource Center)
Ordinance: A statute enacted by a governmental body.
Outreach: A service that includes involvement in activities designed to educate participants and assist those seeking information on a topic, such as growth and development, strategic planning, environmental protection, community participation, and others.
Overlay District or Zone: A zoning technique that allows for superimposing certain additional requirements upon a basic use zoning district without disturbing the requirements of the basic use district. In the instance of conflicting requirements, the stricter of the conflicting requirement shall apply. (Adapted from Racine County, WI)
P
Park-n-Ride Lots: A public parking lot that accommodates ride sharing or public transit. Park-n-Ride lots are usually located adjacent to highways or highly traveled transportation corridors.
Paths, multi-use: These are pathways designed wide enough to be simultaneously used by pedestrians, bikers, inline skaters, and similar users. They are generally paved, and the recommended width is at least 10’ to accommodate different types of users safely.
Paths, non-motorized: Pathways that are limited to people walking, running and biking and may also be available for inline skating, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.
Pedestrian Links: Sidewalks and pathways designed for people who walk or bike that connect frequently visited destinations.
Pedestrian Network: Non-motorized transportation infrastructure such as sidewalks and trails that allow pedestrians to travel to different community destinations. Connectivity between sidewalks, trails, and different land uses is essential to the overall quality and usability of a pedestrian network.
Pedestrian Oriented Development: Development designed with an emphasis primarily on the street sidewalk and on pedestrian access to the site and building, rather than on auto access and parking areas. The building is generally placed close to the street and the main entrance is oriented to the street sidewalk. There are generally windows or display cases along building facades which face the street. Typically, buildings cover a large portion of the site. Although parking areas may be provided, they are generally limited in size and they are not emphasized by the design of the site. (Portland, OR)
Pedestrian Plan: A document that provides the rationale, goals, objectives, strategies, and standards for the implementation of a network of pedestrian walks, paths, and pedestrian-related facilities and amenities, including a map of the network route.
Pedestrian Refugee Islands: A pedestrian safety technique for busy roads. Pedestrian Refugee Islands provide a place in the median of a two way street where pedestrians can stand safely and cross when traffic clears.
Performance Standards: General criteria established to limit the impact of land uses or development. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Physical Intrusion: Any regulation permitting public entry onto private property continually or repeatedly.
Planned Unit Development (PUD): A tract of land developed as a unit under single ownership or unified control, which includes one or more principal buildings or uses, and is processed under the Planned Unit Development provisions of the ordinance. Also, a parcel of land planned as a single unit, rather than as an aggregate of individual lots, with design flexibility from traditional siting regulations (such as side yards, setbacks, and height limitations) or land use restrictions (such as prohibitions against mixing land uses within a development). The greater flexibility in locating buildings and in combining various land uses often makes it possible to achieve certain economics in construction as well as the preservation of open space and the inclusions of many amenities. (Gurnee, IL)
Planning Commission: A group of appointed residents who give guidance to the land use, zoning, and planning process in the community. They formulate and adopt the comprehensive plan and make recommendations on, among others, zoning ordinances, condominiums, and vacating of street and alley right-of-ways requests.
Planning Official: A municipal employee or volunteer appointed by the local legislative body to be a member of a planning commission, zoning board of appeals, or similar municipal planning body.
Planting Strip: An unpaved strip between a road and sidewalk in which trees, lawns, shrubs and flowers can be planted. These generally should be wide enough to provide adequate soil for vigorous plant growth and to keep the soil porous and un-compacted.
Practical Difficulty: A circumstance related to a property or piece of land that makes it difficult or impossible to use the land in accordance with the dimensional requirements of the zoning ordinance. A practical difficulty is not necessarily related to economic difficulties arising from compliance with the ordinance requirements.
Principal Structure: The building or structure, including all parts connected, where the primary use of the lot is conducted. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Principal Shopping District (PSD): An officially designated area in a community in which a special assessment can be implemented in order to fund enhanced security, improvements, and other benefits to businesses located within the district.
Procedural Due Process: The process that government must follow to ensure equal and fair treatment of all parties.
Pro-Growth: Land use policy stance advocating, among others, greenfield development, minimal land use regulation, and increasing the community economic base.
Public Hearing: A meeting announced and advertised in advance and open to the general public wherein the public has an opportunity to comment and participate. (Clarksdale, AZ)
Public Participation Program: A formal framework for public participation and informative communication in the planning process through coordination with local neighborhood organizations, citizens, media, and government officials.
Public Spaces: Parks, plazas, sitting areas, building entrance areas, sidewalks, trails, piers, and similar places that the public may frequent. They should be attractively designed and have amenities such as benches, lights, plantings, and in some cases, fountains.
Public/Semi-Public: A land use conducted or a facility owned or operated by a public entity, such as the local government or school district, or a nonprofit or religious institution that provides public services. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Public Transit: A system of regularly-scheduled means of transit, such as buses and/or trains, available to the public on a fee-per ride basis. (California Planning Roundtable)
Purchase of Development Rights: A permanent restriction on the land between the State and a landowner, voluntarily entered into by a landowner, preserving their land for agriculture in exchange for a cash payment for those rights. (Michigan Department of Agriculture)
R
Rail System: A railroad which can be defined as a carrier of persons or property operating upon rails placed principally on a private right-of-way (Norton, OH). Light rail transit can be defined as street cars or trolley cars that typically operate entirely or substantially in mixed traffic and in nonexclusive, at-grade rights-of-way. Passengers typically board vehicles from the street level (as opposed to a platform that is level with the train) and the driver may collect fares. Vehicles are each electrically self-propelled and usually operate in one or two-car trains. (California Planning Roundtable)
Redevelopment: Any proposed expansion, addition, or major façade change to an existing building, structure, or use. Also refers to neighborhood and larger scale development within established neighborhoods, including rehabilitation, rebuilding, and new construction.
Regional Centers: Regional Centers represent a large-scale retail development and offer the greatest diversity of goods and services to shoppers. Regional Centers can range in character from pedestrian oriented areas such as a downtown to large, vehicle oriented shopping malls. (Adapted from New Designs for Growth Development Guidebook. Traverse City Chamber of Commerce)
Regional Fair-share Housing Allocation Plan: Fair-share housing-allocation plans can ensure that adequate housing opportunities exist regionwide. When all local governments within a region comply with their “fair share” of affordable housing (as determined by population, projected job growth, or existing jobs-housing imbalance, for example), the risk of clustering low-income households in only a few areas drops. It also ensures that the potential costs to localities of providing low-cost housing are equally distributed among the region. Furthermore, the geographic distribution of affordable housing units creates more opportunity for households to locate near jobs and services, thereby mitigating the need for long commutes and congestion. (Environmental Protection Agency, Getting to Smart Growth: 100 Policies for Implementation, p. 29)
Renaissance Zones: Areas with specific boundaries designated by the state legislature to receive special tax or other benefits for the purpose of stimulating economic investment.
Renovation: Physical improvement that adds to the value of real property, but that excludes painting, ordinary repairs, and normal maintenance.
Residential Development: Areas that provide homes for local residents. Residential development can be categorized differently depending on the number of families per building, density, property rights, price, and architectural style.
Resource Protection: The preservation of open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas.
Revolving Loan Fund: A revolving loan fund is a capital fund established to make loans whereby principal repayments of loans are re-paid into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers. (www.delawarecountybrc.com/glossaryterms.htm)
Rezoning: An amendment to a zoning map or zoning ordinance that changes the zoning district designation of a property or properties. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Ride Share: Also known as car pooling or van pooling. Small groups of commuters use a common vehicle or vehicles, usually owned by members of the group, and share the benefits of lower transportation and vehicle maintenance costs.
Rights-of-way: Land owned by a local, state, or federal governmental entity, or privately owned by the abutting and benefitting properties, dedicated to streets and similar transportation related functions, generally for the purpose of providing access to private land. The right-of-way will often also contain underground and above ground public utilities, such as water, sanitary and storm sewer, electricity, telephone/telecommunications, and natural gas. A right-of-way may also contain other public amenities such as tree planting and sidewalks/trails. The term “right-of-way” is also used for railroad corridors.
Road Narrowing: This technique slows vehicle speeds by visually or physically narrowing the driver’s “turf” on the street. This can be as simple as striping for bicycle lanes, or as comprehensive as a complete makeover of the streetscape with landscaping, wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and reduced numbers of vehicle lanes. (Local Government Commission)
Roundabouts: A roundabout (or “rotary”) is a type of road junction (or traffic calming device) at which traffic streams circularly around a central island after first yielding to the circulating traffic. In the United States it is technically called a "modern roundabout", to emphasize the distinction from the older, larger sort of traffic circle. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout_intersection)
S
Senior Housing: Housing that is restricted to seniors which generally contains limited or no medical supportive services. This type of housing is also known as “independent living” or, when certain on-site food services and limited medical care is provided, “assisted living.”
Sense of Place: The constructed and natural landmarks and social and economic surroundings that cause someone to identify with a particular place or community. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Shared-Use Parking: Use of the same parking spaces/areas throughout the day by patrons of multiple uses or locations. Shared parking is most effective when different buildings or land uses have peak parking demands that vary by time of day, day of week, and/or season of the year.
Single Family: Land use characterized by lots containing individual residential homes surrounded by yards.
Site Plan Review: Establishes criteria for the layout, scale, appearance, safety, and environmental impacts of multiple family, commercial, or industrial development. Site plan review usually focuses on zoning restrictions, parking, traffic, drainage, roadway construction, signs, utilities, screening, lighting, and other aspects of the proposal to arrive at the best possible design for the location.
Site Plan: A scaled plan showing proposed uses and structures for a parcel of land, including such details necessary to illustrate the final proposed use and development. A site plan includes elements such as the location of lot lines, the layout of buildings, open space, parking areas, landscape features, and utility lines. (Adapted from Smart Growth Gateway)
Slow Growth: Land use policy status advocating the substantial limitation of new development by restricting development opportunities or lengthening the approval process.
Smart Growth: An approach to land use planning and growth management that recognizes connections between development and quality of life. Smart Growth stresses guidelines and incentives for growth instead of regulations, to encourage development that is sensitive to quality of life factors.
Special Assessment Districts: A method of financing public improvements by distributing the cost of a project over those property owners who will reap a direct benefit.
Special Land Use: Specified land uses that may be appropriate in a particular land use district but may have characteristics that could affect surrounding properties.
Speed Humps: Speed humps are rounded raised areas placed across the roadway. They are generally 10 to 14 feet long (in the direction of travel), making them distinct from the shorter "speed bumps" found in many parking lots, and are 3 to 4 inches high. Speed Humps are good for locations where very low speeds are desired and reasonable, and noise and fumes are not a major concern. (www.TrafficCalming.org)
Spot Zoning: A change in the zoning code or area maps that is applicable to no more than a few parcels and results in zoning that is markedly different from the surrounding established zoning pattern. Spot zoning is generally regarded as undesirable or illegal because it violates equal treatment and sound planning principles. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Sprawl: A low-density land use pattern that is automobile dependent, energy and land consumptive, and requires a very high ratio of road surface to development served.
Standards, General: Criterion applied to all special land uses before a permit can be granted.
Standards, Specific: Criterion applied to individual special land uses before a permit can be granted.
Statutory Law: Law enacted by the state government.
Strategy: A long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy)
Streamlined Permit Review Process: While the development permit review process can involve many steps that take a long time, a streamlined process speeds the time from permit application to decision by consolidating steps or requiring the review agency to respond in a relatively short period of time.
Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats (SWOT) Analysis: A popular methodology to aid in the decision making process that examines the advantages (strengths), areas of improvement (weaknesses), chances to capitalize (opportunities), and obstacles (threats) of a particular situation.
Strip Development: A pattern of commercial development located along one or both sides of a street which is generally one lot in depth and is characterized by multiple and relatively closely spaced driveways, low open space and landscaping ratios, and high floor area ratios. (Cudahy, WI; Waukesha, WI)
Sub-area Plans: Officially approved documents intended to add detail to a Comprehensive Plan and to guide public and private programs and actions in specific, smaller geographic regions within an overall planning area. (Adapted from Lincoln/Lancaster County Planning Department)
Substantive Due Process: Protects against arbitrary governmental action by requiring that a regulation promote the public health, safety, or general welfare by rational and the least intrusive means possible.
Superblocks: Designates very large, usually residential, city blocks often formed by consolidating several smaller blocks and often barred to through traffic and crossed by pedestrian walks. (Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus)
Sustainable Development: Development that maintains or enhances economic opportunity and community well being while protecting and restoring the natural environment upon which people and economies depend. Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (State of Minnesota)
T
Takings: Government actions that violate the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which reads in part, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” Such actions include regulations that have the effect of “taking” property. The Supreme Court has established four clear rules that identify situations that amount to a taking and one clear rule that defines situations that do not. The court has found “takings” in the following circumstances:
- Where a landowner has been denied “all economically viable use” of the land;
- Where a regulation forced a landowner to allow someone else to enter onto the property;
- Where the regulation imposes burdens or costs on a landowner that do not bear a “reasonable relationship” to the impacts of the project on the community; and
- Where government can equally accomplish a valid public purpose through regulation or through a requirement of dedicating property, government should use the less intrusive regulation, for example, prohibiting development in a floodplain property.
The Supreme Court has also said that where a regulation is intended merely to prevent a nuisance, it should not be considered a taking. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)Tax Free Renaissance Zones: Renaissance zones provide for temporary relief for specific taxes within the zone when established in accordance to Michigan Renaissance Zone Act, Act 376 of 1996. This tool aims to foster economic development by providing local units of government flexible financing options and incentives. (Michigan Renaissance Zone Act, Act 376 of 1996 www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Act-376-of-1996.pdf#search=%22%22renaissance%20zone%22%20definition%22)
Tax Increment Financing: A tool used by cities and other development authorities to finance certain types of development costs. The public purposes of TIF are the redevelopment of blighted areas, construction of low- and moderate income housing, provision of employment opportunities, and improvement of the tax base. With TIF, a city “captures” the additional property taxes generated by the development over and above the pre-development tax revenue, and uses the resultant “tax increments” to finance the development costs. (Adapted from the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor)
Technical Assistance: Specialists, consultants, trainers, advisers, etc. contracted for the transfer of know-how and skills and the creation and strengthening of institutions. (www.devco.government.bg/LANGen/public/portal/glossary.php)
Tenet: A principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true. (Merriam-Webster Online)
Town Center: A location within the city containing an orderly mix of land uses that meets the daily needs of area residents. This mix is intended to contain convenience retail, food services, personnel, and business service uses; community facilities including parks, schools, libraries, and places of worship; and residential uses of a density and location that would accommodate direct pedestrian linkages to the nonresidential facilities. These should be arranged in a manner that is focused around a central open space or focal point. (Adapted from Noblesville, IN)
Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND): (see also New Urbanism) Development based on human-scale design with concerns for walkability, increasing density, a mix of uses, and reducing automobile usage. (North Carolina Department of Transportation)
Traffic Calming: A concept fundamentally concerned with reducing the adverse impact of motor vehicles on built-up areas. Usually involves reducing vehicle speeds, providing more space for pedestrians and cyclists, and improving the local environment. (University of Leeds, Institute for Transportation, UK)
Transfer of Development Rights: Provides for a market transfer of development rights between landowners and developers. These rights are transferred away from areas designated for preservation, such as agricultural and forestry lands, towards areas deemed appropriate for development. (Michigan Department of Agriculture)
Transportation Corridor: A combination of discrete, adjacent surface transportation networks (e.g., freeway, arterial roads, rail networks) that link the same major origins and destinations. It is defined operationally rather than geographically or organizationally.
Transportation Plan: A document that provides the rationale, goals, objectives, strategies, and standards for the implementation of transportation improvements. Transportation improvements may be made to roads and driving-related facilities, non-motorized facilities, rail facilities, airport facilities, and other transportation facilities. It would normally include a map of the transportation network.
U
Unnecessary Hardship: A unique and extreme inability to use a property in conformance with the use requirements in the zoning district. Generally, it must be shown that the property cannot be reasonably used as one of the uses permitted in the district and that a variance to the allowed uses is the only means of relief.
Up Zoning: Changing the zoning designation of an area to allow higher densities or less restrictive use. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Urban Growth Boundary (UGB): The boundary or line marking the limit between the urban growth areas and other areas such as rural and resource areas where urban growth is not encouraged, as designated by appropriate entities. (King County, WA)
Urban Service Area: A defined area, not always coincidental with a municipality’s corporate boundaries, that defines the geographical limits of government-supplied public facilities and services. (Elbert County, CO)
Use By Right: A use permitted in a particular zone without any special hearing or review procedure, provided minimum lot size, height, setback, bulk, parking and accessory use requirements are met. A single family home in a low density residential district is typically a use permitted by right. (Planning and Zoning Center at MSU, Michigan Zoning Guidebook)
Use Variance: A variance to permit a land use that is otherwise prohibited within the zoning ordinance.
Utilities: Any structures or facilities used for production, generation, transmission, delivery, collection, or storage of water, sewage, stormwater, electricity, gas, or electronic signals. (Adapted from Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
V
Variance: A relaxation of dimensional or use standards by a local zoning board in compliance with statutory criteria. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Visioning: Generic term for the process of identifying, developing and documenting vision and values, leading towards strategy and tactics. In the context of Smart Growth, it refers to a public input session in which community members are invited to describe the future they want for their community.
W
Walkability: The capability of a development, neighborhood or community to cater to non-motorized forms of transportation.
Walkabout: A walking trip or tour designed to provide an educational opportunity about the environment of the planned route. The walkabout is usually self-paced, and meant to allow time for reflection on what is discovered along the way. The term originally referred to Aboriginal nomadic journeys.
Windshield Survey: Conducting a survey of a neighborhood, landscape, roadway, etc. from within a vehicle.
Workforce/Workforce Housing: Homes that are affordable to households earning less than 80% of the county’s median income. Housing is deemed “affordable” if it does not consume more than 35% of a household’s income. The Phoenix Realty Group, based in the Los Angeles area, is the fund manager for the Genesis Workforce Housing Fund, which is the first workforce housing fund in the nation to bridge institutional capital with community development in urban areas. The fund provides community developers with access to institutional capital to finance the production of workforce housing, which is defined as both for-sale and rental housing serving the market segment of wage earners at 80% - 200% of median income. In Henderson City Nevada Workforce Housing is defined as homes priced to be affordable for individuals earning 60 to 120 percent of the median income.
Workgroup: Any group of people working toward a common goal as a team. (http://cedar.web.cern.ch/CEDAR/glossary.html)
Workshop: A brief, but intensive group meeting (often facilitated by one or more people) aimed at the production of a specific outcome (such as a policy recommendation) through problem solving. (Parliament of Victoria)
Z
Zoning Administrator: An appointed position to administer and enforce zoning regulations and related ordinances. (Land-Use Lingo: A glossary of land-use terms, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2001)
Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA): Appointed officials acting in a quasi-judicial capacity under the procedures and requirements of the zoning ordinance, charged with enforcing the ordinance and determining when variances to ordinance requirements are warranted. The ZBA deals with, among others, requests for variances, ordinance interpretations, and the appeal of administrative decisions by the staff or planning commission.
Zoning Districts: Discrete areas within a community designated to permit specific land uses, such as single family residential, commercial, industrial, etc. and to provide requirements specific to development within the district. They are depicted on a zoning map.
Zoning Ordinance: A legal document adopted by the legislative body, including a map that describes the uses of land in different districts in a community, and the regulations pertaining to buildings and uses within those districts.
Zoning: Classification of land in a community into different areas and districts, generally to separate land uses into appropriate locations. Zoning is a legislative process that regulates building dimensions, density, design, placement and use within each zoning district. (Adapted from Smart Growth Gateway)
