Long Range Planning Glossary
Important terms and definitions related to planning and land use policy.
This glossary is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal or permitting advice.
Affordable Housing
Housing capable of being purchased or rented by a household with very low,
low, or moderate income, based on a household's ability to make monthly
payments necessary to obtain housing. Housing is considered affordable
when a household pays less than 30 percent of its gross monthly income
(GMI) for housing including utilities.
Agricultural Preserve
Land designated for agriculture or conservation. (See "Williamson Act.")
Agriculture
Use of land for the production of food and fiber, including the growing of
crops and/or the grazing of animals on natural prime or improved pasture
land.
Annex
To incorporate a land area into an existing district or municipality, with
a resulting change in the boundaries of the annexing jurisdiction.
Area; Area Median Income
As used in State of California housing law with respect to income eligibility
limits established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), "area" means metropolitan area or non metropolitan county.
In non metropolitan areas, the "area median income" is the higher
of the county median family income or the statewide non metropolitan median
family income.
Blight
A condition of a site, structure, or area that may cause nearby buildings
and/or areas to decline in attractiveness and/or utility. The Community
Redevelopment Law (Health and Safety Code, Sections 33031 and 33032) contains
a definition of blight used to determine eligibility of proposed redevelopment
project areas.
Board of Supervisors
A county's legislative body. Board members are elected by popular vote and
are responsible for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes, making appropriations,
and establishing county policy. The board adopts the general plan, zoning,
and subdivision regulations.
The "Brown Act"
The Ralph M. Brown Open Meeting Act (commencing with Government Code Section
54950) requires cities and counties to provide advance public notice of
hearings and meetings of their councils, boards, and other bodies. Meetings
and hearings with some exceptions must be open to the public.
Buildout; Build out
Development of land to its full potential or theoretical capacity as permitted
under current or proposed planning or zoning designations.
CEQA
The California Environmental Quality Act (commencing with Public Resources
Code Section 21000). In general, CEQA requires that all private and public
projects be reviewed prior to approval for their potential adverse effects
upon the environment.
Character
Special physical characteristics of a structure or area that set it apart
from its surroundings and contribute to its individuality.
Charter City
A city which has been incorporated under its own charter rather than under
the general laws of the state. Charter cities have broader powers to enact
land use regulations than do general law cities. All of California's largest
cities are charter cities.
City Council
A city's legislative body. The popularly elected city council is responsible
for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes, making appropriations, establishing
policy, and hiring some city officials. The council adopts the local general
plan, zoning, and subdivision ordinance.
COG
Council of Governments. There are 25 COGs in California made up of elected
officials from member cities and counties. COGs are regional agencies concerned
primarily with transportation planning and housing; they do not directly
regulate land use.
Community Plan
A portion of the local general plan that focuses on a particular area or
community within the city or county. Community plans supplement the policies
of the general plan.
Conditional Use Permit
Pursuant to the zoning ordinance, a conditional use permit (CUP) may authorize
uses not routinely allowed on a particular site. CUPs require a public
hearing and if approval is granted, are usually subject to the fulfillment
of certain conditions by the developer. Approval of a CUP is not a change
in zoning.
Congestion Management Plan (CMP)
A mechanism employing growth management techniques, including traffic level
of service requirements, standards for public transit, trip reduction programs
involving transportation systems management and jobs/housing balance strategies,
and capital improvement programming, for the purpose of controlling and/or
reducing the cumulative regional traffic impacts of development. Assembly
Bill 1791, effective August 1, 1990, requires all cities, and counties
that include urbanized areas, to adopt by December 1, 1991, and annually
update a Congestion Management Plan.
Density, Residential
The number of permanent residential dwelling units per acre of land. Densities
specified in the Comprehensive Plan may be expressed in units per gross acre
or per net developable acre.
Density Bonus
An increase in the allowable number of dwelling units granted by the city
or county in return for the project's providing low- or moderate-income
housing (see Government Code Section 65915).
Design Guidelines
Design Guidelines maintain the quality of communities by developing reasonable,
practical, and objective guidance to assist residents, property-owners,
and designers in identifying the key building characteristics and components
that define the character of a community which can be used as a guide in
designing new or remodeled structures.
Design Review Committee
A group appointed by the city council to consider the design and aesthetics
of development within design review zoning districts.
Development
The physical extension and/or construction of urban land uses. Development
activities include: subdivision of land; construction or alteration of
structures, roads, utilities, and other facilities; installation of septic
systems; grading; deposit of refuse, debris, or fill materials; and clearing
of natural vegetative cover (with the exception of agricultural activities).
Routine repair and maintenance activities are exempted.
Development Fees
Fees charged to developers or builders as a prerequisite to construction
or development approval. The most common are: (1) impact fees (such as
parkland acquisition fees, school facilities fees, or street construction
fees) related to funding public improvements which are necessitated in
part or in whole by the development; (2) connection fees (such as water
line fees) to cover the cost of installing public services to the development;
(3) permit fees (such as building permits, grading permits, sign permits)
for the administrative costs of processing development plans; and, (4)
application fees (rezoning, CUP, variance, etc.) for the administrative
costs of reviewing and hearing development proposals.
Downzone
This term refers to the rezoning of land to a more restrictive or less intensive
zone (for example, from multi-family residential to single-family residential
or from residential to agricultural).
Ecology
The interrelationship of living things to one another and their environment;
the study of such interrelationships.
Economic Base
Economic Base theory essentially holds that the structure of the economy
is made up of two broad classes of productive effort. These include basic
activities that produce and distribute goods and services for export to
firms and individuals outside a defined localized economic area, and nonbasic
activities whose goods and services are consumed at home within the boundaries
of the local economic area. Viewed another way, basic activity exports
goods and services and brings new dollars into the area; non basic activity
recirculates dollars within the area. This distinction holds that the reason
for the growth of a particular region is its capacity to provide the means
of payment for raw materials, food, and services that the region cannot
produce itself and also support the nonbasic activities that are principally
local in productive scope and market area.
EIR
Environmental Impact Report. A detailed review of a proposed project, its
potential adverse impacts upon the environment, measures that may avoid
or reduce those impacts, and alternatives to the project.
Environment
CEQA defines environment as "the physical conditions which exist within
the area which will be affected by a proposed project, including land, air,
water, mineral, flora, fauna, noise, and objects of historic or aesthetic
significance."
Final Map Subdivision
Final map subdivisions (also called tract maps or major subdivisions) are
land divisions which create five or more lots. They must be consistent
with the general plan and are generally subject to stricter requirements
than parcel maps. Such requirements may include installing road improvements,
the construction of drainage and sewer facilities, parkland dedications,
and more.
Fiscal Impact Analysis
A projection of the direct public costs and revenues resulting from population
or employment change to the local jurisdiction(s) in which the change is
taking place. Enables local governments to evaluate relative fiscal merits
of general plans, specific plans, or projects.
Floor Area Ratio
Abbreviated as FAR, this is a measure of development intensity. FAR is the
ratio of the amount of floor area of a building to the amount of area of
its site. For instance, a one-story building that covers an entire lot
has an FAR of 1. Similarly, a one-story building that covers 1/2 of a lot
has an FAR of 0.5.
General Law City
A city incorporated under and administered in accordance with the general
laws of the state.
General Plan
A statement of policies, including text and diagrams setting forth objectives,
principles, standards, and plan proposals, for the future physical development
of the city or county (see Government Code Sections 65300 et seq.).
Impact Fees
See Development Fees.
Infill Development
Development of vacant land (usually individual lots or left over properties)
within areas that are already largely developed.
Infrastructure
A general term describing public and quasi-public utilities and facilities
such as roads, bridges, sewers and sewer plants, water lines, power lines,
fire stations, etc.
Initial Study
Pursuant to CEQA, an analysis of a project's potential environmental effects
and their relative significance. An initial study is preliminary to deciding
whether to prepare a negative declaration or an EIR.
Initiative
A legislative measure which has been placed on the election ballot as a result
of voter signatures. At the local level, initiatives usually propose changes
or additions to the general plan and zoning ordinance. The right to initiative
is guaranteed by the California Constitution.
Jobs/Housing Balance; Jobs/Housing Ratio
The availability of affordable housing for employees. The jobs/housing ratio
divides the number of jobs in an area by the number of employed residents.
A ratio of 1.0 indicates a balance. A ratio greater than 1.0 indicates
a net in commute; less than 1.0 indicates a net out commute.
Landscaping
Planting – including trees, shrubs, and ground covers – suitably designed,
selected, installed, and maintained as to enhance a site or roadway permanently.
Land Use
The occupation or utilization of land or water area for any human activity
or any purpose defined in the Comprehensive Plan.
Land Use Regulation
A term encompassing the regulation of land in general and often used to mean
those regulations incorporated in the Comprehensive Plan, as distinct from zoning
regulations (which are more specific).
Land Use Classification
A system for classifying and designating the appropriate use of properties.
LAFCO
Local Agency Formation Commission. The Cortese-Knox Act (commencing with
Government Code Section 56000) establishes a LAFCO made up of elected officials
of the county, cities, and, in some cases, special districts in each county.
The LAFCOs establish spheres of influence for all the cities and special
districts within the county. They also consider incorporation and annexation
proposals.
Level of Service (LOS)
A scale that measures the amount of traffic a roadway may be capable of handling
on a roadway or at the intersection of roadways. Levels range from A to
F, with A representing the highest level of service.
Mitigation Measure
The California Environmental Quality Act requires that when an adverse environmental
impact or potential impact is identified, measures must be proposed that
will eliminate, avoid, rectify, compensate for or reduce those environmental
effects.
Negative Declaration
When a project is not exempt from CEQA and will not have a significant adverse
effect on the environment, a negative declaration must be prepared. The
negative declaration is an informational document that describes the reasons
why the project will not have a significant effect and proposes measures
to completely mitigate or avoid any possible effects.
Open Space
Any parcel or area of land or water that is essentially unimproved and devoted
to an open space use for the purposes of (1) the preservation of natural
resources, (2) the managed production of resources, (3) outdoor recreation,
or (4) public health and safety.
Overlay Zone
A set of zoning requirements that is superimposed upon a base zone. Overlay
zones are generally used when a particular area requires special protection
(as in a historic preservation district) or has a special problem (such
as steep slopes, flooding or earthquake faults). Development of land subject
to overlay zoning requires compliance with the regulations of both the
base and overlay zones.
Parcel Map
A minor subdivision resulting in fewer than five lots. The city or county
may approve a parcel map when it meets the requirements of the general
plan and all applicable ordinances. The regulations governing the filing
and processing of parcel maps are found in the state Subdivision Map Act
and the local subdivision ordinance.
Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Land use zoning which allows the adoption of a set of development standards
that are specific to the particular project being proposed. PUD zones usually
do not contain detailed development standards; these are established during
the process of considering the proposals and adopted by ordinance if the
project is approved.
Planning Commission
A group of residents appointed by the city council or board of supervisors
to consider land use planning matters. The commission's duties and powers
are established by the local legislative body and might include hearing
proposals to amend the general plan or rezone land, initiating planning
studies (road alignments, identification of seismic hazards, etc.), and
taking action on proposed subdivisions.
Policy
A specific statement of principle or of guiding actions that implies clear
commitment.
Prime Farmland
Land which has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics
for the production of crops. It has the soil quality, growing season, and
moisture supply needed to produce sustained high yields of crops when treated
and managed, including water management, according to current farming methods.
Prime Farmland must have been used for the production of irrigated crops
within the last three years.
Program
An action, activity, or strategy carried out in response to adopted policy
to achieve a specific goal or objective. Policies and programs establish
the "who," "how" and "when" for carrying
out the "what" and "where" of goals and objectives.
Referendum
A ballot measure challenging a legislative action by the city council or
county board of supervisors. When sufficient voter signatures are filed
before the council or board action becomes final, the council or board
must either set aside its action or call an election on the matter. Use
permits, variances, and subdivisions cannot be challenged by referendum.
School Impact Fees
Proposition 13 put a limit on property taxes and thereby limited the main
source of funding for new school facilities. California law allows school
districts to impose fees on new developments to offset their impacts on
area schools.
Setback
A minimum distance required by zoning to be maintained between two structures
or between a structure and property lines.
Specific Plan
A plan addressing land use distribution, open space availability, infrastructure,
and infrastructure financing for a portion of the community. Specific plans
put the provisions of the local general plan into action (see Government
Code Sections 65450 et seq.).
Sphere of Influence
A plan for the “probably physical boundary and service area of a local
agency” as approved by the LAFCO. It identifies the area available
to a city for future annexation. However, unless another arrangement has
been made, the city has no actual authority over land outside its city limits.
Tentative Map
The map or drawing illustrating a subdivision proposal. The city or county
will approve or deny the proposed subdivision based upon the design depicted
by the tentative map. A subdivision is not complete until the conditions
of approval imposed upon the tentative map have been satisfied and a final
map has been certified by the city or county and recorded with the county
recorder.
Tract Map
See final map subdivision.
Urban Design
The attempt to give form, in terms of both beauty and function, to selected
urban areas or to whole cities. Urban design is concerned with the location,
mass, and design of various urban components and combines elements of urban
planning, architecture, and landscape architecture.
Urban Boundary Line
A boundary, sometimes parcel specific, located to mark the outer limit beyond
which urban development will not be allowed. It has the aim of discouraging
urban sprawl by containing urban development.
Variance
A limited waiver from the property development standards of the zoning ordinance.
Variance requests are subject to public hearing, usually before a zoning
administrator or board of zoning adjustment. Variances do not allow a change
in land use.
Visioning
Visioning is a community-based planning effort in which citizens and leaders
work together to identify a series of shared goals encompassing all aspects
of community life. The goals can cover such areas of common concern as
the natural and built environment, economic and community development,
transportation, education, culture, recreation, sports, and human needs.
Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
A key measure of overall street and highway use. Reducing VMT is often a
major objective in efforts to reduce vehicular congestion and achieve regional
air quality goals.
Watershed
The total area above a given point on a watercourse that contributes water
to its flow; the entire region drained by a waterway or watercourse that
drains into a lake, or reservoir.
Zoning
Local codes regulating the use and development of property. The zoning ordinance
divides the city or county into land use districts or "zones",
represented on zoning maps, and specifies the allowable uses within each
of those zones. It establishes development standards for each zone, such
as minimum lot size, maximum height of structures, building setbacks, and
yard size.
Zoning Adjustment Board
A group appointed by the local legislative body to consider minor zoning
adjustments such as conditional use permits and variances. It is empowered
to conduct public hearings and to impose conditions of approval. Its decisions
may be appealed to the local legislative body.
Zoning Administrator
A planning department staff member responsible for hearing minor zoning permits.
Typically, the zoning administrator considers variances and conditional
use permits and may interpret the provisions of the zoning ordinance when
questions arise. His/her decision may be appealed to the local legislative
body.