Appendix A

Glossary

This glossary provides definitions for some of the commonly used terms included in the guide. For additional definitions, consult the American Planning Association’s A Planners Dictionary (2004).

Accessory dwelling units are units located on the property of a single-family house, either in an attic or over a garage or as a small freestanding building in the back or side yard.

Active recreation is a recreational activity that requires infrastructural facilities and leaves a considerable impact on the environment (e.g., playgrounds, jungle gyms, ball fields, etc.).

Affordable housing are housing units where the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including taxes and utilities, thus making it within the means of middle-, moderate-, or low-income families (APA, A Planners Dictionary).

Affordable housing needs assessment is a document designed to better understand the current and future housing needs in a community by analyzing changes in population, the economy, housing costs, and housing conditions.

Annexation is the process by which municipalities extend their municipal services, regulations, and taxing authority to new territories either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Area of environmental concern (AEC) is an area designated to protect land of environmental, social, economic, and esthetic value from unregulated development (e.g., estuaries, coastal wetlands, etc.) pursuant to CAMA.

Build out analysis estimates the amount of development that can occur if all developable land is consumed or converted to residential and other uses based on current or proposed land use regulations.

Business Improvement District (BID) is a tool used for community-based economic development that is funded by an ad valorem tax on property within the district.

Capital improvement plan (CIP) is a document designed to outline the capital projects and their anticipated completion dates, equipment purchases based on the budget, and an evaluation of current and future infrastructural needs.

Charrette is an intensive workshop where the planning team, citizens, and public officials work together over a multi-day period in an intensive fashion to find a solution that has support from all parties.

Citizen advisory committee is a board of citizens appointed by local government officials who provide the citizen’s perspective on planning issues by reviewing staff reports, studying critical issues impacting their community, and encouraging more public involvement in the planning process.

Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) is a citizen commission whose members are appointed by the governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate Pro Tempore. The CRC designates areas of environmental concern, adopts rules and policies for coastal development within those areas, and certifies local land use plans.

Commercial node is an area with concentrated commercial development.

Community-based economic development is economic development that promotes, supports and invests in businesses that serve local needs.

Community workshops can be used to engage members of the public who are unwilling or unable to be a part of monthly planning board meetings. The workshops normally address broad issues, but can provide opportunity for deliberation and should be conducted early in the planning process.

Conduit bonds are used to facilitate economic development. It is a type of investment sold by local government where the revenue from the bond is directed at a private entity that uses the money to finance a development project that benefits a community in some way.

Conservation subdivision regulations can leverage private development to permanently protect a portion of the property through a conservation easement. It also allows developers to build homes on smaller, clustered lots in return for a conservation easement on the remainder of the lot, creating a common open space.

Design standards are specific criteria and requirements related to the form and appearance of development within a neighborhood, corridor, special district, or the entire community.

Drainage basins are the areas of land that drain rainwater and snowmelt to a river, lake, estuary, or ocean.

Economic development plan is a community or region wide plan designed to outline ways to attract or capitalize on economic activity.

Endangered species is one that is in imminent danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

Environmentally fragile areas are wetlands, natural heritage areas, areas containing endangered species, prime wildlife habitats, or maritime forests.

Extraterritorial planning jurisdiction is an area adjacent to a community where it can apply its territorial authority.

Floor area ratio (FAR) is the ratio of a building’s total floor area to the size of the lot on which it is located.

Farmland protection plan is a plan that outlines goals related to the preservation of farmland within a community.

Focus groups are useful when planners want to engage the public on more specific details of the comprehensive plan, such as parks and recreation or transportation.

Food desert is an area that lacks access to fresh or high-quality food.

Goals are general statements that reflect the desired outcomes that planners and decision makers hope to achieve for a community.

Green businesses are businesses that have a minimized impact on the environment and produce products that are environmentally friendly through sustainable business models and practices.

Greenfield sites are areas of open land or greenspace that are being reviewed for development.

Green infrastructure is a strategically planned and managed network of green open spaces including parks greenways, and protected lands that provide vegetation that captures, stores, and infiltrates runoff in urban settings.

Groundwater is water that is located underneath the land surface.

Groundwater Recharge is when water moves downward, through the soil, and drains into an aquifer. This is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer.

Hazard mitigation plan is a document designed to outline mitigation policies and practices for hazards likely to impact a community (e.g. hurricanes, flooding, fires, etc.) through identifying risks within the community.

Historic Preservation Commission is a community board that designates, preserves and enhances the character of historic districts within a community.

Housing stock is the total number of residential units in an area. It often includes the quality, price, and availability of these units.

Inclusionary zoning can be used to create regulations increasing housing choice by providing the opportunity to construct more diverse and economical housing to meet the needs of low- and moderateincome families (APA, A Planners Dictionary).

Infill development is developing vacant, under-used or run-down buildings or parcels within a community’s geographic boundaries.

Land suitability analysis (LSA) is a systematic process utilizing environmental and infrastructure attributes to identify land areas appropriate for development.

Land use models use existing and projected quantitative data combined with economic and social theory to estimate changes in the types and impacts of long-term land uses.

Large-lot zoning is a zoning principle that can be used to protect farmland and forested land by establishing minimum lot size in an effort to limit development density.

Long-range actions are typically implemented within four to seven years or more of the plans adoption and often involve the efforts needed to carry out or implement the mid-range actions once they are initiated. These actions may also involve much more sizable long-term commitment and investments such as the need to expand water, sewer, and transportation infrastructure or to build other public facilities.

Low density zoning is a zoning principle used to preserve rural character by creating lots generally between two and five acres.

Low impact development (LID) is a method of developing that respects the natural topography of site through use of natural features to limit stormwater runoff

Mid-range actions are typically implemented within two to three years of the plans adoption. These include high priority actions that require additional study or more detailed planning as well as those for which sufficient resources need to be allocated to support implementation efforts.

Multifamily housing is a building that contains separate dwelling units for multiple families, such as an apartment building.

Municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) is a conveyance or system of conveyances that is owned by a state, city, town, village or other public entity that discharges to waters of the U.S.; is designed or used to collect or convey stormwater; is not a combined sewer; and not part of a sewage treatment plant, or publicly owned treatment works.

Municipal service district is a district within a community or town that receives services other than or beyond what is provided to the rest of the community.

Natural heritage areas are places with important wildlife habitat, rare plants, and areas largely undisturbed by human activity.

Nonpoint source pollution is generated by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the water moves, it picks up pollutants (e.g., sediment, nutrients, metals, toxins, oil, etc.) and deposits them in a water body.

Objectives represent one or more aspects of a goal and are narrower, precise, measurable, and specific.

Onsite sewage disposal systems are used to collect, treat and release sewage from individual buildings including residences and small office buildings.

Open house is a public engagement method that should be used towards the end of the planning process. It provides an opportunity for professional staff and advisory committee members to share the plan with the public and answer questions.

Open space is land that is generally left free from residential, commercial, and industrial development.

Open space plan can be used by a community to outline goals and objectives for preservation and conservation of open space.

Participatory planning is the theory that the public stands to be impacted a great deal by the planning process, through quality of life and land values, and thus must be involved in creating the comprehensive plan.

Passive recreation is recreation occurring outdoors that has minimal impact on the land, water, or other resources (e.g., hiking, bicycling, boating, dog-walking, etc.).

Peak population consists of the combination of permanent and seasonal residents, as well as the transient visitors within a planning area on a typical day during the height of tourist season.

Permanent population consists of the population that lives in the planning district on a permanent basis and is determined by the number of persons per permanent dwelling unit.

Permanent residents generally reside on a permanent basis or spend a majority of their time living within a planning area.

Place of residence is the location where a person lives or resides, regardless of where they work.

Place of work is the location where an employed person performs his or her job, and where a usually employed person performs the primary job used to determine his/her other economic characteristics such as occupation, industry, and status in employment.

Permanent easement is a tool used for land preservation to restrict the future use or development of property in perpetuity.

Point source pollution is any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged (e.g., pipes, sewer outfalls, smokestacks, etc.).

Policies represent a general rule or set the course of action a community takes to achieve its goals and objectives by guiding decision making and setting parameters for how a program operates.

Present-Use Value (PUV) property tax exclusion is a tax program designed to help preserve agricultural and forest land by deferring property taxes on land owners as long as they use their land for qualifying practices.

Project development financing is when local governments issue debt, or borrow money, to fund capital costs that enable, facilitate, or benefit private development in the project development district. Public debt is secured and repaid using property tax revenue generated by new private investment in the district surrounding the public project.

Public Water Supply Wellfields are areas of rapidly draining sands extending from the earth’s surface to a shallow groundwater table that supplies public drinking water.

Resilience is a community’s ability to rebound, positively adapt to, or thrive amidst changing conditions or challenges – including disasters and climate change – and maintain quality of life, healthy growth, durable systems, and conservation of resources for present and future generations. (adapted from Colorado’s Resiliency Framework)

Saltwater intrusion is the movement of saline water into freshwater aquifers, which can contaminate drinking water supplies.

Scenario planning is a technique whereby different outcomes for the future are developed by comparing different policy frameworks and development patterns.

Seasonal residents are those who reside within the planning area for a period of time during the community’s “season”, which is usually less than six months. These people often own or rent second homes in the planning area.

Seasonal vacant units are those seasonal housing units intended for occupancy only during certain seasons of the year and are found primarily in resort areas.

Sensitive habitat areas are identified by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program and are designated for protection of rare species, their habitat, and vital ecological processes.

Sensitivity Analysis is the examination of the level of uncertainty associated with a mathematical calculation or a forecast by changing the data or assumptions used in the calculations (e.g., varying occupancy rates to determine peak population estimates).

Short-range actions are those actions usually implemented within a year of the plan’s adoption. These actions are generally high priority and require little additional study or resources to be implemented (e.g., updating policy documents or changing existing ordinances to implement the plan’s policies).

Single-family house is a free-standing, detached residential building.

Stakeholder interviews are similar to focus groups in that they can be used by planners to gather more detailed and specific information on topics within the plan.

Storm surge occurs when strong winds push water on shore during a storm causing a rise in seawater level.

Surveys are a method of collecting information from random people, with the goal of extrapolating the results to a larger population. Surveys can be used to gauge preferences, public support levels for policy proposals, and identify problems in the early stages of the planning process.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) – See Project Development Financing.

Threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

Transient visitors are generally tourists who visit the planning area for a short period, such as for the day or the weekend, and stay with friends or occupy hotels/motels (e.g., beachgoer, visitor, shopper, etc.).

Unified development ordinance (UDO) is a land development code that includes subdivision, site planning, and zoning controls all in one document (APA, A Planners Dictionary).

Vision statement is a statement used to guide the planning process, balancing aspirational goals for the community with specific ways to achieve these larger goals.

Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) is a tool used by cities and counties to encourage clustering and preservation of farm and forested land by providing a range of benefits to landowners in return for protecting farm and forested land from future development.

Watershed is an area of land that drains rainwater and snowmelt to a river, lake, estuary, or ocean.

Watershed protection plan is used to systematically address water quality problems in a particular watershed.