Trigger Word: DefinitionAtlanta Regional Commission: The agency responsible for regional planning and intergovernmental coordination for the Atlanta Metropolitan Area which includes ten counties (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties) and all the cities within those counties.ARC: The agency responsible for regional planning and intergovernmental coordination for the Atlanta Metropolitan Area which includes ten counties (Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties) and all the cities within those counties.Baby Boomer: Anyone born between 1948 and 1962.Build-out Analysis: An estimate of the total amount of development that may be built in an area under a certain set of assumptions, including applicable land use laws, policies (e.g., zoning) and environmental constraints. It is a necessary component of effective planning because it provides the framework for future growth.Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC): Twenty-six member citizen group formed in 2016 by the Mayor and Council to initiate the comprehensive planning process.Capacity Improvement: An improvement with a useful life of ten years or more, by new construction or other action, which increases the service capacity of a public facility.Community Work Program: The portion of the comprehensive plan that describes the specific activities that a local government plans to undertake during the next ten years to address the plan’s goals. Activities may include any activities, initiatives, programs, ordinances, administrative systems (such as site plan review, design review, etc.) to be put in place to implement the plan.Connectivity: A term that refers to the existing or future, desired state of connections that enable mobility between and among various uses and activities.Conservation Area: Any land set aside for conservation of the land in its natural state, or for future use as parks and open space.Conservation Subdivision: The design of a residential subdivision that maintains its zoned/permitted project density, but configures the home placement/arrangement in such a way that it maximizes open and green space for conservation.Curb Cut: A ramp or indentation that allows for a smooth transition between a sidewalk and a streetDepartment of Community Affairs: DCA: The state agency created in 1977 to serve as an advocate for local governments. DCA operates a host of state and federal grant programs; serves as the state’s lead agency in housing finance and development; promulgates building codes to be adopted by local governments; provides comprehensive planning, technical and research assistance to local governments; and serves as the lead agency for the state’s solid waste reduction efforts.DCA: Department of Community Affairs: The state agency created in 1977 to serve as an advocate for local governments. DCA operates a host of state and federal grant programs; serves as the state’s lead agency in housing finance and development; promulgates building codes to be adopted by local governments; provides comprehensive planning, technical and research assistance to local governments; and serves as the lead agency for the state’s solid waste reduction efforts.Density: The quantity of building per unit of lot area.Design Guidelines: Statements and illustrations that are intended to convey the preferred quality for a place.Dwelling Unit: A room or group of rooms occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.Feasibility Study: A combination of a market study and an economic analysis that provides the facts about a proposed project and estimates the expected return on investment to be derived from the project.Floodplain: A portion of land that is within the flooding boundary of a given watershed.Forecast: A projection tempered by stated policy considerations, including the reconciliation of past and current trends with current and future policies. Ideally, forecasts reflect the best professional judgment concerning the impact of trends and present conditions on the future development opportunities. Therefore, forecasts should represent the most realistic assessment of the future.Gateways: Locations that signify the entrance to a community.Generation X: Anyone born between 1963 and 1982.Generation Z: Anyone born between 2003 and 2017.Generation Z+: Anyone born after 2018.Georgia Department of Transportation: The State of Georgia’s transportation management authority. Also known as GDOT.GDOT: Georgia Department of Transportation: The State of Georgia’s transportation management authority.Green Infrastructure: A network of large undisturbed land areas connected by designated pathways for the movement of wildlife and humans.Green Space: The system of public and private areas that include parks, stream valleys, trails, easements, riverfront areas, landscape areas along streetscapes, courtyards, golf courses, cemeteries, and similar elements.Historic Preservation: The process of identifying, protecting, enhancing buildings, places, and objects of historical and cultural significance.Land Use: The types of buildings and activities existing in an area or on a specific site. Land use is to be distinguished from zoning, the latter being the regulation of existing and future land uses.Land Trust: Usually a private non-profit entity that serves to protect natural resources and permits very limited, if any, development activity.Level of Service (LOS): A set of operating conditions describing the ability of a road network to handle traffic.Median Household Income: The income level made by each household where half of the homes in the area earn more and half earn less. Millennial: Anyone born between 1983 and 2002.
Mixed-Use Development: A single building or development area containing more than one type of land use, where the different types of land uses are in close proximity, planned as a unified, complementary whole. Mixed-Use Low-Intensity: A planned development with a mix of residential, commercial retail and office uses that includes public park space. Residential uses include single family detached, duplex, triplex, townhouses, condos, stacked flats and live-work units. Garden style apartments are not permitted. The maximum residential density is 8 units per acre, and the maximum height is 3 stories/40 feet.Mixed-Use High-Intensity: A planned development with a mix of residential, commercial retail and office uses that includes public park space. Residential uses include single family detached, duplex, triplex, townhouses, condos, stacked flats and live-work units. Garden style apartments are not permitted. The maximum residential density is 16 units per acre, and the maximum height is 5 stories/75 feet. Mobility: The degree to which someone can travel. Refers to the amount of costs that are associated with moving from one point to another. Multifamily Housing: Housing structures that support more than one household within one dwelling unit. Multi-modal: The many different types of transportation that are used by residents and business to move people and commerce. Modes of transportation include car, bus, PTV, walking, bicycling, light rail, heavy rail, truck, and equestrian trails. Open Space: The portions of a property or land areas not occupied by buildings, parking, drive aisles, or other similar elements. The term may also refer to non-vegetated urban open spaces, such as plazas and parks. Personal Transportation Vehicle: Under Georgia law, a PTV is any motor vehicle having no fewer than three wheels, an unladen weight of 1,300 pounds or less, and which cannot operate at more than 20 miles per hour. Golf carts are considered as PTVs, but low-speed vehicles (LSV), neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV), power wheelchairs, scooters or any all-terrain vehicles are not. PTV: Under Georgia law, a PTV is any motor vehicle having no fewer than three wheels, an unladen weight of 1,300 pounds or less, and which cannot operate at more than 20 miles per hour. Golf carts are considered as PTVs, but low-speed vehicles (LSV), neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV), power wheelchairs, scooters or any all-terrain vehicles are not. Placemaking: A process by which people shape the public realm in a human scaled, pedestrian-oriented fashion that makes the place distinctive and memorable, more attractive to, and compatible with, the people who use it. Recreational Trail: A pathway for use by pedestrians and where designated horseback riding, it may vary in width and may be constructed of hard or soft surface materials depending on location. A recreational trail is usually located outside of a roadway right of way in a naturalized setting. Redevelop: To demolish existing buildings or to increase the overall floor area existing on a property, or both, irrespective of whether a change occurs in land use. Rezoning: The adjustment of the regulations that define how land, buildings, and structures within a specific geographic area can be used. Right-of-way: A portion of the public space that is generally used for transportation. Public streets, highways, and strips of property owned by the public for providing utilities are all considered the right-of-way. There are policies related to the use of rights-of- way, as opposed to policies related to the use of private property. Right-of-way policies are intended to allow individuals to utilize public spaces while preserving the public interest. Right-of-way policies may regulate signage; traffic of pedestrians, bicycles, or automobiles; materials used in construction; street furniture; and public art. Sidewalk: A pedestrian only pathway with a minimum width of 5 feet constructed primarily of concrete and with a minimum separation of 5 feet from back of the roadway curb by a landscaped strip. The minimum landscaped separation between a sidewalk and the roadway shall not be less than 2 feet and the preferred separation is 10 feet. Sprawl: An increase in unplanned development of land in suburban and rural areas outside of their respective urban centers. Steep Slope: Slopes greater than 15 percent. Stormwater Facilities: Engineered facilities that are designed to convey storm runoff, remove pollutants and to control flow rates. Stormwater facilities include storage facilities (ponds, vaults, under-ground tanks, and infiltration systems); water quality facilities (wetponds, biofiltration swales, constructed wetlands, sand filters, and oil/water separators); and conveyance systems (ditches, pipes, and catchbasins). Stormwater Management: Anything associated with the planning, maintenance, and regulation of facilities which collect, store, or convey stormwater. Streetscape: The design of a street, including the roadbed, sidewalks, landscape planting, furnishings along the street, and the character of the adjacent building façade. Subdivision: A division of one portion of land into two or more smaller lots. The resulting areas of parcels are often referred to as ‘subdivisions’. Sustainability: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Traffic Calming: The combination of primarily physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use. Measures may include speed humps, raised crosswalks, speed tables, textured surfaces, traffic circles, and others. Trail: A pathway for use by pedestrians and bicycle, with a minimum width of 10’ and may be constructed of concrete or other appropriate surface materials depending on location. A trail typically has a minimum of 5 feet separation from back of curb by a landscape strip along roadways with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less; a minimum of 10 feet separation from back of curb by a landscape strip along roadways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or less; and typically a minimum of width of 20 feet separation from back of curb by a landscape strip along roadways designated with posted speed limits greater than 45 mph. A trail may be located away from a road through access easements and/ or buffers when developed as a path way to connect uses. Tree Canopy: The shade or coverage provided by forests. It is above the ground portion of trees including the branches and foliage. Urban Design: Urban Design focuses on the public realm which includes the things you see and the spaces that you inhabit as you would walk down a street. It includes streets, sidewalks, street furniture and amenities, gathering spaces, and the building’s design and orientation. These factors improve the way places look and contribute to improving community character. Ultimately, the sense of place and overall quality of life of residents, workers, and visitors is improved. A well-planned development that incorporates principles and practices of urban design can help promote the economic performance of an area. Walkability: The extent to which the built environment feels comfortable to pedestrians and encourages people to walk. A broad range of community design features support walking, including sidewalks, street furniture, trees, the arrangement of buildings, pedestrian crossings, etc. Watershed: An area of land with a common drainage point.Workforce Housing: Housing that is affordable to workforce households. Zoning: The legal power of government to regulate the use of private property for the purpose of protecting public health and safety, preserving critical areas, promoting orderly growth, and encouraging development to occur at a rate and manner that the community desires. It is also the process of regulating the land use and building design (such as height, size, spacing and use) within a community. In the general sense, zoning determines what can be developed and where and how it can be developed.
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