This glossary in an introduction
to many of the terms and concepts used in the 6 different sections of this
website. For more complete descriptions
and other information about growth management in Virginia, please see “Virginia’s
Growth Management Tools” at http://www.vaplanning.org/GrowthTools.htm
Adequate Public Facilities:
Adequate public facilities
ordinances prevent new construction until municipal services, including water,
sewer, roads, and schools, are available to serve that development.
Agricultural Districts/Preservation Areas:
Areas designed to keep land
in agriculture that are legally recognized.
Landowners may voluntarily enroll in programs and may receive special
benefits and protection from regulation.
The Code of Virginia provides for differential use-value tax assessments
of enrolled lands, limits on public investment for non-farm development, and
protections against unreasonable regulations.
See Code of Virginia 15.2-4300 to 15.2-4314.
Annexation:
A change in existing community
boundaries resulting from the incorporation of additional land.
Brownfields:
Code of Virginia:
A group of complete, revised
and interrelated laws that govern Virginia and were enacted by the Virginia
General Assembly.
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. See Code
of Virginia section 15.446.1 et seq.
Concurrency:
A requirement that development
and the extension of infrastructure occurs at the same time. Used to prevent sprawling development in areas
that do not have infrastructure in place, and to ease the financial burden
on the localities that build it.
Conditional Use:
A category of the zoning
ordinance in which a governing body may allow certain uses that are incompatible
with adjacent uses. Conditional use
permits do not have to be contained in the zoning ordinance, but may be granted
based on consideration of the public health, safety and welfare.
Exceptions to zoning ordinances for conditional uses are made on a
case-by-case basis, and requests require public notice and hearings before
they can be granted. See Code of Virginia 15.1-430(I).
Conditional Zoning:
A rezoning procedure allowing
the applicant to propose or proffer conditions that limit property use.
Proffered conditions must relate to the rezoning and agree with the
comprehensive plan. See Code of Virginia 15.1-430(q) and 15.1-491.1
Conservation Easements:
Conservation easements are
voluntary, legally binding agreements for landowners that limit parcels of
land or pieces of property to certain uses.
Land under conservation easements remains privately owned, and most
easements are permanent. See Code
of Virginia 10.1-1009 to 10.1-1016.
Density:
The average number of people,
families, or housing units on one unit of land. Density is also expressed
as dwelling units per acre.
Development Rights:
Development rights give property
owners the right to develop land in ways that comply with local land use regulation.
Dillon Rule:
A guideline stating that
a local government may only exercise powers expressly granted to it by the
state legislature. Virginia is a Dillon
Rule state.
Downzoning:
A change in zoning classification
to less intensive use and/or development.
Eminent Domain:
The legal right of government
to take private property for public use, provided the owner is offered just
compensation for the taking of property.
Fiscal Impact Analysis:
The analysis of the estimated
taxes that a development project would generate in comparison to the cost
of providing municipal services demanded by that project.
Growth Management:
Government programs that
control timing, location and character of land use and development.
Historic Area:
An area or building in
which historic events occurred, or one which has special value due to architectural
or cultural features relating to the heritage of the community.
Elements in historic areas have significance that necessitates preservation
or conservation. See Code of Virginia 15.1-430(b).
Impact Fees:
Costs imposed on new development
to fund public facility improvements required by new development and ease
fiscal burdens on localities.
Infill Development:
Infill projects use vacant
or underutilized land in previously developed areas for buildings, parking,
and other uses.
Land Trusts:
Nonprofit organizations interested
in the protection of natural resources and historic areas. Activities include public education, purchase
and coordination of conservation easements, and planning services.
Leapfrog Development:
Development that occurs
beyond the limits of existing development and creates areas of vacant land
between areas of developed land.
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.
New Urbanism:
Neighborhood design trend
used to promote community and livability.
Characteristics include narrow streets, wide sidewalks, porches, and
homes located closer together than typical suburban designs.
Planning Commission:
An appointed public body
with duties that include preparation of a comprehensive plan, zoning and subdivision
ordinances, and capital improvement programs. Members are appointed by the governing body
and are residents of the community who are qualified to make decisions on
community growth and development. See
Code of Virginia 15.1-437 to 15.1-445.
Planned Unit Development (PUD):
PUDs are areas that are planned
and developed as one entity, by a single group. Planned unit developments usually include a
variety of uses, including different housing types of varying densities, open
space, and commercial uses. Project
planning and density is calculated for the entire development rather than
individual lots.
Purchase of Development Rights:
Programs through which local
governments may purchase development rights and dedicate the land for conservation
easements, protecting it as open space or agricultural areas.
Site Plan:
A scaled plan showing proposed
uses and structures for a parcel of land. A site plan could also show the location of lot lines, the layout
of buildings, open space, parking areas, landscape features, and utility lines.
Special Districts:
Geographic areas in which
fees or taxes are collected to fund investments or services benefiting properties
within the district.
Sustainable Development:
Development with the goal
of preserving environmental quality, natural resources and livability for
present and future generations. Sustainable
initiatives work to ensure efficient use of resources.
Revenue Sharing:
Revenue sharing programs
redistribute a tax base without changing boundaries. Growth in the property tax base is redistributed with special attention
to below average areas.
Subdivision:
A subdivision occurs as
the result of dividing land into lots for sale or development. In Virginia, law specifies that dividing land
into three or more lots of less than five acres creates a subdivision.
See Code of Virginia 15.1-430(1) and 15.1-465.
Taking (Property):
A taking occurs when a government
action violates the 5th Amendment property rights of a landowner by taking
a piece of property without offering fair compensation. “Takings” include physical acquisitions of
land, and may include regulations that unduly deprive landowners of certain
uses of their property or have the effect of diminishing the value of property.
Tax Increment Financing:
A program designed to leverage
private investment for economic development projects in a manner that enhances
the benefits accrued to the public interest.
Transfer of Development Rights:
A system that assigns development
rights to parcels of land and gives landowners the option of using those rights
to develop or to sell their land. TDRs
are used to promote conservation and protection of land by giving landowners
the right to transfer the development rights of one parcel to another parcel.
By selling development rights, a landowner gives up the right to develop
his/her property, but the buyer could use the rights to develop another piece
of land at a greater intensity than would otherwise be permitted.
TDR is not allowed under Virginia law.
Urban Growth Boundary:
A line drawn around a city
that prohibits development outside that boundary. Designed to slow or prevent sprawl, UGBs are designed to accommodate
growth for a designated period of time and are used to guide infrastructure
development. Portland, Oregon is the
most commonly cited example of an urban growth boundary.
Use Value Taxation:
Land assessments according
to the value of the present use rather than the speculative value. Use value taxation may be adopted by localities
in Virginia in order to reduce the tax burden on agricultural land.
See Code of Virginia 15.1-1506.
Zoning:
Classification of land
in a community into different areas and districts. Zoning is a legislative process that regulates building dimensions,
density, design, placement and use within each district. See Code of Virginia 15.1-430(k) and 15.1-486.
Reference:
“The Language of Planning.”
Virginia Citizens Planning Association and VA Department of Housing
and Community Development. 1989
American Farmland Trust:
Fact Sheet. September, 1998.
NAHRO Reference Library.
www.nahro.org/reference/glossary.html