Authored by: www.coalitionforsmartgrowth.org

This Glossary of Land-Use Terminology is a list of definitions and acronyms used in Community Planning Section of the Smart Growth policy statement of the Coalition for Smart Growth for Lancaster County.

Act 537 – Act 537 is the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act and was adopted in 1966. The purpose of the act is to facilitate the planning and regulation of municipal sewage facilities. The act includes the appointing of a Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) who must be certified by the State to issue permits for the installation of on-lot systems and the inspection of sewage facilities.

Agricultural Land – A land use designation as established in a zoning ordinance or official map that limits the use of the land to the production and preparation of crops, livestock, and livestock products and uses that directly support the agricultural community.

Authority – An authority or “Municipal Authority” is a political body as established by the Municipalities Authority Act of 1945. The Authority is a separate body from a municipality and is established to perform certain functions such as the regulation of water, sewer and other such facilities. The members of the authority are appointed by a municipality or multiple municipalities. They are governing bodies, yet are a distinctly separate body.

Charette Design* - The charette design process is a collaborative effort in which our landscape architects/land planners and engineers listen and work interactively with developers, owners, realtors, building specialists and clients with the goal of developing comprehensive, creative and cost-efficient design solutions. The creative team responds simultaneously with designs that enable the group to envision the outcome, meet important development deadlines and invest themselves in the project's success.

Comprehensive Plan – The Comprehensive Plan is an official document, adopted either by the County, a municipality or several municipalities (multi-municipal) for the establishment of community development, land use and growth management goals for the area. The plan looks at the present and future plans for land use, housing, transportation, infrastructure, community facilities (including water, sewer, education, heath care, safety, government, storm water management), and other community components.

Conditional Use – A conditional use is a special category within a zoning district that states that the use is permitted within the district, however, only when specific conditions are met and must be approved by the appropriate governing body. Generally, only uses that may be found to have impacts on the wider municipal community are classified as conditional uses.

Contract Zoning – In some communities there is a practice that allows a property owner to enter into a written agreement with the local government to rezone certain areas of land, on the condition that the limitations or restrictions set by the local government for those parcels are accepted by the owner. The conditions would not necessarily be applied to other similarly zoned parcels. Based on current case law, this is not legal in Pennsylvania.

Designated Growth Area – A designated growth area is an area of land within a municipality or several municipalities that is designated for growth at a greater intensity and where a complete range of services are provided. The purpose of a designated growth area is to facilitate growth while protecting the sense of community as well as the resources, both natural and man-made, of the area.

Exaction – An exaction is a fee or contribution paid to a municipality prior to receiving a development permit. Exactions are sometimes arbitrary in nature and are passed onto the consumer, increasing the cost of housing

Impact Fee – An impact fee is money that is paid by a developer or land owner to a municipality or governing body for the purpose of transportation related improvements that are required as a result of the development. Such fees can be used for improvements to roads, sidewalks, bike or non-motorized vehicle lanes, and other such transportation improvements.

MPC – The Municipalities Planning Code, or Act 247 of 1968 as amended by Act 170 of 1988, is the Pennsylvania legislation that grants power and authority to county and municipal governments to plan and regulate the growth and development of land and resources located with their boundaries.

Official Map – An Official Map is an official document adopted by a municipal or county government that contains all or part of the elements of the adopted Comprehensive Plan. The map may show such items at existing and proposed streets, water courses, public lands, pedestrian easements, rail lines, storm water management areas, floodplains, and other public lands or easements. By the adoption of the official map, the municipality officially reserved the land for future public purpose.

Open Space – Open space is land that is designated for no or limited development. It is different from agricultural land in that agricultural land is land that is actively being farmed or utilized for farming in some form as an industrial operation. Open space is land that is left natural or mostly undeveloped. Open space may also include land that is dedicated to a municipality or homeowners association for recreational purposes for the good of the community.

Special Exception – A special exception is a use that is allowed within a specific zoning district but must first be approved by the zoning hearing board. The applicant needs to show that the proposed use is generally consistent with the uses allowed. A special exception is subject to conditions that the zoning hearing board may apply to ensure that the use will be compatible with the area and will not be detrimental for the community.

Subdivision Ordinance – A subdivision ordinance is an official document that is adopted by a municipality or county that regulates the division and development of land within the municipality or county. The ordinance will regulate such things as what items must be shown on the plan, the design requirements for improvements to the land, and other standards for proper and efficient development.

TDR – transferable development rights are ownership rights attached to one parcel of land that may be sold or transferred and attached to another parcel of land in order to accomplish a specific public purpose. For example, in order to preserve agricultural land, the rights to that land may be sold or transferred to residential land. This allows the agricultural land to be preserved while providing more development rights to the residential land. This allows a land owner to still receive the financial benefit of the development potential of the land while preserving the rural or agricultural environment.

TIS - Transportation impact study is an engineering study prepared by an engineer or transportation planner that looks at the impact a subdivision or land development will have on the surrounding roads and other transportation facilities.

Traditional Neighborhood Design – Traditional neighborhood design is a form of development emphasizing compact housing, mixed uses within one neighborhood (residential and light commercial), a variety of housing styles and pedestrian friendly infrastructure.

Zoning Ordinance –An official document adopted by a municipality that provides regulations and procedures for the use of land. This may include the land use, the size, location, and removal of buildings and other structures, the density of development allowed, and the protection and preservation of natural resources.