Glossary
The words on a land-use agenda, in plain English
What each kind of item means, who decides it, and what to look for in the staff report. California practice; each city's code adds its own details.
- Accessory dwelling unit ADU
- A second, smaller home on a residential lot, which state law requires cities to allow under objective standards.
- Appeal
- A request that a higher body review a land-use decision, such as a planning commission decision appealed to the city council.
- Categorical exemption CEQA exemption
- A class of projects that CEQA's guidelines exempt from environmental review, such as minor alterations or small infill development.
- CEQA California Environmental Quality Act
- The state law requiring agencies to identify and reduce the environmental effects of the projects they approve.
- Coastal development permit CDP
- A permit required for most development in California's coastal zone, issued by the city or the Coastal Commission.
- Conditional use permit CUP
- Permission to operate a use that a zone allows only case by case, subject to conditions.
- Density bonus
- Extra units, and relief from some standards, that state law grants housing projects that include affordable homes.
- Environmental impact report EIR
- CEQA's most detailed environmental review, required when a project may have a significant effect on the environment.
- General plan amendment GPA
- A change to a city's or county's general plan, the long-range policy document that zoning and projects must follow.
- Housing element
- The part of the general plan that shows how a city will accommodate its share of the region's housing need.
- Mitigated negative declaration MND
- A CEQA finding that a project won't significantly affect the environment once listed mitigation measures are required.
- Rezone Zone change
- A change to the zoning that applies to a piece of land, which changes what can be built or operated there.
- Site development permit SDP
- A discretionary permit reviewing a project's site design against a city's development regulations.
- Specific plan
- A detailed plan for one area that sets its own land uses, development standards and infrastructure, implementing the general plan.
- Tentative map Tentative tract map
- The approval that lets land be divided into new lots or condominiums, before the final map is recorded.
- Variance
- A permitted exception to a zoning standard, such as a setback or height limit, because of something unusual about the property.