Master Plan Glossary

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) A secondary dwelling on the same property as a single-family house that can be within the main house or stand alone. These dwellings are often referred to as granny flats, carriage houses, of in-law suites, and offer additional living spaces and can be helpful in allowing residents to age-in-place, providing independence for older children, or additional income for the home owner. Accessory dwellings are usually limited in size – 700 square feet in many instances – to ensure they do not create a duplex, but rather a smaller, second dwelling.

Activity Nodes Specific locations or areas within a community that are hubs of various activities and functions. These nodes are typically have a lot of amenities, services, or attractions that draw people and contribute to the vitality of the area.

Aging in Place / Community Aging in place means growing older while staying in your own home and community, rather than moving to a different place. It involves creating an environment and having the support to live independently as you get older.

Attainable Housing Housing that is affordable to people earning around the average income of their area.

Bicycle Amenities Facilities, services, and infrastructure provided to support and encourage bicycle use. These amenities include bike lanes and paths, bike racks, bike-sharing programs, and bike repair stations.

Bike Racks and Repair Stations Infrastructure designed to support bicycle transportation, including racks for parking and repair stations for maintenance and minor repairs.

Carbon Sequestration A process that captures and stores carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere. This helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, which is beneficial for mitigating climate change. It happens naturally through the growth process of trees, perennial shrubs, mosses, fungi, and related life forms that live for many years, and includes both vegetation that can be seen above ground, as well as through roots, rhizomes, and other life below ground.

Climate Action Actions and plans to deal with climate change, which usually include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting sustainable practices like recycling and the health of trees.

Combined Sewer System A sewer system that carries both stormwater and sewage in the same pipes, which can lead to overflow and water pollution of local waterways during heavy rains.

Commercial Uses Places or spaces that are used for buying and selling goods or services. This includes stores, offices, and any other locations where people engage in business activities.

Design Standards A set of specifications for how the physical aspects of a city or community should be planned and constructed. In particular, design standards for buildings can provide a set of objective criteria for city staff to review during the approval process for building permits, which can result in faster approval timeframes in comparison to the review of each building application through a public process. Design standards aim to ensure consistency, safety, functionality, and aesthetic appeal in cities and towns.

Duplex A residential building or house, containing two separate homes. Duplexes can involve two homes side by side, or one home stacked above another in a multi-story house.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) Vehicles powered by electricity, typically through batteries, fuel cells, or a connection to an overhead power line or electric third rail (for transit or passenger rail), rather than traditional gasoline-, diesel-, or propane- consuming engines.

EV Charging Stations Locations where battery-powered electric vehicles can be charged, which include the necessary electrical connections and charging equipment.

Form-Based Codes are a set of rules that guide how buildings and neighborhoods should look and work, based on elements of the physical form of a building, such as its height and its relationship to the street. These codes go beyond just saying what activities are allowed in an area; they also describe how buildings should appear. The goal is to make sure that new construction fits in with the overall look and vibe of the neighborhood, while allowing for a greater variety of options for what is allowed to happen, or how many people can live, inside each building. They are different than traditional zoning codes, which are more focused on defining what kinds of uses are allowed in each area of the city.

Future Land Use Categories Labels that describe how certain parts of a city will be used and what they will be like in the future. These labels are often used in city planning, especially for comprehensive or general plans, to help define what kind of activities or buildings are suitable for different areas.

Future Land Use Map A future land use map, generally made as a part of a comprehensive or general plan, shows how the areas of a city or town are planned to be used in the future.

Green Space Areas within a city or community that are covered with grass, trees, plants, or other forms of vegetation. These spaces are often intentionally preserved or created to provide a natural and open environment within an urban setting. Green spaces can take various forms, including parks, gardens, recreational areas, and other landscaped zones.

Housing Costs The expenses associated with owning or renting a home, including mortgage or rent payments, utilities, property taxes, and maintenance.

Industrial Area A designated part of a city, town, or region primarily used for manufacturing, production, warehousing, or industrial activities.

Life Cycle of Individuals and Families The various stages of life, including childhood, youth, young adulthood, family formation, and aging, and how these stages influence the types of housing that families and individuals want or need.

Manufacturing and Industrial Uses Activities related to the production of goods and products, typically involving factories and industrial facilities.

Market Demand The total quantity of a specific type of good or service that a collective group of consumers are willing and able to purchase at certain prices during a specific period. When people want a product or service and are willing to pay for it, there is high market demand. Conversely, if there is little interest or willingness to pay, the market demand is low. Market demand for housing is measured by housing type, in order to determine how much demand exists for each type of home at each price point.

MI Healthy Climate Plan A plan at the state government level in Michigan that outlines goals and strategies for addressing climate-related issues, which can serve as a reference for specific climate goals at the local level for cities and towns.

Mixed-Use Main Street A place where you can find a mix of shops, restaurants, offices, and residential spaces all in one area, creating a vibrant and dynamic community hub. Main streets are typically limited to both sides of one street, for a length of one or more blocks. Downtowns are similar but they include a larger area and tend to have a lot more going on.

Mode Share Shift A mode share is the proportion of each type of transport (like cycling, walking, driving, or using public transit) used by people in a city or region. A mode share shift is a change in the proportion of people who use one type, to another type. For example, if there is an increase in the number of people choosing to bike to work instead of driving, it represents a mode share shift towards cycling.

Multi-Unit Building A structure that contains multiple individual dwellings, such as apartments or condominiums. These units are designed to accommodate separate households, each with its own living quarters, often sharing common areas and facilities like hallways, entrances, or amenities.

Municipal Things related to a municipality, which is a local government unit. Municipalities can be cities, towns, or other local areas with their own local government, separate from higher levels of government, such as regional, state, or national authorities.

Neighborhood Amenities Facilities and services within neighborhoods that cater to the needs and preferences of local residents, which may include parks, schools, libraries, retail stores, and other daily necessities.

Neighborhood Commercial Nodes Small, designated areas within a residential neighborhood where you find a bunch of local businesses grouped together. These could include shops, cafes, and services like hair salons.

Neighborhood Preservation Activities and strategies aimed at protecting and maintaining the unique character, history, and identity of a community. The goal is to ensure that the physical and cultural aspects of a neighborhood are not lost, preventing excessive changes or development that might change a place’s distinctive features too much. It may involve regulating the style, character, and size of new development so that it matches that of existing buildings.

Open Space Areas of land that are not heavily developed, often used for recreational or natural purposes.

Ordinance A rule or law created by a local government, such as a city or town. It’s like a set of instructions or guidelines that people in the community need to follow related to a particular topic.

Townhouse A type of house that is connected to other houses in a row, like a small group of houses that share walls. Each townhouse is its own separate home with its own front door. Townhouses are often found in towns and neighborhoods, and they are a bit different from single houses because they share walls with their neighbors. This kind of housing can offer a balance of having your own space while also being part of a community.

Underutilized Lanes Traffic lanes on a road that are not being used to their full capacity. In other words, these lanes have fewer vehicles than they can efficiently accommodate, which can lead to inefficiency, speeding, and wasted road space.