Glossary

• AELUP. Airport Environs Land Use Plan (a land use compatibility plan referred to in Public Utilities Code Section 21675).
• Accessibility. Accessibility refers to the ability to reach destinations. While mobility focuses on how to get to a particular destination, accessibility focuses on where you are going. For transportation purposes, accessibility also refers to the limitations of individuals to get to a particular destination.
• Accommodate. To make room for or provisions for something that is specifically intended to occur.
• Action. An activity, program, or initiative undertaken by the City or another stakeholder, typically to implement a policy or goal of the General Plan.
• Active transportation. Transportation conducted purely through direct human movement, such as walking, cycling, using a wheelchair, in-line skating, or skateboarding. An active transportation system refers to the pedestrian and bicycling paths that provide opportunities for human-powered transportation.
• Advocate. To openly support and promote an action, objective, or goal; also to speak on behalf of an individual or group.
• Adaptive reuse. A method by which a building is adapted/modified to a different use from its original use, while its general physical form is retained. See also historic rehabilitation for historical buildings.
• Agency. A governmental entity, department, office, or administrative unit responsible for carrying out regulations.
• Agriculture. Use of land for the production of food and fiber, including the growing of crops and/or the grazing of animals on natural prime or improved pasture land.
• Air basin. One of 14 self-contained regions in the United States, minimally influenced by air quality in contiguous regions. Santa Ana is located in the South Coast Air Basin.
• Air pollutants. Any airborne substance that could, in high enough concentration, harm animals, humans, vegetation, and/or materials. With respect to circulation, air pollutants fall into two main groups: (1) those emitted from identifiable sources (such as vehicles) and, (2) those formed in the air by interaction between pollutants and weather conditions.
• Air pollutant emissions. Discharges into the atmosphere, usually specified in terms of weight per unit of time for a given pollutant. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has identified primary pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulates (PM10), reactive organic gases, and sulfur dioxide.
• Air pollution control district (APCD). A single-or multi-county agency with legislative authority to adopt and enforce all rules and regulations necessary to control non-vehicular sources of air pollutants in its area. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is the designated APCD for the South Coast Air Basin.
• Air quality standard. A health-based standard for air pollution established by the federal government and the State. Santa Ana is located in the South Coast Air Basin which is considered a non-attainment area for ozone and a number of other pollutants.
• Airport. Any public or military airport, air station, or air facility.
• Allow. To be open to something occurring but without any particular effort to make it happen.
• ALUC. Airport Land Use Commission.
• Ambient air quality. The quality of the air at a particular time and place.
• Ambient noise level. The composite of noise from all sources near and far. In this context, the ambient noise level constitutes the normal or existing level of environmental noise at a given location.
• Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). A federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. Titles II and III of the ADA Act of 1990 include enforceable accessibility standards called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The standards set minimum requirements for state and local government facilities, public accommodations, and commercial facilities to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities
• Annexation. The means by which an incorporated city or town extends its corporate boundaries. Annexation of unincorporated land into an incorporated city or town is initiated by a petition of affected land owners or registered voters, or by resolution from the incorporated city or town. The process of annexation is overseen by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO).
• Analyze. To methodically examine the desirability or feasibility of something, with a view toward letting the evidence determine the appropriate level of commitment.
• APZ. Accident Potential Zone (zones established around some airports based on accident histories and operational characteristics).
• Arcade. An arched roof or covered passageway.
• Architectural character. The characteristic given to buildings by prominence derived from distinctive and attractive attributes in its architecture and ornamental detailing.
• Architectural feature. A prominent or significant part or element of a building, structure, or site,
• Architectural style. The characteristic form and ornamental detail of buildings of a particular period.
• Arterial street. A major street carrying the traffic of local and collector streets to and from freeways and other major streets, with controlled intersections that generally provide direct access to properties. Please refer to Master Plan of Arterial Highways for a detailed description.
• Articulation. Clear and distinct separation between design elements.
• Aspire. To direct one’s ambitions toward achieving something.
• Attractive. Having qualities that arouse interest and pleasure in the observer.
• Augment. To add to something that is already in place to make it more desirable, functional, or beneficial.
• Automatic aid. Automatic aid is assistance that is dispatched automatically by a contractual agreement between two emergency service departments, communities, or districts when an emergency occurs. It differs from mutual aid, which is arranged on an as-needed and requested basis.
• Avoid. To not enable something that will lead to an undesirable outcome.

• Backlit. Illuminated internally or from the inside.
• Bay window. A window projecting outward from the main wall of a building.
• Berm. A raised form of earth to provide screening or to improve the aesthetic character.
• Bollard. A vertical, freestanding, short post used as a barrier to vehicles.
• Bracket. A support element under overhangs; often more decorative than functional.
• Bicycle facilities. A general term used to describe all types of bicycle-related infrastructure, including linear bikeways and other provisions to accommodate or encourage bicycling, such as bicycle racks and lockers, bikeways, and showers at employment destinations. On- and off-street spaces delineated for safe use by bicycles, designated in one of four classes:
  • Class I (shared use or bike path). A bikeway physically separated from any street or highway. Shared Use Paths may also be used by pedestrians, skaters, wheelchair users, joggers, and other non-motorized users.
  • Class II (bike lane). A portion of roadway that has been designated by striping, signaling, and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists.
  • Class III (bike route). A generic term for any road, street, path, or way that in some manner is specifically designated for bicycle travel regardless of whether such facilities are designated for the exclusive use of bicycles, or are to be shared with other transportation modes.
  • Class IV (cycle track or separated bikeway). A bikeway for the exclusive use of bicycles and includes a required separation between the bikeway and the through vehicular traffic. The separation may include, but is not limited to, grade separation, flexible posts, inflexible posts, inflexible barriers, or on-street parking.
• Bikeway. A generic term for any road, street, or path that is designed for bicycle travel, regardless of whether it is designated for the exclusive use of bicycles or is to be shared with other transportation modes. A bikeway network refers collectively to all types of bikeways and facilities.
• Buffer / buffer zone. An area of land, structure, feature, or design treatment separating two uses that acts to soften or mitigate the effects of one use on the other
• Building envelope. The three dimensional space within which a structure is permitted to be built on a lot. This space is defined with respect to such development regulations as height, setback requirements, floor area ratio, lot coverage, and intensity standards.
• Business Improvement District (BID). A a type of special assessment district in which business owners collectively choose to be assessed, with the proceeds then used by local business organizations to improve and promote the business district.

• California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A state law (California Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.), requiring state and local agencies to regulate activities with consideration for environmental protection. If a proposed activity has the potential for a significant adverse environmental impact, an environmental impact report (EIR) must be prepared and certified as to its adequacy before taking action on the proposed project.
• California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC). The governor-appointed nine-member commission charged with identifying and cataloging places of special religious or social significance to Native Americans and known graves and cemeteries of Native Americans on private lands. The NAHC also performs other duties regarding the preservation and accessibility of sacred sites and burials and the disposition of Native American human remains and burial items.
• Cantilever. A beam or architectural element projecting beyond a wall line without support from below.
• Capital Improvements Program (CIP). A program, administered by a city or county government that schedules permanent improvements, usually for a minimum of five years in the future, to fit the projected fiscal capability of the local jurisdiction. The CIP is generally reviewed annually for conformance to and consistency with the Policy Plan.
• Capacity. The ability to provide a service or fulfill an obligation in the desired manner or at a desired level of service.
• Circulation system. The entire system of streets, bikeways, transit routes, truck routes, railroad, pedestrian paths, and other routes that people use for driving, walking, bicycling, and moving throughout a city.
• Cohesiveness. Unity of composition between design elements of a building or a group of buildings and the landscape development.
• Collaborate. To intentionally, willingly work together toward a common objective or goal.
• Community assets. Public libraries, public museums, arts and cultural facilities, community/senior centers, and similar facilities open to and for the benefit of the public.
• Community character / community identity. The history, culture(s), natural features, and human-built features that a community’s residents value and wish to celebrate and maintain. Community character can also be defined as the sum of attributes and assets that make a community unique and establish a sense of place for its residents. Some attributes and assets are tangible, like a unique main street area, while others are intangible, like a general sense of tranquility associated with the natural environment.
• Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL). The-average equivalent A-weighted sound level during a 24-hour day, obtained after addition of five decibels to sound levels in the evening from 7 P.M. to 10 P.M. and after addition of 10 decibels to sound levels in the night before 7 A.M. and after 10 P. M.
• Community Revitalization Investment Authority. Community Revitalization & Investment Authorities (CRIAs) are a tool to fund economic development projects within a geographic boundary utilizing tax increment financing. Eligible areas for a CRIA include those that are disadvantaged based on several determinations.
• Compatible. In relation to use, the ability for two or more uses to coexist without conflict, with minimal conflict that can be mitigated, or in a beneficial manner. When used in relation to a structure, indicates that the structure is built so that its appearance is similar to that of the principal unit to which the structure is accessory or to the general character of the neighborhood or community with regards to color, materials, construction, lighting, signs, or the emission of sounds, noises and vibrations. See also incompatible.
• Complete streets. A transportation facility that is planned, designed, operated, and maintained to provide safe mobility for all users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, transit vehicles, truckers, and motorists, appropriate to the function and context of the facility.
• Complete streets network. A system of on- and off-street facilities (e.g., sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails), that enable all users of all ages and abilities to navigate within or through a community area, with an emphasis on mobility focus areas. The system can consist of one or more facility type based on the intended users and access requirements. Individual facilities may overlap or not, serve all or just some users, and be contiguous or disconnected. Complete streets facilities and improvements are subject to physical constraints presented by the local context and financial feasibility limitations.
• Comply with. To follow specified existing ordinances, regulations or procedures.
  Complement / complementary. Combining or coexisting (e.g., two buildings or land uses) in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other.
• Concurrent. Services, facilities, activities or other things that are provided or are occurring at the same time as something else.
• Congestion management program (CMP). Required by law for every county to address the impact of local growth on the regional transportation system. Required to receive Measure M2 funds.
• Conservation. The management of natural resources to prevent waste, destruction, or neglect.
• Consider. To remain open to and evaluate a range of possible actions or outcomes as part of a decision.
• Consistent. To be or act in harmony or aligned with something; see also inconsistent.
• Consolidate. To bring together aspects, features, or components of a system or locale that can serve better in a combined, merged, or integrated form.
• Construct. To build something: buildings, roads, channels, etc.
• Context. Local or regional environmental, social, and economic conditions.
• Context-sensitive. An approach, design, standard, or practice that is sensitive to and varies according to the local or regional environmental, social, and economic conditions.
• Context-sensitive solutions. The planning, design, and implementation of transportation and/or building infrastructure that is in scale and character with surrounding land uses, minimizes negative effects, and adds value to adjacent land uses through design, aesthetics, and other techniques.
• Continue. To maintain and/or resume an action.
• Cooperate. To work in a positive effort with another entity toward a mutually beneficial end. Such work may take the form of direct action, passive support, or even inaction.
• Coordinate. To work in a positive effort with another entity in the process of conducting individual actions or initiatives that relate to each other and that can benefit from concurrent or cooperative activity.
• Critical and essential facilities. Public safety and services sites, structures and institutions that, if impacted by an emergency, could exacerbate the problem, reduce a (generally public) entity’s ability to respond, or present a significant secondary problem or a problem greater than the original emergency.

• dB(A). A-weighted sound pressure level or A-level is the sound pressure level that has been filtered or weighted to quantitatively reduce the effect of the low frequency noise. It was designed to approximate the response of the human ear to sound. A-level is measured in units of decibels.
• Decibel (dB). A unit for describing the amplitude of sound, equal to 20 times the logarithm to the base 10 of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure, which is 20 micropascals (20 micro Newtons per square meter).
• Dedicate. To offer or set aside for a specific program, action, or use; when in the context of land dedication, the land is generally set aside for public ownership, use, and/or operation or maintenance.
• Density. Dwelling units per acre; a measure of residential development.
• Design. To conceive in advance the size, shape, qualities, appearance, open space and other attributes of a proposed development, building and related improvements, generally rendered in graphic forms that communicate the anticipated outcome.
• Determine. To calculate in advance the nature or outcome of an anticipated action, situation, or proposal.
• Discourage. To openly deter (or attempt to deter) an individual, group, or organization from doing something.
• Discretionary. An action taken by a governmental agency that calls for the exercise of judgment in deciding whether to approve and/or how to carry out a project.
• District. Broad portions of the city that have consistent design features and/or a similar character.
• Dwelling unit. A room or group of rooms (including sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation facilities, limited to one kitchen), which constitutes an independent housing unit, occupied or intended for occupancy by one household on a long term basis.

• Earthquake fault zone. Regulatory zone around active faults created through the Alquist-Priolo Act. Displayed as polygons that encompass mapped fault traces, typically about one-quarter mile in width.
• Edge. A break, an interruption or a simple change in the continuity of form in the built environment or open space, or a barrier along the predominant line of sight. A threshold where change occurs which can have the effect of separating or joining.
• Encourage. To promote, support, or champion a concept or action; such support may be in terms of political support and coordination, staff resources, and/or financial resources.
• Enhance. To improve existing conditions in quality, value, or characteristic.
• Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts. Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) are financed through tax increment generated from the growth in property taxes collected from within a designated district boundary. EIFDs work by freezing the property tax revenues that flow from a designated project area to the city, county, and other taxing entities at the “base level” in the current year.
• Environmental Justice Area or Community. The City uses a mapping tool from CalEPA called CalEnviroScreen (CES) to identify the most vulnerable and disadvantaged areas in Santa Ana (in the context of SB 1000). The CES tool measures indicators for every census tract in California related to people’s exposure to pollution and quality of life. The results for each census tract are combined and measured against every other census tract, producing a composite score that ranks census tracts from the least impacted to the most impacted. Those ranked in the top 25 percent—shown with values between 75 and 100 percent—are considered and referred to as an environmental justice area, environmental justice community, or disadvantaged community.
  A disadvantaged community, as defined by Government Code Section 65302(h)(4)(A), is a low-income area that is disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and other hazards that can lead to negative health effects, exposure, or environmental degradation, or an area identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 39711 of the Health and Safety Code, as amended from time to time respectively.
• Equitable. A condition or treatment that is fair and impartial.
• Erosion. The process by which soil and rock are detached and moved by running water, wind, ice, and gravity.
• Establish. To bring something into being that does not currently exist.
• Explore. To search for or examine the nature of a possibility before a commitment is made. Similar to analyze.
• Expand. To increase in detail, extent, number, volume, or scope.

• FAA. Federal Aviation Administration.
• Facade. The front of a building.
• Facilitate. To make an action or process easier or to help bring about.
• Fair share. An allocation of resources, costs, or fees considered equitable and proportional to the needs, impacts, or activity of an existing or proposed project.
• Fault / active fault. A fracture in the crust of the earth along which rocks on one side have moved relative to those on the other side. Most faults are the result of repeated displacements over a long period of time. A fault trace is the line on the earth’s surface defining the fault. For the purposes of the Alquist Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, an active fault is one that has ruptured in the last 11,000 years. See earthquake fault zone.
• Fault. A fracture in the earth’s crust forming a boundary between rock masses that have shifted. A fault is considered to be an active fault if it has exhibited movement within the last 11,000 years and can be expected to move within the next 100 years. A potentially active fault is a fault that last moved within the Quaternary Period before the Holocene Epoch (the last 2,000,000 to 11,000). An inactive fault which shows no evidence of movement in recent geologic time and no potential for movement in the relatively near future.
• Feasible. Capable of being done, executed, or managed successfully taking into consideration social, physical, environmental, and/or economic factors.
• Feasible, technically. Capable of being implemented because the industrial, mechanical, or application technology exists.
• Feature. A noticeable or important characteristic, attribute, or aspect of something.
• Fenestration. The arrangement and design of windows in a building.
• Finding(s). The result(s) of an investigation and the basis upon which decisions are made. Findings are used by government agents and bodies to justify action taken or a decision made by the entity.
• Fiscal sustainability. The city’s capacity to operate and maintain public facilities and to provide public services with a reasonable level of service using the revenue generated for the service or facility or revenue generated by the users or beneficiaries of the service or facility. Fiscal sustainability exists when the city has the financial capacity to operate and maintain public facilities and to provide public services in the short term and over the long term.
• Fixed guideway. A transportation system technology, such as a streetcar, that runs along rails that are embedded in pavement in either a dedicated lane of a street or a lane that is shared with other vehicles.
• Flood. Refers to the rising and overflowing of a body of water onto normally dry land that is often caused by storm events or breaches of flood control infrastructure. Urban flooding is caused when heavy rainfall creates a flood independent of an overflowing water body, such as when intense rain overwhelms the capacity of an urban drainage system.
• Flood zone / flood hazard area. The Policy Plan displays and/or refers to the following simplified categories on flood hazard maps and in policies:
  • FEMA 100-year flood zone. An area mapped on a flood insurance rate map (FIRM) where a storm with a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year can cause flood conditions. FIRMs are mapped under the Federal Agency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
  • DWR 100-year flood zone. An area mapped by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) that identify 100-year flood hazard areas using approximate assessment procedures. These floodplains are identified simply as flood prone areas without specific depths and other flood hazard data; they are not FEMA regulatory floodplain maps. The state conducts an Awareness Floodplain Mapping project to identify all pertinent flood hazard areas for areas that are not mapped under FEMA’s NFIP, and to provide the community and residents an additional tool in understanding potential flood hazards currently not mapped as a regulated floodplain.
  • FEMA 200-year flood zone. An area mapped (currently in limited areas) by DWR where a storm with a 0.5 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year can cause flood conditions
  • FEMA 500-year flood zone. An area mapped on a FIRM where a storm with a 0.2 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year can cause flood conditions. FIRMs are mapped under FEMA’s NFIP.
• Flood insurance rate map (FIRM). The official map on which FEMA has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. Flood hazard areas identified on the FIRM are identified as a special flood hazard area (SFHA). SFHAs are defined as the area that will be inundated by the flood event having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The 1-percent annual chance flood is also referred to as the base flood or 100-year flood.
• Floor-area-ratio (FAR). A measurement used to identify nonresidential land use intensity. The FAR is the ratio of the total gross floor area of all buildings on a lot compared to the total area of that lot. FAR calculations exclude structured park square footage.
• Focus areas. Areas targeted for more specific land use planning and design guidance based on their ability to provide new housing options, encourage a range of businesses, promote access and linkages to leisure amenities, preserve industrial land, and concentrate development along transit corridors.
• Focus intersections. Urban spaces with intense activity at the encounter point of two paths. A local apex or points where paths meet and appear like peaks.
• Food insecurity. The state of being without reliable access to sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
• Fund. To make money available for a prescribed purpose; may be a one-time, periodic, or ongoing commitment.
• Funding and financing mechanism. A legislatively authorized public revenue tool covering a distinct geographical area in which revenues may be generated by properties to fund various public facilities and services. Many of these mechanisms also allow for the issuance of debt. Examples of funding and financing mechanisms can include: assessment district, contractual assessment district, business improvement district, community facility district, community services district, multifamily housing district, lighting and landscaping maintenance district, parking district, community revitalization and investment authority, and enhanced infrastructure finance district.

• Gateways. An Urban space or architectural element that announces the arrival to, or departure from a place. A point of arrival.
• Greenhouse gas (GHG). Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the atmosphere. State law identifies seven greenhouse gases for which the California Air Resources Board is responsible to monitor and regulate in order to reduce GHG emissions: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).
• Goal. A statement of desired future conditions regarding a particular topic; a goal paints a picture of how something will be in the future. A goal in and of itself is not sufficient to understand its intent, extent, or context. A goal itself is kept simple, with policies, objectives, and implementation actions providing further definition.
• Goods movement. The transport of products from their manufacturing origin to their final destination where they will be sold, stored, or used. Moving goods involves airplanes, ships, trains, and trucks.
• Grade separation. A bridge or tunnel for a highway, road, or railroad that allows pedestrians, bicyclists, or even cars to cross a major roadway without conflict or delay for a signal light. Without grade separations, vehicles, and bicycles, and pedestrians must physically cross tracks.
• Greywater/graywater. Wastewater that is generated in residential buildings, excluding sewage, such as gently used water from bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines. The wastewater generated by toilets, kitchen sinks, and dishwashers is called blackwater due to its larger organic load (fecal or organic matter).
• Groundwater. Water under the earth’s surface, often mapped as basins and confined to aquifers capable of supplying wells and springs.
• Groundwater recharge. The natural process of infiltration and percolation of rainwater from land areas or streams through permeable soils into water-holding rocks that provide underground storage in aquifers. This process can also be conducted artificially by capturing and injecting surface water or recycled water into aquifers.
• Ground Failure. Mudslide, landslide, liquefaction, or the seismic compaction of soils.

• Harmony. A quality that represents and appropriate and congruent arrangement of parts, as in an arrangement of varied architectural and landscape elements.
• Hazardous materials. Materials or wastes that either cause or contribute to an increase in mortality, serious illness, or otherwise pose a substantial treat to human or environmental health when improperly managed.
• Hazardous waste facilities. Carefully designed off-site facilities accepting hazardous wastes for storage or treatment.
• Heliport. An identifiable area on land or water, including any building or facilities thereon, used or intended to be used for the landing and takeoff of helicopters. Does not include temporary landing and takeoff sites. Refueling and overnight maintenance are permitted.
• Helistop. An identifiable area on land or water, including any building or facilities thereon, used or intended to be used for the landing and takeoff of helicopters. Does not include temporary landing and takeoff sites. Refueling and overnight maintenance are not permitted.
• Historic resources. Buildings, structures, sites, or districts that are considered of particular historical and/or cultural significance. Generally, such resources are listed on a local, state, or federal register.
• Historic treatment. The memorialization, preservation, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or restoration of a historic resource.
• Historic memorialization. Permanent recognition of an important historical resource through such means as a physical plaque or official designation.
  Historic preservation. A treatment for a historic building or landscape that focuses on the maintenance and repair of existing historic materials and retention of a property’s form as it has evolved over time.
• Historic reconstruction. A treatment for a historic building or landscape that re-creates vanished or non-surviving portions of a property for interpretive purposes.
• Historic rehabilitation. A treatment for a historic building or landscape that acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing or changing uses while retaining the property’s historic character.
• Historic restoration. A treatment for a historic building or landscape that depicts a property at a particular period of time in its history, while removing evidence of other periods.
• Holistic approach. An approach that addresses the factors that lead to a condition or behavior as well as the treatment of symptoms or enforcement of laws, in order to prevent a condition or behavior.
• Household. The U.S. census considers all persons living in a dwelling unit to be a household, whether or not they are related. Both a single person living in an apartment and a family living in a house are considered households.

• Impact. Generally, the result of an action or inaction; when the term is used in the context of an environmental analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the term “impact” refers to how a proposed project may directly or indirectly effect specific environmental, infrastructure, and public service factors; a negative impact damages those environmental factors or increases burdens on selected facilities and services.
• Identify. To determine characteristics or facts without any predetermination regarding future commitments; gather information only.
  Implementation action. An action, procedure, program or technique that carries out or seeks to make progress toward the furtherment of a goal or policy of the General Plan.
• Include. To make a part of a consideration or issue under public scrutiny.
• Incompatible. To be so opposed in character as to be incapable of existing together without causing conflicts or harm upon one or all parts; conflicting; see also compatible.
• Incorporate. The same as include.
• Inconsistent. Varying to the point of conflict or contradiction; see also consistent.
• Infill development. Development that is constructed on land that has direct access to existing public services and infrastructure. Typically surrounded by largely developed and/or built out areas.
• Infrastructure. The physical systems and services which support development and people, such as streets and highways, transit services, airports, water and sewer systems, and the like.
• Innovative. Methods or approaches that are new and original, often (but not always) more advanced.
• Install. To put in place at a specified time or place or in a particular sequence.
• Integrate. To blend new and existing projects or activities together in a compatible fashion.
• Intensity. For non-residential land uses (such as commercial or retail development) or mixed-use projects, intensity refers to the amount of square footage built on a given site. Expressed typically as floor-to-area ratio. Other measurements may involve lot coverage, building bulk, and height.
  Inundation area. A defined area downstream from any dam, basin, or impounded body or source of water (including reservoirs, large above ground water tanks, lakes, etc.) that could be flooded in the event of a sudden or complete failure of the structure. The inundation area or zone can also include levees that are breached or compromised, causing water to flood adjacent areas.
• Investigate. To examine the accuracy of information provided in support of a proposed project, process, or program.

• Joint Use. Also called “shared use” or “community use”; occurs when governmental entities, other public agencies, or not-for-profit organizations, agree to open or broaden access to their facilities for community use.

(No terms)

• Land use designation. Reference term for the classification of generally permitted land use type and intensity as directed by the General Plan. The land use categories are implemented by land use zoning districts, which contain more specific regulations on land use and building standards.
• Land use zoning district. Reference for the classification and regulation of land use type and intensity in Chapter 41 of the Municipal Code.
• Land Use Map. Reference term for the General Plan Land Use Map showing the distribution of land use designations across the city.
• Landmark. In city form terms, a focal point or conspicuous object used as a point of orientation in reference to other objects.
• Level of service (LOS). A qualitative measure describing the delivery of service based on the needs and/or desires of customers or users. A LOS standard also generally factors in financial constraints (e.g., amount of user fees or taxes), as well as physical constraints (e.g., topography or distance). In measuring traffic conditions, it is the measurement and categorization of traffic flow based on vehicle speed, density, congestion, and other elements.
• Limit. To confine a project or activity within prescribed specifications or performance criteria.
• Link. To connect a project, area, function, or activity to another feature or features that would be mutually beneficial and reinforce desired functions.
• Liquefaction. A process by which water-saturated granular soils transform from a solid to a liquid state because of a sudden shock or strain.
• Locate. To place an improvement, function, or use in a particular locale, on property with certain characteristics, or in proximity to specified features to bring about benefits and/or efficiency.

• Maintain. To keep a system, facility, area, or activity in continuously sound condition, as defined by approved standards.
• Mansionization. Term used to describe residential building additions, or building replacements which lack compatibility with the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood. Typically such additions, or replacements are constructed in conformance with existing development regulations.
• Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH). The MPAH establishes a system of countywide arterial highways for long-range transportation planning in Orange County. This plan requires interagency coordination for a variety of street types to ensure safe and efficient transportation.
• May. To offer the possibility but not the probability or promise of a certain commitment of resources or support; associated with action or activity that is often desirable and allowed, but implementation of such action or activity is often conditional.
• Minimize. To reduce something to the smallest amount or degree feasible.
• Ministerial. An action taken by a governmental agency that follows established procedures and rules and does not call for the exercise of judgment in deciding whether to approve a project.
• Mitigation measures. Conditions imposed upon a project with the intent of avoiding, or minimizing, the potential negative impact of the project.
• Mixed use. Type of development which allows a combination of land uses within a single development.
• Monitor. To track the performance of a particular physical condition, activity accomplishment or aspect of change, with a view toward using the results to inform future actions and commitments.
• Mutual aid. Mutual aid is assistance that, based on a contractual agreement, is dispatched on an as-needed and requested basis between two emergency service departments, communities, or districts when an emergency occurs. It differs from automatic aid, which is dispatched automatically.

• Nodes. Urban elements of compatible, intense activity.
• Nondescript. Without distinctive architectural form or style. Ordinary and without architectural character.
• Nonmotorized transportation. This term is often interchangeably used with active transportation. It typically includes walking, bicycling, and variants such as small-wheeled transport (skates, skateboards, push scooters and hand carts) and wheelchair travel.
• Notify. To advise a specified party or parties regarding an event or change for which there is an obligation to inform or need to know.

• Objective. A specific condition or state that is an intermediate step toward attaining a goal.
• Obstruction. Any object of natural growth, terrain or permanent or temporary construction or alteration including equipment or materials used therein, the height of which exceeds the standards established in Subpart C of Federal Aviation Regulations Part 77, Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace.
• Open Space. Recreational and green spaces, including parks, commercial open space, manicured landscaped areas, and public facilities such as trail corridors, water channels and rail infrastructure.
• Opportunity Zones. An Opportunity Zone is an area designated under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Opportunity Zones are an economic development tool—that is, they are designed to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities.
• Overdraft. The condition of a groundwater supply in which the average annual amount of water withdrawn by pumping exceeds the average annual amount of water replenishing the aquifer in any ten year period, considering all sources of recharge and withdrawal.

• Park and Parkland. Publicly accessible sites and green space that are owned and/or managed by the City of Santa Ana to support recreation and social gathering.
• Park Deficient Area. Areas of the community that are outside the standard public parkland service radius such as ½ mile for Community Parks and ¼ mile for Neighborhood Parks, respectively.
• Partner. To join with another entity in conducting an activity or building a facility that would be mutually beneficial and add value more efficiently than if pursued independently; does not necessarily require financial commitments. Similar to “cooperate”.
• Path. In city form terms a path if a traveling route which can take the form of a street, road or other pedestrian or vehicular route which is a fundamental part of the urban fabric of the city and the means by which people circulation throughout the city.
  Pedestrian-oriented development. Urban design that provides clear, comfortable, and safe pedestrian access to an area and its surroundings, without reliance on a car.
• Periodically. The action will take place or apply to future decisions at specified intervals or times.
• Policy. A statement that guides decision-making and specifies public commitment. A policy defines and directs how the city intends to achieve goals.
• Prevent. To keep a particular use, condition, activity, or circumstance from occurring; it does not imply complete (100 percent) avoidance or elimination.
• Preserve. To maintain something in its original or existing state (verb). An area dedicated to the protection and conservation of biological resources and/or landscapes (noun).
• Prioritize. To intentionally direct discretionary investments or actions to one area ahead of other areas. The act of prioritizing is an ad-hoc process that considers a variety of relevant factors. State and federal law and agency requirements, court orders, and County- or City-declared emergencies take precedent over the prioritization direction in the General Plan.
• Prohibit. To absolutely disallow something from happening or being built.
• Promote. To actively stimulate the likelihood and desirability of something happening; does not require investing public resources in its direct development.
• Proportion. Balanced relationship of the size of parts to each other and to the whole.
• Protect. To shield from damage to people or property.
• Provide. To make something available, typically to a community, organization, or business; it does not imply that the thing is being made available at no cost.
• Public infrastructure. Capital facilities that are owned and maintained by public entities, including but not limited to: flood control, water, sewer, transportation, parks, law and justice, fire prevention and protection, public health, and facilities for parks, recreation, and other community services.

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Recycled water. Water which, as a result of treatment of waste, is suitable for a direct beneficial use or a controlled use that would not otherwise occur and is therefore considered a valuable resource. A form of water reuse that includes primary, secondary and tertiary treatment of wastewater to produce water suitable for a variety of non-potable applications, most notably for landscaping irrigation and industrial uses. Recycled water is synonymous with “reclaimed water,” “Title 22 Water” (water that conforms to the Uniform Statewide Recycling Criteria), and “treated wastewater.”
Reflect. To embody or represent (something) in a faithful or appropriate way.
Region / regional. A geographic area; or pertaining to activities or economies at a scale greater than that of a single jurisdiction, and affecting a broad geographic area.
Report. To provide public information on a subject or condition.
Require. To absolutely impose an obligation or standard.
Resiliency. The ability to adapt to changing conditions and prepare for, withstand, and rapidly recover from disruption or disasters.
Respect. To give due regard for something or to hold something in high regard.
Restoration. To put back exactly to an original state.
Right-of-way (ROW). The legally granted access that a roadway, railroad, or other travel corridor or transportation facility can use. The right of way can extend beyond the asphalt in a street and include adjacent land.

• SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments). The metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties that undertakes a variety of planning and policy initiatives to encourage a more sustainable Southern California.
• Scale. Proportional relationship of the size of parts to one another and to the human figure.
• Screening. Structure or planting that conceals from view from public ways the area behind such structure or planting.
• Sensitive land uses. Types of facilities that the California Air Resources Board recommends being protected from sources of air pollution. Sensitive land uses include residences, childcare centers, educational institutions, medical facilities, senior care facilities, and parks and recreation facilities.
• Shall. Will always be carried out or required; no exceptions.
• Shared parking. A land use strategy that optimizes parking capacity, reduces the amount of land developed, and promotes connectivity by allowing complementary land uses to share parking spaces, rather than producing or requiring separate spaces for separate uses.
• Should. Will be carried out or required most of the time, unless a very good reason is identified why an exception is acceptable.
• Social capital. An intangible resource that community members can draw upon to solve collective problems. It consists of social trusts, norms, and networks that can alleviate societal problems. Civic engagement encourages feelings of reciprocity between community members and facilitates coordination, communication, and collaboration. Social capital can also be understood by examining community events, organizations, facilities, and participants.
• Sometimes. Will apply to future decisions under specified conditions or circumstances.
• Specify. To establish distinct requirements.
• Sphere of influence (SOI). The probable physical boundary and service area of a local agency, such as an incorporated city or town or a special district, as determined by the local agency formation commission (LAFCO). SOIs are planning tools used to provide guidance for individual proposals involving jurisdictional changes, and are intended to encourage the efficient provision of organized community services and prevent duplication of service delivery. A territory must also be within a city or district’s sphere in order to be annexed.
  While a city/town SOI can include both incorporated and unincorporated lands, the unincorporated lands remain within the jurisdictional control of the county until such time that the land is annexed into the city/town. A city/town is obligated to consider its unincorporated SOI in its general plan, although the county’s planning authority remains in place.
• Standard. A specific, often quantified guideline, defining the relationship between two or more variables. Standards can often directly translate into regulatory controls.
• Streetscape. The scene as may be observed along a public street or way composed of natural and manmade components, including buildings, paving, planting, street hardware, and miscellaneous structures. Examples of streetscape elements include roadways, medians, sidewalks, street furniture, crosswalks, signs, open space, and landscaping, among many other factors.
• Strive. To make great efforts or devote serious effort to achieve or obtain something.
• Subsidence. The gradual, local settling or sinking of the earth’s surface with little or no horizontal motion. Subsidence is usually the result of gas, oil, or water extraction, hydro compaction, or peat oxidation, and not the result of a landslide or slope failure.
• Sufficient buildable area. Able to conform to current development standards and requirements from local, state, and federal agencies.
• Support. To provide assistance or promotion; see encourage.
• Surface rupture. A break in the ground’s surface and associated deformation resulting from the movement of a fault.
• Sustainable. Able to use a resource or conduct activity at a desired rate or level without depleting resources (e.g., financial or natural) to a point where others cannot rely upon or use them in the future; in some context the term can refer to the long-range viability of the environment, economy, and social equity (referred to as “the three E’s of sustainability”).

• Tax Increment Financing. Tax increment financing works by freezing tax revenues from a tax rate area in the interim base year and diverting forecasted tax revenue in future years (known as increment) to pay for improvements and/or pay back bonds.
• Tourism Marketing District. A Tourism Marketing District (TMD) is a benefit assessment district proposed to create a revenue source to help fund marketing and sales promotion efforts for lodging businesses. A TMD is similar to a Business Improvement District (BID) where businesses pay an additional fee in order to fund improvements within the district’s boundaries.
• Traffic calming. Changes in street alignment, installation of barriers, and other physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through traffic volumes in the interest of street safety, livability, and other public purposes.
• Traffic control devices. Signs, signals, or pavement markings (permanent or temporary), placed on or adjacent to a travelway by authority of a public body having jurisdiction to regulate, warn, or guide traffic.
• Transit-oriented development. A mix of buildings and land uses, typically within a quarter-mile walking distance of light rail stops or high frequency bus stops. Transit oriented developments commonly contain convenient shopping, office, restaurant, service commercial, and entertainment uses for transit riders.
• Transportation demand management (TDM). Strategies that influence long-term travel choices and behaviors. TDM’s goal is to improve mobility and decrease negative impacts such as traffic congestion and air pollution. TDM strategies can include: ridesharing, providing commuter subsidies, promoting walking and biking, and encouraging flexible work schedules.
• Travelway. A generalized term that refers to any path of land travel, including roads, freeways, bikeways, pedestrian routes, railroad, etc.
  Truck traffic, truck trips, or trucking-intensive business. In the context of defining truck traffic or a trucking-intensive business, a truck is a vehicle identified by the Federal Highway Administration vehicle as Class 5 or higher, with the exception of dually trucks and recreational vehicles. A trucking-intensive business is a permitted use that includes the frequent use of trucks as part of its primary activities.

• Upstream issues. Conditions, such as food insecurity, that exist prior to and contribute to a person’s undesirable medical, social, financial, or legal circumstance.
• Urban. Development patterns characterized by higher density residential and/or nonresidential development served by frequent transit service and public infrastructure.
• Utility hardware. Devices such as poles, crossarms, transformers, and vaults, gas pressure regulating assemblies, hydrants, and buffalo boxes that are used for water, gas, oil, sewer, and electrical services to a building or a project.

Vacancy rate. The percentage of unoccupied housing units in a jurisdiction. Vacancy rates usually differ according to tenure and housing type.
Value. A shared asset, principle, standard, social more, and in the judgment of the community, what is important in the lives of its residents and businesses.
Vulnerable population or community. Populations or communities that experience heightened risk and increased sensitivity to natural disasters, emergencies, or severe weather events or conditions; and have less capacity and fewer resources to cope with, adapt to, or recover from such events or conditions.

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• Zoning. The division of a jurisdiction by legislative regulations into areas (aka land use zoning districts), which specify allowable uses for real property and size restrictions for buildings within these areas; a program that implements policies and the land use designations of the General Plan.