Level 6: Planning and Zoning

Question 1

Planning Department biggest job is creating a ?

Answer 1

master plan

Question 2

Master Plans

Answer 2

balances the area’s social and economic needs against its environmental and aesthetic ones, zoning regulations are based off of the priorities set forth in the plan

Question 3

Master Planning Timeline Visual Aid

Question 4

How are the priorities in the master plan carried out?

Answer 4

by creating zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations

Question 5

Making a Zoning Map

Answer 5

involves carving up the whole town into pieces, and assigning each piece a zone

Question 6

Outlining the Permitted Uses

Answer 6

rules are created for what is allowed (and not allowed) in each zone

Question 7

Zoning Regulations

Answer 7

zoning rules are created by local governments by passing laws

Question 8

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB)

Answer 8

branch of local government that interpret the zoning regulations

Question 9

Zoning Density

Answer 9

the measure of the proportion of a given area used for residential purposes

Question 10

Upzoning

Answer 10

changing an area’s zoning to allow for more density

Question 11

Downzoning

Answer 11

changing an area’s zoning to restrict the density

Question 12

Zoning Fairness Test

Answer 12

inconsistent zoning (or inconsistent application of zoning regulations) can lead to discriminatory or unfair housing situations

Question 13

Zoning Classifications: Residential

Answer 13

zones where people live

Question 14

Zoning Classifications: Commercial

Answer 14

zone for commerce ex. - stores, shops, galleries. etc

Question 15

Zoning Classifications: Industrial

Answer 15

zone for manufacturing, including warehouses for storing manufactured goods

Question 16

Zoning Classifications: Agricultural

Answer 16

zone for farmland for raising crops and animals

Question 17

Zoning Classifications: Institutional

Answer 17

zone for schools, hospitals, courthouses, and prisons

Question 18

Zoning Classifications: Open Space

Answer 18

zone for forests, parks, and shorelines can be open space, but can also be recreational

Question 19

Zoning Classifications: Conservation Land

Answer 19

zone for special use rules because it is a wetland, coastal area, on a water recharge zone, or is home to protected wildlife

Question 20

Zoning Classifications: Recreational

Answer 20

zone for community recreational uses, ex - city beach, public forest, biking, or hiking trail area

Question 21

Zoning: As-of Right Zoning

Answer 21

development that doesn’t require approval from a community board, planning commission, or zoning hearing board because it falls within the zoning standards for the area

Question 22

Zoning: Incentive Zoning

Answer 22

zoning ordinances are relaxed (usually adding more density than would normally be allowed, which is called a density bonus) because a developer is building something deemed in the public interest

Question 23

Zoning: Inclusionary Zoning

Answer 23

incentive zoning that offers density bonuses to developers for including affordable housing, senior housing, or multi-unit housing in a development

Question 24

Zoning: Cluster Zoning

Answer 24

create one collection of dense housing and a lot of green space on a parcel, instead of equally spaced single-family homes

Question 25

Zoning: Floating Zones

Answer 25

flexible zone that is used to encourage a certain, desirable kind of development

Question 26

Zoning: Aesthetic Zoning & Historic Districts

Answer 26

require that new buildings conform to specific types of architecture or appearance

Question 27

Zoning: Buffer Zones

Answer 27

separate two different zones ex. - space between industrial & residential areas

Question 28

Zoning Cluster Zoning Visual Aid

Question 29

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB): Variances

Answer 29

permission granted by the government so that property may be used in a manner not allowed by the current zoning

Question 30

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) Variances: Use Variance

Answer 30

variance that permits a use of land which is prohibited by the zoning regulations, deals with types of use

Question 31

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) Variances: Area Variance

Answer 31

variance that permits the use of land in a manner which is not allowed by the dimensional or physical requirements of the applicable zoning regulations, deals with the physical land

Question 32

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) Variances: Special Exception

Answer 32

allows specific kinds of uses in a zone that aren’t the main use of that zone, as long as the property owner meets certain requirements ex. - a church in a residentially zoned area

Question 33

Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) Variances Visual Aid

Question 34

Nonconforming Use

Answer 34

a property was operating within zoning law, but then the law changed in a way that prohibits the established use, allowed to continue but cannot expand

Question 35

Nonconforming Structures

Answer 35

structures that no longer meet zoning requirements

Question 36

Nonconforming Lots

Answer 36

lots that no longer meet zoning requirements

Question 37

Grandfathered

Answer 37

existing structures are not required to change to meet new zoning regulations

Question 38

Spot Zoning

Answer 38

rezoning a small parcel of land for a use classification totally different from that of the surrounding area for the benefit of the owner of that property and to the detriment of other property owners

Question 39

Certificate of Occupancy

Answer 39

issued if everything is deemed up to code

Question 40

Building Inspectors

Answer 40

do regular checks on buildings to ensure they are compliant with building, fire, and safety codes

Question 41

Zoning Officers

Answer 41

have the ability to administer zoning ordinances in “literal terms,” but not to make interpretations of the laws or grant variances

Question 42

Court System

Answer 42

final enforcement of building code and zoning regulations

Question 43

Sprawl

Answer 43

ow-density, monofunctional, car-dependent communities, also called suburbanization