Glossary of Planning Terms

Glossary is usually defined as an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. This knowledge base glossary provides a collection of knowledge base documents that define many technical terms. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to a specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the knowledge base glossary below.

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Keyword

Term
Major Community Activity Center (As Defined In Master Plans)
A commercial center containing 20-50 acres of commercial development on a site area of 30-60 acres, serving a population of at least 150,000. A major community activity center typically includes uses listed under community activity center plus one or more general merchandise anchor stores. Can also be defined as a community focal point providing for a concentration of activities such as general retail, service commercial, professional office, higher-density housing, and appropriate public and open space uses easily accessible by pedestrians. (See also ACTIVITY CENTER.) See also:  Activity Center
Mandatory (Land) Dedication
Land excluded from subdivision approved for residential development. The land is dedicated to M-NCPPC (or held in private ownership) for the purpose of providing suitable and adequate open space, light, and air to serve the recreational needs of the future occupants of the subdivision.
Map Extent
1. The rectangular limits (xmin,ymin and xmax,ymax) of the area of the Earth's surface displayed using ArcInfo. Map extent is specified in the coordinate system of the coverage or other geographic data set used. Typically, the extent of the geographic database (or a portion of it defined by a zoomed-in view) defines the map extent for display. 2. The geographic extent of a geographic data set specified by the minimum bounding rectangle (i.e., xmin,ymin and xmax,ymax).
Map Library
An organized, uniformly defined collection of spatial data partitioned by layers and tiles into component parts called map sections. A map library organizes geographic data spatially as a set of tiles and thematically as a set of layers. The data in a map library are indexed by location for optimal spatial access. A map library organizes coverages spatially by tiles and thematically by layer.
Master Plan
A document that guides the way an area should be developed. It includes a compilation of policy statements, goals, standards, maps and pertinent data relative to the past, present, and future trends of a particular area of the County including, but not limited to, its population, housing, economics, social patterns, land use, water resources and their use, transportation facilities, and public facilities. In Prince George's County, master plans amend the county's General Plan.
Master Plan Of Transportation (Mpot)
A countywide functional, comprehensive plan of street, road, and highway; transit; and trail, bike and pedestrian facilities needed to ensure the operational integrity of the county transportation system and to complement the development and growth envisioned and recommended in the General Plan, and adopted and approved area plans, in Prince George's County.
Metropolitan Centers
Areas of the county with a high concentration of land uses (such as government service or major employment, major educational complexes, high-intensity commercial uses) that attract employers and customers from other parts of the metropolitan Washington region. Metropolitan centers are, or may be, cost-effectively served by mass transt. (see also COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL CENTERS.) See also:  Community (as Defined in Some Master Plans) , Regional Centers
Mixed-Use Zoning
Zoning that permits a combination of uses within a single development. Many zoning districts specify permitted combinations of, for example, residential and office/commercial uses. The term has also been applied to major developments, often with several high-rise buildings, that may contain offices, shops, hotels, apartments and related uses.
Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (Mpdu)
A dwelling unit that is constructed, sold, or rented pursuant to Subtitle 13, Division 8 of the Prince George's County Code.