Affordable Housing
Housing that can be rented or purchased by a household with very low, low, or
moderate income for less than 30 percent of that household’s gross monthly income.
Alternatives or Build Alternatives
The EIS will evaluate a No Action Alternative, various Build Alternatives, and any
additional alternatives generated by the scoping process. Scoping will be accomplished
through meetings and correspondence with interested persons, organizations, and
Federal, state, regional, and local agencies.
Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (or "AWI")
Multi-agency program initiated during the administration of Mayor Anthony Williams
aimed at improving environmental quality, creating new parks and trails, establishing
new communities, and rebuilding infrastructure along both sides of the Anacostia River.
Commemorative Works
A monument, marker, plaque, statue, or other object erected in a public space that
commemorates a person, event, group or significant element of culture or history.
Comment
Written or public hearing statements which provide substantive critiques from all
participants in the study and all affected parties. The intent is to assess the adequacy
of the data, alternatives, and analyses, not to have an opinion poll.
Comprehensive Plan or "Comp Plan"
A long-range (20-25 year) plan containing maps and policies to guide the future
physical development of a city or county.
Daylighting of Stickfoot Creek
The process of taking a creek or stream that has been diverted into a buried storm
drain and restoring it as an open, above-ground waterway.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (or "Draft EIS" or "DEIS")
A preliminary document including description of the proposed action, its alternatives,
(one of which is the "no action alternative"), baseline (existing environmental
conditions), and comparative estimates of the major expected environmental impacts
over the life of the project.
Density
This term refers to the intensity of land use – typically expressed in terms of total
square footage of buildings divided by the square footage of land area.
Environmental Impact Statement(or "EIS")
A federally mandated document, prepared pursuant to the National Environmental
Protection Act (NEPA), that provides decision makers and the public with information
about the impacts of a proposed project on the environment, ways these effects may
be minimized, and alternatives to the proposed project.
Environmental Justice
The right to a safe, healthy, productive, and sustainable environment for all, where
"environment" is considered in its totality to include the ecological (biological), physical
(natural and built), social, political, aesthetic, and economic environments.
Final Environmental Impact Statement (or "Final EIS" or "FEIS")
The DEIS, plus responses to all substantive issues raised in the comment period,
including additional studies undertaken. In the FEIS, the lead agency identifies its
preferred alternative, if this had not been in the DEIS.
Green Building
The practice of designing and constructing buildings to increase the efficiency with
which they use energy, water, and raw materials, in order to reduce impacts on
human health and the environment.
Infrastructure
Refers to the following types of facilities needed for the functioning of the city: water,
wastewater, drainage, solid waste, telecommunication facilities, transportation
facilities and other important installations.
Mix of Uses
A larger development project in which various uses, such as office, retail, residential,
entertainment, and cultural are a component of the entire project.
NEPA or NEPA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (or, “NEPA”) specifies when an
environmental impact statement (EIS) must be prepared. NEPA regulations require,
among other things, federal agencies to include discussion of a proposed action and
the range of reasonable alternatives in an EIS. Sufficient information must be
included in the EIS for reviewers to evaluate the relative merits of each alternative.
Notice of Intent(or "NOI")
Public notification that an EIS is being prepared for a specific project and who to
contact for further information and participation.
Public Scoping
EPA regulations define scoping as "an early and open process for determining the
scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues related to
the proposed action." Public scoping serves to include agencies, stakeholders, and
interested public in the decision-making process
and to allow full environmental disclosure.
Record of Decision(or "ROD")
The formal public decision of the lead agency accompanied by a brief justification
based on agency law, available resources, and the information generated in the EIA
process.
Scoping
Initial meeting of stakeholders and decision makers to determine: jurisdictions; what
existing data is available; what studies need to be done; and what impacts need to be
analyzed.
Section 106 Review
Review process designed to ensure that impacts on historic properties are
considered and mitigated during federal project planning and execution.
Small Area Plan
Community-driven planning tool used in the District of Columbia to outline policies,
actions, and recommendations for small geographic areas in the city.
Sustainability or sustainable design
The practice of designing buildings, landscapes, infrastructure, and communities in a
way that reduces impacts on the environment.
Zoning
A set of locally-adopted regulations which set the standards for development in each
district.