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Planning
Glossary
(Note: These definitions differ and are apart from terms definied with in the Trinidad Municipal Code. Rather, the following are generic descriptions to provide you a general idea of commonly-used language when beginining a Planning-related project. Return to the Planning & Zoning Page |
| Comprehensive Plan The long-range plan intended to
guide the growth & development of Trinidad. It is created by
community input and professional planning analysis to determine goals
and objectives which are developed to guide the community. The Plan
studies constraints and opportunities in relation to environmental
factors, land use, recreation, economic development, etc. A
Comprehensive Plan should be updated every five years or so to capture
the latest community sentiments and to uphold the directions prescribed
in previous Comprehensive Plans. Adoption of a Comprehensive Plan
can lead to policy and Municpal Code changes in order to meet the
objectives of this Plan. Click here
for Trinidad's Comprehensive Plan. In the summer of 2007,
development of a new Comprehensive Plan will begin.
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| Conditional Use /
Special Use A proposed use for property
that is not among the list of uses by right within a particular zone
district, but is among the list of conditional
uses. These uses, if approved by the Planning Commission, do not
"run with the land" as uses by right do. Rather, a Conditional
Use Permit / Special Use Permit (CUP / SUP) expires when the use
ceases, ownership changes, or when the terms of the permit are no
longer valid. Conditional uses are differentiated by uses by
right because they are determined to potentially
have a greater impact on the surrounding area if not mitiigated through
a permit process.
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| Easement An easement gives the right of a person, government agency, or public utility company to use public or private land--owned by another--for a specific purpose. An easement is established through plating or in the form of another recorded document. |
| Grandfathered
(Non-Conforming)
Status The technical name for grandfathered is legal non-conformance. A property has legal non-conformance when its structures or uses were allowed at one time, but the rules and regulations in that zoning district have changed to a degree that the dimensions of the structure in relation to the lot, the lot dimensions itself, or the property's use would no longer be permitted if the property were to be developed in the present day. (If the property was developed or used in such a way that was never permitted by past rules and regulations, it is not grandfathered. In fact, it has "illegal non-conformance".) A property or use upon the property does not have legal non-conformance indefinitely. There are certain events that can cause a site to lose its non-conforming status, such as a certain degree of destruction, abandonment, or expansion. The purpose of this is to accomodate the property owner while eventually achieving the intent of the new rules and regulations of the respective zoning district. Refer to Chapter 14 Section 14-104 of the Trinidad Municipal Code for the specifics. |
| Planned Unit
Development (PUD) A zone district established especially and uniquely for a particular development. It allows for a mix of uses, densities, and lot dimensions that would otherwise be prohibited or would otherwise be too cumbersome if the rigidity of the rules and regulations of a standard zone district were followed. |
| Rebuild Letter Some mortgage companies & insurance agencies require a rebuild letter. This is a letter provided by the City stating that the property can be reconstructed in the event of destruction or disrepair. However, if the property has non-conforming status,and is no longer in compliance with the current rules and regulations of the Zoning Code, another step is involved before the City can issue this letter. If the property has legal non-conforming status, a rebuild letter can only be issued once the non-conforming issues are addressed, and if approved, through a variance (or rezone) process. |
| Right-of-Way (ROW) A publically dedicated area of land over which people and goods have the right to pass or travel. Rights-of-way are the areas within subidvisions that guaruantee access to tracts within and adjacent to an area. In some cases, a right-of-way might have been platted but not developed. Therefore, even though there may not be any physical improvment denoting the right-of-way, it is still an area that can be developed for roadway, or planned for other infrastructure in the future. Often public right-of-way includes the roadway, on-street parking strips, landscaping strips, and sidewalks. A private property boundary is determined from the edge of the right-of-way, not the roadway, as the right-of-way is likely wider than the roadway itself. |
| Setbacks The distance that a structure is set back from the property boundary. Different zone districts have different setback requirements; and this is largely to ensure that structures will have fire protection, access to light and air, and the ability to be maintained and repaired without encroaching onto another's property. Also, uniformity and compatability within a neighborhood is achieved by following the setback requirements. |
| Site Plan A detailed plan, to scale, depicting how a site will be devoloped. It shows existing and proposed conditions. It typically includes illustrations and drawings of such site feaures, including building elevations, building locations, parking and refuse areas, and landscaping. Often a site plan is looked at to determine where structures sit in relationship to each other and the property lines. |
| Subdivision / Plat A subdivision is required when a tract of land is planned to be divided into smaller parcels or lots for the purposes of development or sale. This is to ensure that each parcel of land to be developed has sufficient size, shape, utilities, and access to function for its intended purpose (Malcom M. Murray, Esq. Colorado Land Planning and Deveopment Law, Sixth Edition). A plat is a document, that once approved and recorded, provides the legal verification of such a subdivison and serves as the map of the subdivision. A plat replaces a "meets & bounds" description of a piece of property. |
| Vacate The process in which public right-of-way is abandoned and conveyed to private property owners. A vacate goes through City Council consideration, and if approved, is done by City ordinance. The City must first determine whether a vacate request would result in denying an adjacent property owner sufficient access to his or her property, or if the subject right of way has a future use for roadway, or other infrastructure expansion. |
| Variance A variance is an exception to the rules and regulations of the Zoning Code when specific and special circumstances unique to the property, necessitate the need to examine the property differently in how it relates to the rules and regulations of the Zoning Code. There might be a request for a variance in height, setbacks, roof pitch, lot-size, etc. Variances are a quasi-judicial issue considered by the Planning Commission. There cannot be a variance for use. A change in use is requested by applying for a zone change, which is considered by the City Council. |
| Zone Different areas within the City that are desgnated for particular types of use, such as residential, commercial, or industrial. The area's desgnation, or "zoning," determines what can be built there, the allowed density, the size of buildings, the allowed uses, etc. Each zone district has a list of rules and regulations that prescribe uses by right, conditional uses, and area regulations designating the setbacks, lot dimensions, etc. "Re-zoning" means to change the zoning to allow a different type of use than was previoulsy designated for a given area. A zone change "runs with the land", as is adopted into law by City ordinance upon City Council approval. The designation only goes away if another re-zone is approved, or if the original zoning is found to be invalid. |
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Need
Another Definition?
Return to the Planning
& Zoning Page, visit the Zoning Code, or contact the Planning Department !
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