The following acronyms and terms are defined for the purpose of understanding the Comprehensive
Plan and providing readers and users alike with a shared understanding of the goals and policies. The
Glossary is still in development and the terms listed, as well as how they are defined, will continue to
be updated and refined with future releases of the Comprehensive Plan.
If there are any acronyms or words you wish to be included for future releases of the plan or
definitions you would like to provide feedback on, please reach out to
planspokane@spokanecity.org to let us know.
ACRONYMS
AASHTO: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act
ADU: Accessory Dwelling Unit
AMI: Area Median Income
BRT: Bus Rapid Transit
CFP: Capital Facilities Plan
CIP: Capital Improvement Program
CPPs: Countywide Planning Policies
CRSB: Climate Risk and Sustainability Board
CRVA: Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
EIS: Environmental Impact Statement
GHG: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
GMA: Growth Management Act
HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development
HSS: Highways of Statewide Significance
LOS: Level of Service
MUTCD: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
NACTO: National Association of City Transportation Officials
NSC: North Spokane Corridor
RCW: Revised Code of Washington
ROW: Right-of-Way
SAWTP: Spokane Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant
SCAPCA: Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority
SCRAA: Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency
SEPA: State Environmental Policy Act
SIP: State Implementation Plan
SMA: Shoreline Management Act
SMP: Shoreline Master Program
SRTC: Spokane Regional Transportation Council
TDM: Transportation Demand Management
TIF: Tax Increment Financing
TOD: Transit-Oriented Development
UGA: Urban Growth Area
VMT: Vehicle Miles Traveled
WAC: Washington Administrative Code
WUI: Wildland Urban Interface
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DEFINITIONS
A
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
A separate additional living unit, including separate kitchen, sleeping, and bathroom facilities,
attached or detached from the primary residential structure(s) on a residential lot. Also known
as mother-in-law apartments, accessory apartments, or granny flats.
Active Transportation
Forms of people-oriented mobility including walking, biking, and rolling.
Activity-Oriented Design
Design providing a built environment that supports people who walk, roll, and bike, while also
encouraging the active use of the area. When applied to structures, buildings, and public
spaces, activity-oriented design encourages community interaction and socialization,
commercial uses, housing, and well-being. Examples of activity-oriented design include
people-scaled signage and lighting, amenities like bicycle racks and public plazas, and
buildings, rather than parking lots, directly accessible from public sidewalks.
Adequate Public Facilities
Facilities that have the capacity to serve development without decreasing levels of service
below locally established minimums.
Affordable Housing
Housing in which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of their gross income for
housing costs, including utilities.
Aquifer
Any geological formation containing water, especially one which supplies the water for wells,
springs, etc. Within the Comprehensive Plan, this refers to the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum
Prairie Aquifer.
Area Median Income (AMI)
The annual median household income in Spokane County, as published by the US Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and adjusted for household size. Percentages of
this amount are used to identify different household income and housing affordability
metrics.
Area of Drainage Concern
Areas with an increased likelihood of harmful impacts resulting from stormwater events due
to their geographic location. These impacts include higher risks of flooding, direct drainage to
waterways, and capacity limitations in the combined sewer overflow system.
Arterial
A street that provides for mobility within a community by collecting and routing traffic to and
from traffic generators. A secondary function of an arterial is to provide for some access to
adjacent land.
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Attainable Housing
Describes housing types that are affordable to households at specific income levels. Different
types of housing may be attainable at different income levels.
Available Public Facilities
Facilities or services necessary to support development that must be in place or that a financial
commitment to provide the facilities or services is in place at the time of development
approval so that public facilities and services are available within six years from the time of
development approval.
B
Benchmark
A point of reference or standard that is used to monitor progress toward a desired goal or
outcome.
Bicycle Lane
A portion of a roadway that has been designated by striping, signing, and pavement markings
for the preferential and/or exclusive use of bicycles.
Bicycle Path
A bikeway physically separated from motorized traffic by an open space or barrier. Bicycle
paths are entirely separated from the roadway but may be within the roadway right-of-way or
within an independent right-of-way. Also known as a protected bike lane or cycletrack.
Bicycle Route
A marked or signed route that is intended to provide a route for bicyclists. Marked or signed
bicycle routes occur generally along streets that have been developed with bicycle lanes and
have frequently been developed to enable bicyclists to avoid fixed obstacles to bicycling.
Bikeway
Any road or path that in some manner is specifically designated as being open to bicycle travel,
regardless of whether such facilities are designated for the exclusive use of bicyclists or are to
be shared with other vehicles.
Boulevard
Within the context of the transportation element of the comprehensive plan, the word
“boulevard” has a special meaning: the transportation element applies the “boulevard”
designation to arterials that are enhanced with special aesthetic qualities, serve as primary
transportation routes between key locations, and are intended to be multimodal, with transit,
bicycle, and people-oriented facilities. (Not all streets thought of as boulevards in the popular
sense are designated as “boulevards” in the transportation element.)
Brownfield
Abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial land where expansion or
redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
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Buffer
A designated area of land intended to eliminate or minimize conflicts between adjacent land
uses such as open space or landscaping between uses or the use of transitional land uses
between uses of differing intensity.
Built Environment
The parts of the physical environment that have been made or modified by humans including
structures, landscaping, and infrastructure.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
A public transportation system that provides faster and more reliable transit service than
traditional buses. It includes distinct stations with enhanced passenger amenities, real-time
bus arrival information, and raised platforms to make getting on and off the bus faster and
easier.
C
Capital Facility
Public lands, improvements, and equipment necessary to provide public services and allow
for the delivery of utility services such as streets, roads, highways, sidewalks, street and road
lighting, traffic signals, domestic water systems, storm and sanitary sewer systems, parks, fire
and police facilities, recreational facilities, and schools.
Capital Facilities Plan (CFP)
A plan outlining an inventory of existing public capital facilities and utilities, setting level of
service standards, and identifying the future capital facilities needed to serve the growing city
over the 20-year planning horizon.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
A document outlining planned capital facilities projects and identified funding sources over a
six-year time period. The CIP is updated and adopted by the City Council annually.
Climate
The usual weather of a place over a longer period – the typical seasons, yearly highs and lows
of temperatures, average rainfall, etc. Weather is the changes we see and feel outside from
day to day.
Climate Hazard
Natural or human-driven events or trends including wildfire, drought, flood, and extreme
weather, that have the potential to impact human health as well as damage infrastructure and
natural ecosystems.
Climate Impacts
Effects on natural and human systems that result from climate hazards.
Clustering
A development design technique that concentrates buildings on a portion of a site to allow
the remaining land to be set aside from development. Clustering can be used to reduce
infrastructure needs for development, maximize open space, and protect critical areas.
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Commercial
Businesses that sell goods or services to the public, ranging from small shops and restaurants
to big-box retail, grocery stores, and auto-oriented services like gas stations.
Community Assembly
A coalition of representatives from the Neighborhood Councils serving as a forum for
discussion of issues of broad interest.
Commute Trip Reduction Program
State law requiring employers of 100 or more people to reduce the number of single
occupancy vehicle trips to their work site.
Complete Street
A design approach that ensures streets are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all users
regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation.
Comprehensive Plan
A community’s long-term plan for growth over the next 20 years. The Comprehensive Plan is
a guiding framework to ensure the community’s collective vision for the future is achieved by
guiding future growth and City actions and investments to make that vision a reality.
Concurrency
Requirement that adequate public facilities and services are available when the service
demands of development occur.
Corridor
Both a land use planning tool identifying connections between Urban Hubs along which a mix
of uses is encouraged to establish a network of access to daily needs throughout the city as
well as a transportation concept highlighting major transportation routes.
Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs)
Policies developed by the Spokane County Steering Committee of Elected Officials to guide
the development of Spokane County jurisdictions’ Comprehensive Plans.
Critical Areas
Areas required to be protected under the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A) including
wetlands, areas with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water, fish and
wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous
areas (such as landslide areas, earthquake fault zones, and steep slopes).
Cumulative Impacts
The combined, incremental effects of human activity on ecological or critical area functions
and values. Cumulative impacts result when the effects of an action are added to or interact
with other effects in a particular place and within a particular time. It is the combination of
these effects, and any resulting environmental degradation, that should be the focus of
cumulative impact analysis and changes to policies and permitting decisions.
Cycletrack
A separate path for bicycles that is Physically separated from vehicles designed to protect
cyclists from traffic. Can be one-way or two-way.
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D
Density
For population, density is the number of people per acre or square mile. For residential
development, it is the number of housing units per acre of land.
Design Standard
The standard(s) for new development regarding visual elements such as building height,
windows, articulation, location of entrances, lighting, etc.
Development Standard
The minimum standard(s) for new development regarding the physical layout of a site and
other overarching standards such as the provision of fire and building access, utilities, open
space, impervious surfaces, setbacks, landscaping, etc.
Disability
A physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits
a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities
or interactions.
Disinvestment
A process by which an area or community is not prioritized for investment, or by which a
system, policy, or action disincentivizes investment, leading to a lack of investments in
maintenance, amenities, and services over time.
Displacement
The process by which a household or business is forced to move from its community because
of conditions beyond their control. Displacement can be physical (directly forced to move for
reasons such as eviction, foreclosure, natural disaster or deterioration in housing quality),
economic (compelled to move by rising rents or costs of ownership like property taxes), or
cultural (compelled to move because the people and institutions that make up their cultural
community have left the area).
Displacement Risk
The likelihood that a household, business, or organization will be displaced from its
community.
Downtown
Spokane’s primary activity center with abundant employment, housing, retail, commercial,
arts, culture, and entertainment, drawing both daily regional visitors and tourists from around
the world.
E
Ecologic Function or Shoreline Ecological Function
The work performed or role played by the physical, chemical, and biological processes that
contribute to the maintenance of the aquatic and terrestrial environments that constitute the
shoreline’s natural ecosystem. See WAC 173-26-200(2)(c). Functions include but are not
limited to habitat diversity, food chain support, and water quality protection and
enhancement for fish and wildlife; flood storage, conveyance and attenuation; ground water
recharge and discharge; erosion control; wave attenuation; protection from hazards;
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historical, archaeological, and aesthetic value protection; educational opportunities; and
recreation. These beneficial roles are not listed in order of priority. Also referred to as
functions or functions and values.
Ecosystem
The interaction of a community of living organisms and the physical environment in a defined
geographic area.
Ecosystem-Wide Processes
The suite of naturally occurring physical and geologic processes of erosion, transport, and
deposition; and specific chemical processes that shape landforms within a specific shore-line
ecosystem and determine both the types of habitat and the associated ecological functions.
Emergency Housing (EH)
Temporary indoor accommodations for individuals or families who are homeless or at
imminent risk of becoming homeless that is intended to address the basic health, food,
clothing, and personal hygiene needs of individuals or families. Emergency housing may or
may not require occupants to enter into a lease or an occupancy agreement. RCW
36.70A.030(14)
Emergency Shelter (ES)
A facility that provides a temporary shelter for individuals or families who are currently
homeless. Emergency shelter may not require occupants to enter into a lease or an occupancy
agreement. Emergency shelter facilities may include day and warming centers that do not
provide overnight accommodations. RCW 36.70A.030(15)
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
A detailed assessment of potential environmental effects of a proposed development or
regulatory change, exploring potential adverse impacts, reasonable alternatives, and possible
mitigation strategies.
Environmental Justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national
origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, rules, and policies. Environmental justice includes addressing
disproportionate environmental health impacts in all laws, rules, and policies with
environmental impacts by prioritizing vulnerable populations and overburdened
communities, the equitable distribution of resources and benefits, and eliminating harm.
Equitable Distribution
The equitable allocation of funding and projected population as well as the siting of essential
public facilities and affordable housing throughout the community to ensure fair distribution
of resources that benefit all, including efforts made to address historic disinvestment.
Equity
The fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people.
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Essential Public Facility
Facilities that are typically difficult to site, such as airports, colleges and universities,
correctional facilities, solid waste stations, major highways or freeways, and inpatient facilities,
including substance abuse treatment facilities, mental health facilities, and group homes.
Exclusion (in housing)
The act or effect of shutting or keeping certain populations out of housing within a specified
area, in a manner that may be intentional or unintentional, but which leads to non-inclusive
impacts.
F
Fair Housing
The prohibition of discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other
housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status
(including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant
women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and disability.
Floodplain
Land susceptible to flooding, having a 1% chance of flooding each year. Also known as a 100year flood plain.
Future Land Use Map (FLUM)
The map identifying where each Land Use Designation, such as Open Space, Residential Low,
Mixed Use, Commercial, or Industrial, is appropriate and guiding the development of land over
the course of the Comprehensive Plan. See Map GS-1.
G
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
Gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and certain
synthetic chemicals, that trap Earth’s outgoing energy, retaining heat that contributes to
adverse climate impacts.
Greenway (Bicycle)
A comfortable route for bicycles that runs through a local street network. Prioritizing slower
speeds, traffic calming measures, and pedestrian safety.
Growth Management Act (GMA)
A series of laws passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1990-91 that require cities and
counties to plan for and manage growth and development (RCW 36.70A).
Growth Strategy
The City’s coordinated approach to growth over the next 20 years, representing the
community’s vision for the future.
H
Habitat (Natural Habitat)
The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows.
High-Performance Transit
Public transportation designed to move large volumes of people quickly and efficiently such
as a bus stop or route with frequent service.
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Historic Preservation
The identification, documentation, protection and/or rehabilitation of important historic and
cultural aspects of the built environment that have local, regional, statewide, or national
historic significance.
Hostile Architecture
The use of elements of the built environment to guide or restrict certain behaviors in public
spaces, rather than to provide a public benefit.
Household
A household may be a single person, family, or unrelated persons living together, consistent
with RCW 84.14.010.
Household Income
The total of all the incomes of all the people living in a household.
Extremely Low-Income
Household making less than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI)
Very Low-Income
Household making 30-50% AMI.
Low-Income
Household making 50-80% AMI.
Moderate-Income
Household making 80-120% AMI.
High-Income
Household Making over 120% AMI.
I
Impervious Surface
A surface that water cannot penetrate or pass such as roofs, sidewalks, and paved driveways.
Impact Fees
A charge or fee assessed by the city which mitigates all or portions of impacts, that occur as a
direct result of new development, such as impacts to traffic.
Incentives
A monetary or regulatory benefits intended to encourage a specific action.
Infill Development
Development of vacant or underutilized land within an already built out area.
Infrastructure
The physical structures and facilities needed for the operations of life in an urban area,
including streets, utility lines, buildings, and other public services and facilities that are
constructed, operated, and maintained to support a livable city.
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Intensity (of Development)
Development intensity refers to the mass, form, and function of development, describing the
scale of development in terms of visual and physical impact rather than a specific number of
housing units per acre (density), allowing for the comparison of uses that may or may not
include housing and ensuring compatibility of development.
Interlocal Agreement
An agreement between jurisdictions and/or service providers that defines the duties and
relationships of the member entities.
L
Land Use
An activity or development pattern upon a specific parcel of land or general area of the city.
Land Use Designation
A general classification of the appropriate land uses within a given area that is general in scope
and future focused. All Land Use Designations and where they are applied can be found in the
Growth Strategy.
Latecomer Agreements
Agreements that allow a property owner who has installed street or utility improvements to
recover a portion of the costs of those improvements from other property owners who later
develop property in the vicinity and use the improvements.
Level of Service (LOS)
The minimum quality and quantity of public facilities and services that are provided to the
community, factors that significantly contribute to the community’s quality of life. These range
from specific minimum metrics for capital facilities that are necessary for development to
general goals for providing quality services to residents.
Livability
Livability in the Comprehensive Plan encompasses the positive attributes that make places
feasible and enjoyable to live, work, and visit. The values that support livability include but are
not limited to:
• Equity
• Diversity (both physical and social)
• Accessibility (physical, cognitive, and financial)
• Attainability
• Walkability and Transit Access
• Environmental Sustainability
• Integration Between Different Uses
• Greenery and Canopy Coverage
• Connected Community
Living Wage
Adequate income and assets to support their and their family’s wellbeing, including food,
mortgage or rent, utilities, transportation, clothing and household expenses, childcare, health
care, personal expenses, and savings.
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Live-Work Space
A space that combines a residential unit with areas for a craft or occupation such as
workshops, storefronts, or small offices.
Local Hub
An Urban Hub intended to primarily serve the residents of the surrounding neighborhood
who can easily access the Urban Hub without using a vehicle.
Low-Income Housing
Housing that is affordable to households making less than 80% of the area median income
(AMI).
M
Major Facilities
Larger public or private facilities that provide services on a city, county, regional, or statewide
level including hospitals, large medical centers, universities, public maintenance facilities,
larger nursing homes, or correctional facilities.
Maker Spaces
Communal and collaborative workspaces in which makers and creatives work on small or
personal projects. Makers spaces can include areas for painting, welding and soldering,
woodworking, 3D printing and coding, and sewing, among other crafts.
Manufactured Home
Housing developed after June 15, 1976, built in accordance with the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety
Standards Act, which is a national, preemptive building code.
Mass Transit
Any type of transportation service for the general public, such as bus, mini-bus, or light rail.
Micromobility
A wide range of small low speed human-powered or electric vehicles such as bicycles or
scooters. They may be privately owned or part of a shared-use rental program.
Middle Housing
Residential buildings that are compatible in scale and form with single-unit housing and
contain two or more attached, stacked, or clustered homes such as duplexes, triplexes,
fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and
cottage housing.
Mitigation
Ways to alleviate or reduce negative impacts including the impact of development on the
environment or the impact of climate hazards on residents and the built environment.
Mixed-Use
The allowance of more than one use in a designated area or on a specific parcel including uses
such as offices, housing, retail, or commercial. This is a general term and differs from the
Mixed Use Land Use Designation on the Future Land Use Map, which is described with the
other Designations in the Growth Strategy.
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Mobile Home
Prefabricated home built before June 15, 1976.
Mobility Hub
A place where people can seamlessly connect with multiple modes of transportation in a safe,
comfortable, and accessible environment. They provide physical integration among modes by
co-locating carsharing, bike sharing, and other shared mobility services at/near public transit
Movement Corridors
Strips of undeveloped, naturally vegetated, or managed land that physically connect larger
areas of habitat, allowing animals to move safely through fragmented landscapes.
Multimodal
A transportation system supportive of all transportation modes including public
transportation, rail and waterways, bicycles, walking, use of mobility aids, or driving.
Multimodal access supports the needs of all users whether they choose to walk, bike, roll, use
transit, or drive. It means more connections and more choices.
Multi-Unit Housing
Residential developments with multiple housing units on a single lot that are larger in scale
and form than single-unit housing including apartments and condominiums.
N
Natural Environment
The physical world that includes air, water, plants, animals, and natural resources.
Natural Infrastructure
Naturally occurring or human designed systems that use, restore, or mimic ecological
processes to provide infrastructure benefits. This includes vegetation, soils, water, and other
natural features that are preserved, restored, enhanced, or engineered to manage water,
lessen extreme heat, and improve environmental resilience.
Neighborhood
A smaller geographic area within a larger urban area around one’s home where residents
interact with each other and share a sense of place and community. Neighborhoods are often
comprised of similar characteristics and development patterns and may be distinct from each
other.
Neighborhood Councils
Independent organizations made up of residents who live within a certain boundary that meet
to maintain and improve the quality of life in Spokane, increase resident participation in local
decision-making, and form an effective partnership between the City and neighborhood
residents.
Neighborhood Facilities
Capital facilities within a neighborhood that provide public access, services, or gathering
spaces including schools, libraries, community centers, and parks.
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No Net Loss of Ecological Functions
Maintenance of the aggregate total of the city’ shoreline ecological functions, including
processes. (See definition of ecologic function.) The no net loss standard requires that the
impacts of shoreline development and/or use, whether permitted or exempt, be identified
and mitigated such that there are no resulting significant adverse impacts on shoreline
ecological functions. Each project shall be evaluated based on its ability to meet the no net
loss goal commensurate with the scale and character of the proposed development.
Nonconforming Use
A use that was legally established that is now prohibited due to a subsequent change in the
zone or zoning regulations.
Non-Water Oriented Use
A use that is not water-dependent, is not water-related, and is not water-enjoyment. Nonwater oriented uses have little or no relationship to the shoreline and are not considered
priority uses under the Shoreline Management Act. Any use that does not meet the definition
of water-dependent, water-related or water-enjoyment is classified as non-water oriented.
O
Open Space
Undeveloped land, such as parks, recreational areas, natural areas, buffer areas, and other
similar features.
Overburdened Communities
A geographic area where populations face multiple environmental and health impacts and
frequently includes lower-income residents.
P
Parcel
A legally recognized unit of land that is a fundamental piece of property under single
ownership.
Partially Used Land
Parcels containing some improvements or development but also containing enough
undeveloped land that more development could feasibly occur on them.
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
Subsidized, leased housing with no limit on length of stay that prioritizes people who need
comprehensive support services to retain tenancy and utilizes admissions practices designed
to use lower barriers to entry than would be typical for other subsidized or unsubsidized rental
housing, especially related to rental history, criminal history, and personal behaviors.
Permanent supportive housing is paired with on-site or off-site voluntary services designed to
support a person living with a complex and disabling behavioral health or physical health
condition who was experiencing homelessness or was at imminent risk of homelessness prior
to moving into housing to retain their housing and be a successful tenant in a housing
arrangement, improve the resident's health status, and connect the resident of the housing
with community-based health care, treatment, or employment services. Permanent
supportive housing is subject to all of the rights and responsibilities defined in chapter 59.18
RCW. RCW 36.70A.030 (31)
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Permitting Process
City review of private development proposals to confirm compliance with regulations for
topics like building, fire, planning, and engineering, ensuring that development is safe and
meets the community’s established vision for the future of Spokane.
Plat
A map or representation of a subdivision showing the division of a tract or parcel of land into
blocks, streets and alleys, or other divisions and dedications.
Public Access (Shorelines)
The general public’s ability to be in, on, or traveling upon the water, get to the water’s edge, or
have a view of the water and the shoreline.
Public Benefit Use
Uses or facilities that are available to the general public and provide a public service such as
child and/or adult day care, health and human services, recreation facilities, educational or
vocational activities, community meeting rooms, and art galleries or museums.
Public Services
Includes fire protection and suppression, law enforcement, public health, education,
recreation, environmental protection, and other governmental services.
Q
Quasi-Public
Facilities or services under private ownership or control that operate as if they are a public
entity, often operating with some government oversight, receiving significant public funding,
or providing essential public services.
R
Racially Disparate Impacts
When policies, practices, rules or other systems result in a disproportionate impact on one or
more racial groups.
Recharge Zone
The area where surface water like precipitation, streams, and runoff directly infiltrate through
the soil and replenish the Spokane Aquifer, including the surface over the aquifer itself and
the hillside areas immediately adjacent to the aquifer.
Regional
Topics, activities, or coordination with organizations, jurisdictions, and agencies relating to
geographic areas larger than the City of Spokane. Depending on the scale of the topic, regional
may include neighboring cities, counties, or states.
Regional Hub
An Urban Hub intended to serve both regional visitors and local residents who may access the
Urban Hub via a variety of transportation modes.
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Resilience
The capacity to withstand and recover. Working toward resilience is an ongoing process of
anticipating, preparing for, and adapting to change in order to minimize negative impacts to
our natural systems, infrastructure, and communities.
Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
The compilation of all permanent laws now in force that have been passed by the Washington
State Legislature.
Right-of-Way (ROW)
A transportation corridor along which people, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel.
Right-of-Way (ROW) Streetscape Elements
Those physical improvements within the public right-of-way that provide both functional and
aesthetic benefit to the city streetscape. Primary examples include pedestrian buffer strips,
street trees and other PBS landscaping treatments, sidewalks, medians, and traffic circles.
S
Self-Enforcing Street Design
A design for streets that discourages drivers from speeding and increases the safety of people
walking, biking, and rolling, and other individuals.
Shall
Indicates that an action specified in a policy statement is mandatory.
Shared Use Pathway
A separated pathway for bicyclists and other users, such as walkers, joggers, people with baby
carriages, skaters, and others who are likely to use such pathways.
Shorelines of the State
The total of all “shorelines,” as defined in RCW 90.58.030(2)(d), and “shorelines of statewide
significance” within the state, as defined in RCW 90.58.030(2)(c).
Shoreline Master Program
The comprehensive use plan for a described area, and the use regulations together with maps,
diagrams, charts, or other descriptive material and text, a statement of desired goals, and
standards developed in accordance with the policies enunciated in RCW 90.58.020.
Should
Indicates that an action specified in a policy discussion is discretionary.
Single-Unit Housing
An individual housing unit on its own lot, either detached from other housing units or attached
with common walls such as townhouses.
Soft Trail
Non-paved trail that typically does not exceed a four-foot width.
Special Purpose District
A district created by act, petition, or vote by the residents within a defined area for a specific
purpose with the power to levy taxes. Examples include water, fire, and school districts.
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Sprawl
See Urban Sprawl.
Stormwater
That portion of precipitation that does not naturally percolate into the ground or evaporate,
instead flowing over land, roofs, paved surfaces, or through pipes.
Street Trees
Trees in the public right of way. They can vary from small ornamental trees to large trees
providing an overhanging canopy over the street.
T
Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
A revenue tool that captures the increase in property tax revenue associated with
infrastructure improvements. For publicly funded infrastructure, the tax revenue can be used
to pay off bonds used to fund the initial infrastructure investment. For privately funded
infrastructure, the tax revenue can be used to pay back developers
Therapeutic Courts
Problem-solving and collaborative courts that focus on addressing social needs that lead to
criminal behavior, holding offenders accountable for past behavior, while also addressing
their needs for mental health and medical care, education, housing and other services as they
integrate back into the community.
Traffic Calming
Slowing or diverting traffic for increased traffic safety and improved neighborhood quality.
Traffic calming usually involves physical changes to streets to reduce vehicle speeds and
volumes and other disruptive effects of automobiles on neighborhoods.
Transitional Housing (TH)
A project that provides housing and supportive services to homeless persons or families for
up to two years and that has as its purpose facilitating the movement of homeless persons
and families into independent living. RCW 84.36.043(3)(c)
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Encouraging more intense, walkable, and mixed-use development near high-capacity transit
infrastructure to increase the accessibility of daily needs for residents through public transit.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
An approach to solving transportation problems by reducing the demand for travel rather
than increasing the transportation system capacity for travel.
Tree Canopy
The layer of leaves, branches, and stems that provide tree coverage of the ground when
viewed from above.
U
Underdeveloped Land
See Underutilized Land.
[Page 17]
Underserved Communities
Groups that historically or currently have limited or no access to resources, be it city services,
health care, or other necessities. This may be caused by location, language barriers,
transportation limits, low income, or other systemic obstacles.
Underutilized Land
A parcel or parcels of land that are fully developed, but at a lower intensity or density than is
allowed by the Land Use Designation or Zoning District applied to the parcel(s).
Universal Design
Designing in a way that ensures buildings and public spaces are accessible to all people
regardless of age or ability.
Urban Design
The process of shaping the physical environment, integrating streetscape, public spaces,
landscaping, and buildings to create a cohesive and unique sense of place that can boost
quality of life for residents.
Urban Forest
The trees and other major vegetation growing throughout the city including vegetation in
parks, on private property, and street trees.
Urban Growth Area (UGA)
The area that counties and cities designate for urban growth where urban levels of services
are encouraged and supported. Growth can occur outside these areas as long as it is not
urban in nature. Urban growth areas must be large enough and permit development
densities necessary to meet the projected need for housing development over the 20-year
planning period of the Comprehensive Plan.
Urban Hub
Mixed-use activity nodes where increased development intensity and activity-oriented design
and development standards focused on people who walk, bike, and roll. Urban Hubs come in
two scales: Local Hubs and Regional Hubs.
Urban Sprawl
The uncontrolled, outward expansion of development into surrounding rural or undeveloped
land. Urban sprawl is typically characterized by low-density residential housing, a reliance on
private vehicles, and increased costs for infrastructure and services.
Utility
Systems of collection, transmission, and distribution that serve the public with essential
services such as electricity, gas, water, and wastewater.
V
Vacant Land
Parcels of land in either an undeveloped state or containing minimal improvements (less than
$5,000 in improvement value) and considered available for future development.
[Page 18]
Vulnerable Populations
Groups that are more likely to be at higher risk for poor health outcomes in response to
environmental harms due to adverse socioeconomic factors (including unemployment, high
housing and transportation costs relative to income, limited access to nutritious food and
adequate health care, linguistic isolation) and sensitivity factors (including disabilities and
other causes for higher rates of hospitalization). Vulnerable populations include, but are not
limited to, racial and ethnic minorities, low-income populations, disabled communities, and
other populations disproportionately impacted by environmental harms.
W
Washington Administrative Code (WAC)
The rules for administering the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
Water-Dependent Use
A use or portion of a use which cannot exist in a location that is not adjacent to the water and
which is dependent on the water by reason of the intrinsic nature of its operations. Examples
of water-dependent uses may include, but should not be limited to, boat ramps for rescue
watercraft, hydroelectric generating plants, and sewage treatment outfalls.
Water-Enjoyment Use
A recreational use or other use that facilitates public access to the shoreline as a primary
characteristic of the use; or a use that provides for recreational use or aesthetic enjoyment of
the shoreline for a substantial number of people as a general characteristic of the use and
which through location, design, and operation ensures the public's ability to enjoy the physical
and aesthetic qualities of the shoreline. In order to qualify as a water-enjoyment use, the use
must be open to the general public and the shoreline-oriented space within the project must
be devoted to the specific aspects of the use that fosters shoreline enjoyment. Examples of
water-enjoyment uses may include, but are not limited to, river and stream swimming
beaches, fishing areas, boat ramp for recreation, parks, piers, view towers, restaurants,
museums, aquariums, scientific/ecological reserves, resorts and convention centers, public
markets, and interpretive centers and other improvements facilitating public access to
shorelines of the state, PROVIDED, that such uses conform to the above water enjoyment
specifications and the provisions of the entire SMP.
Water-Oriented Use
A use that is water-dependent, water-related, or water-enjoyment, or a combination of such
uses.
Water-Related Use
A use or portion of a use which is not intrinsically dependent on a waterfront location but
whose economic viability is dependent upon a waterfront location because:
• The use has a functional requirement for a waterfront location such as the arrival
or shipment of materials by water or the need for large quantities of water; or
• The use provides a necessary service supportive of the water-dependent uses and
the proximity of the use to its customers makes its services less expensive and/or
more convenient.
[Page 19]
Examples of water-related uses may include, but should not be limited to, warehousing,
storage, or processing, where the goods are delivered to or shipped from the site by water.
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)
The geographical area where structures and other human development meets or intermingles
with wildland vegetative fuels, leading to increased fire risk.
Will
Has the same meaning as the term “shall”.
Workforce Housing
Housing that is affordable for those earning between 80% and 120% of the area median
income (AMI).
Z
Zoning
A map and ordinance text that divide a city or county into “zones” and specify the types of land
uses, setbacks, lot size, and size restrictions for buildings within each zone. Zoning determines
what can be built where in the city and what that development looks like.
Draft Glossary
PlanSpokane 2046 draft
Aug 7, 2026
[Page 1]
Glossary
The following acronyms and terms are defined for the purpose of understanding the Comprehensive
Plan and providing readers and users alike with a shared understanding of the goals and policies. The
Glossary is still in development and the terms listed, as well as how they are defined, will continue to
be updated and refined with future releases of the Comprehensive Plan.
If there are any acronyms or words you wish to be included for future releases of the plan or
definitions you would like to provide feedback on, please reach out to
planspokane@spokanecity.org to let us know.
ACRONYMS
AASHTO: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act
ADU: Accessory Dwelling Unit
AMI: Area Median Income
BRT: Bus Rapid Transit
CFP: Capital Facilities Plan
CIP: Capital Improvement Program
CPPs: Countywide Planning Policies
CRSB: Climate Risk and Sustainability Board
CRVA: Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
EIS: Environmental Impact Statement
GHG: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
GMA: Growth Management Act
HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development
HSS: Highways of Statewide Significance
LOS: Level of Service
MUTCD: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
NACTO: National Association of City Transportation Officials
NSC: North Spokane Corridor
RCW: Revised Code of Washington
ROW: Right-of-Way
SAWTP: Spokane Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant
SCAPCA: Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority
SCRAA: Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency
SEPA: State Environmental Policy Act
SIP: State Implementation Plan
SMA: Shoreline Management Act
SMP: Shoreline Master Program
SRTC: Spokane Regional Transportation Council
TDM: Transportation Demand Management
TIF: Tax Increment Financing
TOD: Transit-Oriented Development
UGA: Urban Growth Area
VMT: Vehicle Miles Traveled
WAC: Washington Administrative Code
WUI: Wildland Urban Interface
[Page 2]
DEFINITIONS
A
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
A separate additional living unit, including separate kitchen, sleeping, and bathroom facilities,
attached or detached from the primary residential structure(s) on a residential lot. Also known
as mother-in-law apartments, accessory apartments, or granny flats.
Active Transportation
Forms of people-oriented mobility including walking, biking, and rolling.
Activity-Oriented Design
Design providing a built environment that supports people who walk, roll, and bike, while also
encouraging the active use of the area. When applied to structures, buildings, and public
spaces, activity-oriented design encourages community interaction and socialization,
commercial uses, housing, and well-being. Examples of activity-oriented design include
people-scaled signage and lighting, amenities like bicycle racks and public plazas, and
buildings, rather than parking lots, directly accessible from public sidewalks.
Adequate Public Facilities
Facilities that have the capacity to serve development without decreasing levels of service
below locally established minimums.
Affordable Housing
Housing in which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of their gross income for
housing costs, including utilities.
Aquifer
Any geological formation containing water, especially one which supplies the water for wells,
springs, etc. Within the Comprehensive Plan, this refers to the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum
Prairie Aquifer.
Area Median Income (AMI)
The annual median household income in Spokane County, as published by the US Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and adjusted for household size. Percentages of
this amount are used to identify different household income and housing affordability
metrics.
Area of Drainage Concern
Areas with an increased likelihood of harmful impacts resulting from stormwater events due
to their geographic location. These impacts include higher risks of flooding, direct drainage to
waterways, and capacity limitations in the combined sewer overflow system.
Arterial
A street that provides for mobility within a community by collecting and routing traffic to and
from traffic generators. A secondary function of an arterial is to provide for some access to
adjacent land.
[Page 3]
Attainable Housing
Describes housing types that are affordable to households at specific income levels. Different
types of housing may be attainable at different income levels.
Available Public Facilities
Facilities or services necessary to support development that must be in place or that a financial
commitment to provide the facilities or services is in place at the time of development
approval so that public facilities and services are available within six years from the time of
development approval.
B
Benchmark
A point of reference or standard that is used to monitor progress toward a desired goal or
outcome.
Bicycle Lane
A portion of a roadway that has been designated by striping, signing, and pavement markings
for the preferential and/or exclusive use of bicycles.
Bicycle Path
A bikeway physically separated from motorized traffic by an open space or barrier. Bicycle
paths are entirely separated from the roadway but may be within the roadway right-of-way or
within an independent right-of-way. Also known as a protected bike lane or cycletrack.
Bicycle Route
A marked or signed route that is intended to provide a route for bicyclists. Marked or signed
bicycle routes occur generally along streets that have been developed with bicycle lanes and
have frequently been developed to enable bicyclists to avoid fixed obstacles to bicycling.
Bikeway
Any road or path that in some manner is specifically designated as being open to bicycle travel,
regardless of whether such facilities are designated for the exclusive use of bicyclists or are to
be shared with other vehicles.
Boulevard
Within the context of the transportation element of the comprehensive plan, the word
“boulevard” has a special meaning: the transportation element applies the “boulevard”
designation to arterials that are enhanced with special aesthetic qualities, serve as primary
transportation routes between key locations, and are intended to be multimodal, with transit,
bicycle, and people-oriented facilities. (Not all streets thought of as boulevards in the popular
sense are designated as “boulevards” in the transportation element.)
Brownfield
Abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial land where expansion or
redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
[Page 4]
Buffer
A designated area of land intended to eliminate or minimize conflicts between adjacent land
uses such as open space or landscaping between uses or the use of transitional land uses
between uses of differing intensity.
Built Environment
The parts of the physical environment that have been made or modified by humans including
structures, landscaping, and infrastructure.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
A public transportation system that provides faster and more reliable transit service than
traditional buses. It includes distinct stations with enhanced passenger amenities, real-time
bus arrival information, and raised platforms to make getting on and off the bus faster and
easier.
C
Capital Facility
Public lands, improvements, and equipment necessary to provide public services and allow
for the delivery of utility services such as streets, roads, highways, sidewalks, street and road
lighting, traffic signals, domestic water systems, storm and sanitary sewer systems, parks, fire
and police facilities, recreational facilities, and schools.
Capital Facilities Plan (CFP)
A plan outlining an inventory of existing public capital facilities and utilities, setting level of
service standards, and identifying the future capital facilities needed to serve the growing city
over the 20-year planning horizon.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
A document outlining planned capital facilities projects and identified funding sources over a
six-year time period. The CIP is updated and adopted by the City Council annually.
Climate
The usual weather of a place over a longer period – the typical seasons, yearly highs and lows
of temperatures, average rainfall, etc. Weather is the changes we see and feel outside from
day to day.
Climate Hazard
Natural or human-driven events or trends including wildfire, drought, flood, and extreme
weather, that have the potential to impact human health as well as damage infrastructure and
natural ecosystems.
Climate Impacts
Effects on natural and human systems that result from climate hazards.
Clustering
A development design technique that concentrates buildings on a portion of a site to allow
the remaining land to be set aside from development. Clustering can be used to reduce
infrastructure needs for development, maximize open space, and protect critical areas.
[Page 5]
Commercial
Businesses that sell goods or services to the public, ranging from small shops and restaurants
to big-box retail, grocery stores, and auto-oriented services like gas stations.
Community Assembly
A coalition of representatives from the Neighborhood Councils serving as a forum for
discussion of issues of broad interest.
Commute Trip Reduction Program
State law requiring employers of 100 or more people to reduce the number of single
occupancy vehicle trips to their work site.
Complete Street
A design approach that ensures streets are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all users
regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation.
Comprehensive Plan
A community’s long-term plan for growth over the next 20 years. The Comprehensive Plan is
a guiding framework to ensure the community’s collective vision for the future is achieved by
guiding future growth and City actions and investments to make that vision a reality.
Concurrency
Requirement that adequate public facilities and services are available when the service
demands of development occur.
Corridor
Both a land use planning tool identifying connections between Urban Hubs along which a mix
of uses is encouraged to establish a network of access to daily needs throughout the city as
well as a transportation concept highlighting major transportation routes.
Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs)
Policies developed by the Spokane County Steering Committee of Elected Officials to guide
the development of Spokane County jurisdictions’ Comprehensive Plans.
Critical Areas
Areas required to be protected under the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A) including
wetlands, areas with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water, fish and
wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous
areas (such as landslide areas, earthquake fault zones, and steep slopes).
Cumulative Impacts
The combined, incremental effects of human activity on ecological or critical area functions
and values. Cumulative impacts result when the effects of an action are added to or interact
with other effects in a particular place and within a particular time. It is the combination of
these effects, and any resulting environmental degradation, that should be the focus of
cumulative impact analysis and changes to policies and permitting decisions.
Cycletrack
A separate path for bicycles that is Physically separated from vehicles designed to protect
cyclists from traffic. Can be one-way or two-way.
[Page 6]
D
Density
For population, density is the number of people per acre or square mile. For residential
development, it is the number of housing units per acre of land.
Design Standard
The standard(s) for new development regarding visual elements such as building height,
windows, articulation, location of entrances, lighting, etc.
Development Standard
The minimum standard(s) for new development regarding the physical layout of a site and
other overarching standards such as the provision of fire and building access, utilities, open
space, impervious surfaces, setbacks, landscaping, etc.
Disability
A physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits
a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities
or interactions.
Disinvestment
A process by which an area or community is not prioritized for investment, or by which a
system, policy, or action disincentivizes investment, leading to a lack of investments in
maintenance, amenities, and services over time.
Displacement
The process by which a household or business is forced to move from its community because
of conditions beyond their control. Displacement can be physical (directly forced to move for
reasons such as eviction, foreclosure, natural disaster or deterioration in housing quality),
economic (compelled to move by rising rents or costs of ownership like property taxes), or
cultural (compelled to move because the people and institutions that make up their cultural
community have left the area).
Displacement Risk
The likelihood that a household, business, or organization will be displaced from its
community.
Downtown
Spokane’s primary activity center with abundant employment, housing, retail, commercial,
arts, culture, and entertainment, drawing both daily regional visitors and tourists from around
the world.
E
Ecologic Function or Shoreline Ecological Function
The work performed or role played by the physical, chemical, and biological processes that
contribute to the maintenance of the aquatic and terrestrial environments that constitute the
shoreline’s natural ecosystem. See WAC 173-26-200(2)(c). Functions include but are not
limited to habitat diversity, food chain support, and water quality protection and
enhancement for fish and wildlife; flood storage, conveyance and attenuation; ground water
recharge and discharge; erosion control; wave attenuation; protection from hazards;
[Page 7]
historical, archaeological, and aesthetic value protection; educational opportunities; and
recreation. These beneficial roles are not listed in order of priority. Also referred to as
functions or functions and values.
Ecosystem
The interaction of a community of living organisms and the physical environment in a defined
geographic area.
Ecosystem-Wide Processes
The suite of naturally occurring physical and geologic processes of erosion, transport, and
deposition; and specific chemical processes that shape landforms within a specific shore-line
ecosystem and determine both the types of habitat and the associated ecological functions.
Emergency Housing (EH)
Temporary indoor accommodations for individuals or families who are homeless or at
imminent risk of becoming homeless that is intended to address the basic health, food,
clothing, and personal hygiene needs of individuals or families. Emergency housing may or
may not require occupants to enter into a lease or an occupancy agreement. RCW
36.70A.030(14)
Emergency Shelter (ES)
A facility that provides a temporary shelter for individuals or families who are currently
homeless. Emergency shelter may not require occupants to enter into a lease or an occupancy
agreement. Emergency shelter facilities may include day and warming centers that do not
provide overnight accommodations. RCW 36.70A.030(15)
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
A detailed assessment of potential environmental effects of a proposed development or
regulatory change, exploring potential adverse impacts, reasonable alternatives, and possible
mitigation strategies.
Environmental Justice
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national
origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, rules, and policies. Environmental justice includes addressing
disproportionate environmental health impacts in all laws, rules, and policies with
environmental impacts by prioritizing vulnerable populations and overburdened
communities, the equitable distribution of resources and benefits, and eliminating harm.
Equitable Distribution
The equitable allocation of funding and projected population as well as the siting of essential
public facilities and affordable housing throughout the community to ensure fair distribution
of resources that benefit all, including efforts made to address historic disinvestment.
Equity
The fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people.
[Page 8]
Essential Public Facility
Facilities that are typically difficult to site, such as airports, colleges and universities,
correctional facilities, solid waste stations, major highways or freeways, and inpatient facilities,
including substance abuse treatment facilities, mental health facilities, and group homes.
Exclusion (in housing)
The act or effect of shutting or keeping certain populations out of housing within a specified
area, in a manner that may be intentional or unintentional, but which leads to non-inclusive
impacts.
F
Fair Housing
The prohibition of discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other
housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status
(including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant
women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and disability.
Floodplain
Land susceptible to flooding, having a 1% chance of flooding each year. Also known as a 100year flood plain.
Future Land Use Map (FLUM)
The map identifying where each Land Use Designation, such as Open Space, Residential Low,
Mixed Use, Commercial, or Industrial, is appropriate and guiding the development of land over
the course of the Comprehensive Plan. See Map GS-1.
G
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)
Gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and certain
synthetic chemicals, that trap Earth’s outgoing energy, retaining heat that contributes to
adverse climate impacts.
Greenway (Bicycle)
A comfortable route for bicycles that runs through a local street network. Prioritizing slower
speeds, traffic calming measures, and pedestrian safety.
Growth Management Act (GMA)
A series of laws passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1990-91 that require cities and
counties to plan for and manage growth and development (RCW 36.70A).
Growth Strategy
The City’s coordinated approach to growth over the next 20 years, representing the
community’s vision for the future.
H
Habitat (Natural Habitat)
The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows.
High-Performance Transit
Public transportation designed to move large volumes of people quickly and efficiently such
as a bus stop or route with frequent service.
[Page 9]
Historic Preservation
The identification, documentation, protection and/or rehabilitation of important historic and
cultural aspects of the built environment that have local, regional, statewide, or national
historic significance.
Hostile Architecture
The use of elements of the built environment to guide or restrict certain behaviors in public
spaces, rather than to provide a public benefit.
Household
A household may be a single person, family, or unrelated persons living together, consistent
with RCW 84.14.010.
Household Income
The total of all the incomes of all the people living in a household.
Extremely Low-Income
Household making less than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI)
Very Low-Income
Household making 30-50% AMI.
Low-Income
Household making 50-80% AMI.
Moderate-Income
Household making 80-120% AMI.
High-Income
Household Making over 120% AMI.
I
Impervious Surface
A surface that water cannot penetrate or pass such as roofs, sidewalks, and paved driveways.
Impact Fees
A charge or fee assessed by the city which mitigates all or portions of impacts, that occur as a
direct result of new development, such as impacts to traffic.
Incentives
A monetary or regulatory benefits intended to encourage a specific action.
Infill Development
Development of vacant or underutilized land within an already built out area.
Infrastructure
The physical structures and facilities needed for the operations of life in an urban area,
including streets, utility lines, buildings, and other public services and facilities that are
constructed, operated, and maintained to support a livable city.
[Page 10]
Intensity (of Development)
Development intensity refers to the mass, form, and function of development, describing the
scale of development in terms of visual and physical impact rather than a specific number of
housing units per acre (density), allowing for the comparison of uses that may or may not
include housing and ensuring compatibility of development.
Interlocal Agreement
An agreement between jurisdictions and/or service providers that defines the duties and
relationships of the member entities.
L
Land Use
An activity or development pattern upon a specific parcel of land or general area of the city.
Land Use Designation
A general classification of the appropriate land uses within a given area that is general in scope
and future focused. All Land Use Designations and where they are applied can be found in the
Growth Strategy.
Latecomer Agreements
Agreements that allow a property owner who has installed street or utility improvements to
recover a portion of the costs of those improvements from other property owners who later
develop property in the vicinity and use the improvements.
Level of Service (LOS)
The minimum quality and quantity of public facilities and services that are provided to the
community, factors that significantly contribute to the community’s quality of life. These range
from specific minimum metrics for capital facilities that are necessary for development to
general goals for providing quality services to residents.
Livability
Livability in the Comprehensive Plan encompasses the positive attributes that make places
feasible and enjoyable to live, work, and visit. The values that support livability include but are
not limited to:
• Equity
• Diversity (both physical and social)
• Accessibility (physical, cognitive, and financial)
• Attainability
• Walkability and Transit Access
• Environmental Sustainability
• Integration Between Different Uses
• Greenery and Canopy Coverage
• Connected Community
Living Wage
Adequate income and assets to support their and their family’s wellbeing, including food,
mortgage or rent, utilities, transportation, clothing and household expenses, childcare, health
care, personal expenses, and savings.
[Page 11]
Live-Work Space
A space that combines a residential unit with areas for a craft or occupation such as
workshops, storefronts, or small offices.
Local Hub
An Urban Hub intended to primarily serve the residents of the surrounding neighborhood
who can easily access the Urban Hub without using a vehicle.
Low-Income Housing
Housing that is affordable to households making less than 80% of the area median income
(AMI).
M
Major Facilities
Larger public or private facilities that provide services on a city, county, regional, or statewide
level including hospitals, large medical centers, universities, public maintenance facilities,
larger nursing homes, or correctional facilities.
Maker Spaces
Communal and collaborative workspaces in which makers and creatives work on small or
personal projects. Makers spaces can include areas for painting, welding and soldering,
woodworking, 3D printing and coding, and sewing, among other crafts.
Manufactured Home
Housing developed after June 15, 1976, built in accordance with the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety
Standards Act, which is a national, preemptive building code.
Mass Transit
Any type of transportation service for the general public, such as bus, mini-bus, or light rail.
Micromobility
A wide range of small low speed human-powered or electric vehicles such as bicycles or
scooters. They may be privately owned or part of a shared-use rental program.
Middle Housing
Residential buildings that are compatible in scale and form with single-unit housing and
contain two or more attached, stacked, or clustered homes such as duplexes, triplexes,
fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and
cottage housing.
Mitigation
Ways to alleviate or reduce negative impacts including the impact of development on the
environment or the impact of climate hazards on residents and the built environment.
Mixed-Use
The allowance of more than one use in a designated area or on a specific parcel including uses
such as offices, housing, retail, or commercial. This is a general term and differs from the
Mixed Use Land Use Designation on the Future Land Use Map, which is described with the
other Designations in the Growth Strategy.
[Page 12]
Mobile Home
Prefabricated home built before June 15, 1976.
Mobility Hub
A place where people can seamlessly connect with multiple modes of transportation in a safe,
comfortable, and accessible environment. They provide physical integration among modes by
co-locating carsharing, bike sharing, and other shared mobility services at/near public transit
Movement Corridors
Strips of undeveloped, naturally vegetated, or managed land that physically connect larger
areas of habitat, allowing animals to move safely through fragmented landscapes.
Multimodal
A transportation system supportive of all transportation modes including public
transportation, rail and waterways, bicycles, walking, use of mobility aids, or driving.
Multimodal access supports the needs of all users whether they choose to walk, bike, roll, use
transit, or drive. It means more connections and more choices.
Multi-Unit Housing
Residential developments with multiple housing units on a single lot that are larger in scale
and form than single-unit housing including apartments and condominiums.
N
Natural Environment
The physical world that includes air, water, plants, animals, and natural resources.
Natural Infrastructure
Naturally occurring or human designed systems that use, restore, or mimic ecological
processes to provide infrastructure benefits. This includes vegetation, soils, water, and other
natural features that are preserved, restored, enhanced, or engineered to manage water,
lessen extreme heat, and improve environmental resilience.
Neighborhood
A smaller geographic area within a larger urban area around one’s home where residents
interact with each other and share a sense of place and community. Neighborhoods are often
comprised of similar characteristics and development patterns and may be distinct from each
other.
Neighborhood Councils
Independent organizations made up of residents who live within a certain boundary that meet
to maintain and improve the quality of life in Spokane, increase resident participation in local
decision-making, and form an effective partnership between the City and neighborhood
residents.
Neighborhood Facilities
Capital facilities within a neighborhood that provide public access, services, or gathering
spaces including schools, libraries, community centers, and parks.
[Page 13]
No Net Loss of Ecological Functions
Maintenance of the aggregate total of the city’ shoreline ecological functions, including
processes. (See definition of ecologic function.) The no net loss standard requires that the
impacts of shoreline development and/or use, whether permitted or exempt, be identified
and mitigated such that there are no resulting significant adverse impacts on shoreline
ecological functions. Each project shall be evaluated based on its ability to meet the no net
loss goal commensurate with the scale and character of the proposed development.
Nonconforming Use
A use that was legally established that is now prohibited due to a subsequent change in the
zone or zoning regulations.
Non-Water Oriented Use
A use that is not water-dependent, is not water-related, and is not water-enjoyment. Nonwater oriented uses have little or no relationship to the shoreline and are not considered
priority uses under the Shoreline Management Act. Any use that does not meet the definition
of water-dependent, water-related or water-enjoyment is classified as non-water oriented.
O
Open Space
Undeveloped land, such as parks, recreational areas, natural areas, buffer areas, and other
similar features.
Overburdened Communities
A geographic area where populations face multiple environmental and health impacts and
frequently includes lower-income residents.
P
Parcel
A legally recognized unit of land that is a fundamental piece of property under single
ownership.
Partially Used Land
Parcels containing some improvements or development but also containing enough
undeveloped land that more development could feasibly occur on them.
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
Subsidized, leased housing with no limit on length of stay that prioritizes people who need
comprehensive support services to retain tenancy and utilizes admissions practices designed
to use lower barriers to entry than would be typical for other subsidized or unsubsidized rental
housing, especially related to rental history, criminal history, and personal behaviors.
Permanent supportive housing is paired with on-site or off-site voluntary services designed to
support a person living with a complex and disabling behavioral health or physical health
condition who was experiencing homelessness or was at imminent risk of homelessness prior
to moving into housing to retain their housing and be a successful tenant in a housing
arrangement, improve the resident's health status, and connect the resident of the housing
with community-based health care, treatment, or employment services. Permanent
supportive housing is subject to all of the rights and responsibilities defined in chapter 59.18
RCW. RCW 36.70A.030 (31)
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Permitting Process
City review of private development proposals to confirm compliance with regulations for
topics like building, fire, planning, and engineering, ensuring that development is safe and
meets the community’s established vision for the future of Spokane.
Plat
A map or representation of a subdivision showing the division of a tract or parcel of land into
blocks, streets and alleys, or other divisions and dedications.
Public Access (Shorelines)
The general public’s ability to be in, on, or traveling upon the water, get to the water’s edge, or
have a view of the water and the shoreline.
Public Benefit Use
Uses or facilities that are available to the general public and provide a public service such as
child and/or adult day care, health and human services, recreation facilities, educational or
vocational activities, community meeting rooms, and art galleries or museums.
Public Services
Includes fire protection and suppression, law enforcement, public health, education,
recreation, environmental protection, and other governmental services.
Q
Quasi-Public
Facilities or services under private ownership or control that operate as if they are a public
entity, often operating with some government oversight, receiving significant public funding,
or providing essential public services.
R
Racially Disparate Impacts
When policies, practices, rules or other systems result in a disproportionate impact on one or
more racial groups.
Recharge Zone
The area where surface water like precipitation, streams, and runoff directly infiltrate through
the soil and replenish the Spokane Aquifer, including the surface over the aquifer itself and
the hillside areas immediately adjacent to the aquifer.
Regional
Topics, activities, or coordination with organizations, jurisdictions, and agencies relating to
geographic areas larger than the City of Spokane. Depending on the scale of the topic, regional
may include neighboring cities, counties, or states.
Regional Hub
An Urban Hub intended to serve both regional visitors and local residents who may access the
Urban Hub via a variety of transportation modes.
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Resilience
The capacity to withstand and recover. Working toward resilience is an ongoing process of
anticipating, preparing for, and adapting to change in order to minimize negative impacts to
our natural systems, infrastructure, and communities.
Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
The compilation of all permanent laws now in force that have been passed by the Washington
State Legislature.
Right-of-Way (ROW)
A transportation corridor along which people, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel.
Right-of-Way (ROW) Streetscape Elements
Those physical improvements within the public right-of-way that provide both functional and
aesthetic benefit to the city streetscape. Primary examples include pedestrian buffer strips,
street trees and other PBS landscaping treatments, sidewalks, medians, and traffic circles.
S
Self-Enforcing Street Design
A design for streets that discourages drivers from speeding and increases the safety of people
walking, biking, and rolling, and other individuals.
Shall
Indicates that an action specified in a policy statement is mandatory.
Shared Use Pathway
A separated pathway for bicyclists and other users, such as walkers, joggers, people with baby
carriages, skaters, and others who are likely to use such pathways.
Shorelines of the State
The total of all “shorelines,” as defined in RCW 90.58.030(2)(d), and “shorelines of statewide
significance” within the state, as defined in RCW 90.58.030(2)(c).
Shoreline Master Program
The comprehensive use plan for a described area, and the use regulations together with maps,
diagrams, charts, or other descriptive material and text, a statement of desired goals, and
standards developed in accordance with the policies enunciated in RCW 90.58.020.
Should
Indicates that an action specified in a policy discussion is discretionary.
Single-Unit Housing
An individual housing unit on its own lot, either detached from other housing units or attached
with common walls such as townhouses.
Soft Trail
Non-paved trail that typically does not exceed a four-foot width.
Special Purpose District
A district created by act, petition, or vote by the residents within a defined area for a specific
purpose with the power to levy taxes. Examples include water, fire, and school districts.
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Sprawl
See Urban Sprawl.
Stormwater
That portion of precipitation that does not naturally percolate into the ground or evaporate,
instead flowing over land, roofs, paved surfaces, or through pipes.
Street Trees
Trees in the public right of way. They can vary from small ornamental trees to large trees
providing an overhanging canopy over the street.
T
Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
A revenue tool that captures the increase in property tax revenue associated with
infrastructure improvements. For publicly funded infrastructure, the tax revenue can be used
to pay off bonds used to fund the initial infrastructure investment. For privately funded
infrastructure, the tax revenue can be used to pay back developers
Therapeutic Courts
Problem-solving and collaborative courts that focus on addressing social needs that lead to
criminal behavior, holding offenders accountable for past behavior, while also addressing
their needs for mental health and medical care, education, housing and other services as they
integrate back into the community.
Traffic Calming
Slowing or diverting traffic for increased traffic safety and improved neighborhood quality.
Traffic calming usually involves physical changes to streets to reduce vehicle speeds and
volumes and other disruptive effects of automobiles on neighborhoods.
Transitional Housing (TH)
A project that provides housing and supportive services to homeless persons or families for
up to two years and that has as its purpose facilitating the movement of homeless persons
and families into independent living. RCW 84.36.043(3)(c)
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Encouraging more intense, walkable, and mixed-use development near high-capacity transit
infrastructure to increase the accessibility of daily needs for residents through public transit.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
An approach to solving transportation problems by reducing the demand for travel rather
than increasing the transportation system capacity for travel.
Tree Canopy
The layer of leaves, branches, and stems that provide tree coverage of the ground when
viewed from above.
U
Underdeveloped Land
See Underutilized Land.
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Underserved Communities
Groups that historically or currently have limited or no access to resources, be it city services,
health care, or other necessities. This may be caused by location, language barriers,
transportation limits, low income, or other systemic obstacles.
Underutilized Land
A parcel or parcels of land that are fully developed, but at a lower intensity or density than is
allowed by the Land Use Designation or Zoning District applied to the parcel(s).
Universal Design
Designing in a way that ensures buildings and public spaces are accessible to all people
regardless of age or ability.
Urban Design
The process of shaping the physical environment, integrating streetscape, public spaces,
landscaping, and buildings to create a cohesive and unique sense of place that can boost
quality of life for residents.
Urban Forest
The trees and other major vegetation growing throughout the city including vegetation in
parks, on private property, and street trees.
Urban Growth Area (UGA)
The area that counties and cities designate for urban growth where urban levels of services
are encouraged and supported. Growth can occur outside these areas as long as it is not
urban in nature. Urban growth areas must be large enough and permit development
densities necessary to meet the projected need for housing development over the 20-year
planning period of the Comprehensive Plan.
Urban Hub
Mixed-use activity nodes where increased development intensity and activity-oriented design
and development standards focused on people who walk, bike, and roll. Urban Hubs come in
two scales: Local Hubs and Regional Hubs.
Urban Sprawl
The uncontrolled, outward expansion of development into surrounding rural or undeveloped
land. Urban sprawl is typically characterized by low-density residential housing, a reliance on
private vehicles, and increased costs for infrastructure and services.
Utility
Systems of collection, transmission, and distribution that serve the public with essential
services such as electricity, gas, water, and wastewater.
V
Vacant Land
Parcels of land in either an undeveloped state or containing minimal improvements (less than
$5,000 in improvement value) and considered available for future development.
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Vulnerable Populations
Groups that are more likely to be at higher risk for poor health outcomes in response to
environmental harms due to adverse socioeconomic factors (including unemployment, high
housing and transportation costs relative to income, limited access to nutritious food and
adequate health care, linguistic isolation) and sensitivity factors (including disabilities and
other causes for higher rates of hospitalization). Vulnerable populations include, but are not
limited to, racial and ethnic minorities, low-income populations, disabled communities, and
other populations disproportionately impacted by environmental harms.
W
Washington Administrative Code (WAC)
The rules for administering the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
Water-Dependent Use
A use or portion of a use which cannot exist in a location that is not adjacent to the water and
which is dependent on the water by reason of the intrinsic nature of its operations. Examples
of water-dependent uses may include, but should not be limited to, boat ramps for rescue
watercraft, hydroelectric generating plants, and sewage treatment outfalls.
Water-Enjoyment Use
A recreational use or other use that facilitates public access to the shoreline as a primary
characteristic of the use; or a use that provides for recreational use or aesthetic enjoyment of
the shoreline for a substantial number of people as a general characteristic of the use and
which through location, design, and operation ensures the public's ability to enjoy the physical
and aesthetic qualities of the shoreline. In order to qualify as a water-enjoyment use, the use
must be open to the general public and the shoreline-oriented space within the project must
be devoted to the specific aspects of the use that fosters shoreline enjoyment. Examples of
water-enjoyment uses may include, but are not limited to, river and stream swimming
beaches, fishing areas, boat ramp for recreation, parks, piers, view towers, restaurants,
museums, aquariums, scientific/ecological reserves, resorts and convention centers, public
markets, and interpretive centers and other improvements facilitating public access to
shorelines of the state, PROVIDED, that such uses conform to the above water enjoyment
specifications and the provisions of the entire SMP.
Water-Oriented Use
A use that is water-dependent, water-related, or water-enjoyment, or a combination of such
uses.
Water-Related Use
A use or portion of a use which is not intrinsically dependent on a waterfront location but
whose economic viability is dependent upon a waterfront location because:
• The use has a functional requirement for a waterfront location such as the arrival
or shipment of materials by water or the need for large quantities of water; or
• The use provides a necessary service supportive of the water-dependent uses and
the proximity of the use to its customers makes its services less expensive and/or
more convenient.
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Examples of water-related uses may include, but should not be limited to, warehousing,
storage, or processing, where the goods are delivered to or shipped from the site by water.
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)
The geographical area where structures and other human development meets or intermingles
with wildland vegetative fuels, leading to increased fire risk.
Will
Has the same meaning as the term “shall”.
Workforce Housing
Housing that is affordable for those earning between 80% and 120% of the area median
income (AMI).
Z
Zoning
A map and ordinance text that divide a city or county into “zones” and specify the types of land
uses, setbacks, lot size, and size restrictions for buildings within each zone. Zoning determines
what can be built where in the city and what that development looks like.