Active Recreation: Recreation which requires some constructed facilities such as soccer, softball and football fields and organized activities.
Adequate water supply for fire fighting services:
1. Water readily accessible to emergency equipment year-round.
2. A storage tank or other source that consistently has water available to assist in fire fighting.
3. A source that is suitable for hookup to the local fire service equipment fire flows. Gallons of water per minute available for effective fire fighting capacity.
ADT: Average Daily Trips
CAPP: Computer Assisted Policy Planning, Jefferson County Planning Department
Critical: The use of the word critical in this Plan does not connote regulatory category as it does when used by agencies responsible for wildlife populations.
Decibel: A unit for expressing the relative intensity of sounds on a scale from zero for the average least perceptible sound, to about 130 for the average pain level.
Destroyed historic railroads: Places where railroads were known to be in existence at one time but where no visible evidence remains.
Du/ac: Dwelling units per acre.
Floodplain Hazards: Floodplains are the area covered by water when a flood occurs. Usually, the floodplain is considered to be the land that would be inundated by a 100-year storm, hence the term 100-year floodplain. A 100-year floodplain is an area which has a 1 percent chance of being flooded every year.
Foreground of visual corridor: The area that is usually 1/4 to 1/2 mile from either side of the centerline of the road, that is visible from the road at normal travelling speeds. Areas beyond 1/2 mile were included and shown on the Visual Resources maps (at the back of this Plan) if they were part of a significant vista seen for extended periods, or to complete a feature that was partially included, e.g., a mountaintop.
Geologic Hazards: The natural and man-made conditions which threaten public health, safety, or property such as landslide, rockfall, mudflow, creep and Slope Failure Complex.
Landslide: A mass movement where there is a distinct surface rupture or zone of weakness which separates the slide material from more stable underlying material.
Rockfall: Rapid freefalling, bounding, sliding, or rolling of large masses of rock or individual rocks.
Slope Failure Complex: A geologic hazard which means a combination of one or more of the following geologic hazards: landslide, rockfall, mudflow, creep.
Subsidence: The surface collapse of ground over underground mines. Areas of previous mining often contain hazardous conditions such as steep or vertical rock faces of dangerous heights, open or poorly sealed passageways into areas of previous underground activities, or underground rooms or passageways which constitute a potential location for subsidence. This condition can be very hazardous to public safety and structures built in subsidence-prone areas.
GLA: Gross Leasable Area
Historic Districts: Areas possessing historic value. These areas originally had a form of unity such as a business or mining community.
Historic roads and trails: Ancestral paths, such as the Golden Gate Toll Road operated from 1860 to 1871 between Golden and the mining communities of Black Hawk and Central City. Portions of it exist in the present day Golden Gate Canyon Road.
Historic railroads: Places where some evidence of the rail bed exists today.
Historic sites: The location of a significant event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or a building or structure, whether standing, ruined, or vanished, where the location itself possesses historic, cultural or archaeological value. (National Register Bulletin 16)
Landscaping: Anything done external to or outside of a building.
LOS: Level of Service
Methane: A flammable gas produced by decaying garbage. Location of development over abandoned landfills is a concern because methane gas can build up in structures and create the potential for an explosion.
Mountain Community Center: An area of the community where more intense land use occurs. A mountain community center may include retail, office, compatible light industrial, higher density housing, and cultural and recreational facilities. Typically 4,000 to 10,000 square feet GLA, but could go up to 25,000 square feet of GLA.
Passive Recreation: Recreation which involves existing natural resources, and has a minimal impact. Examples: hiking, horseback riding, cross country skiing, bird watching, kite flying, and bicycling.
Planned Development: A Jefferson County zone district. The purpose of the Planned Development (PD) zone is to provide a means for the achievement of public and private goals not otherwise provided for or inadequately represented in the Zoning Resolution, while ensuring that the intent of the Resolution is fulfilled.
These goals are:
1. Promote the efficient and innovative use of land and public services.
2. Achieve compatibility and preclude land use conflicts through innovative or comprehensive design.
3. Promote integrated building groups or use complexes with continuity of design and development and to promote housing of diverse types.
4. Provide necessary commercial, recreational, educational and employment facilities conveniently located to housing.
5. Conserve and promote the efficient use of common open space.
6. Encourage preservation of a site's natural characteristics and ecological functions by providing a procedure to relate type, design and layout of development to that particular site.
In pursuit of this purpose, the PD zone is a comprehensive procedure which grants applicants significant flexibility and discretion, but also requires that significant additional documentation be submitted. The reason for this documentation is to enable public review to assess effectively the ability of a proposal's design to fulfill the intent of the traditional Zoning Resolution and achieve these public goals.
RTD: Regional Transportation District
Strip Development: The characteristics of strip development are:
1. Building placement and design which cuts off both physical and visual access between projects;
2. An absence of coordination with adjacent projects;
3. Lack of direct vehicular and pedestrian access between onsite parking and adjacent existing and future parking areas greater than 10 spaces in size;
4. Lack of common facilities between projects, both parking and major circulation;
5. Absence of compatible site and building design which exhibits a coordinated pattern or theme;
6. Lack of coordinated landscaping and drainage plans;
7. Lack of setbacks, building shapes, forms, and heights;
8. Absence of cohesive, easily understood sign systems which foster integration through size, number and treatment;
9. Multiple curb cuts and access points; and
10. Structures and parking areas that are not buffered from roads to minimize visual impact.
Unacceptable school overcrowding:
1. Double sessions.
2. The core facility, e.g., the cafeteria, office, library, nurse, etc., will not support the number of students in terms of square feet per student.
3. The core facility is adequate, but temporary facilities lack restrooms or running water and the temporary facility is too far from the core facility.
Wildfire Hazards: The hazard presented by the uncontrollable burning of trees, bush and grass. The magnitude of this hazard is affected by vegetation density, slope, atmospheric conditions, and the presence of special terrain conditions such as saddles, gullies, or fire chimneys which cause a draft much like a fireplace flue. This hazard is rated as low, moderate, and high, and is defined as follows:
Low: A wildfire in these areas can be controlled by available fire fighting personnel and equipment. Little to no property damage is expected, and there is not a threat to human life. They are typified by light fuel loads on slopes less than 30%.
Moderate: A wildfire in these areas can be difficult to control by available fire fighting personnel and equipment. There is the potential for destruction of property, and human life is threatened. They are typified by moderate fuel loads on slopes less than 30%.
High: A wildfire in these areas is generally uncontrollable by available fire fighting equipment and personnel. Protection of property or lives cannot be provided. They are typified by heavy fuel loads, or areas with moderate or heavy fuel loads on steep slopes, greater than 30%, or the presence of special terrain conditions mentioned above.
Maps of wildfire hazards have been produced by the Colorado State Forest Service and the Jefferson County Planning Department.