Open Space & Affordable Housing Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
A small, self-contained residential unit built on the same lot as an existing single-family home. ADUs may be built within a primary residence (such as in an attic or basement), attached to the primary residence (like a small duplex unit with a separate entrance), or detached from the primary residence (such as conversion of a detached garage). An ADU is subordinate in size, location, and function to the primary residential unit.

Affordable Housing
Housing that has a sales price or rental amount that is within the means of a household with moderate income or less. In Rhinebeck, we are particularly interested in making sure that there are opportunities for local workers, seniors and young families to find housing that they can afford.In the case of dwelling units for sale, housing that is affordable means housing in which principal, interest, taxes, and insurance constitute no more than 30 percent of the gross household income for a household. In the case of dwelling units for rent, housing that is affordable means housing for which the rent, heat, and utilities other than telephone constitute no more than 30 percent of the gross annual household income.

Affordable housing fee
A fee assessed on non-inclusionary developments paid in to Community Trust Fund to be utilized for affordable housing purposes.

Area median income (AMI)
The point at which half the households in an area make less and half make more. The median annual income figures are adjusted for family size and calculated annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for every regional area in the country.*

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Conservation Development (Cluster Development, Conservation Design)
A development in which single-family dwelling units are placed in closer proximity than zoning typically allows. Cluster development can save money on infrastructure like roads and their maintenance, while preserving permanently for the common good environmental assets like woodlands and environmentally sensitive areas, with the resulting open land being protected from future development by deed restrictions.

Conservation Easement
A tool for acquiring open space with less than full-fee purchase, whereby a public agency or qualified conservation organization buys or accepts a donation of only certain specific rights from the land owner. These may be positive rights (providing the public with the opportunity to hunt, fish, hike, or ride over the land), or they may be restrictive rights (limiting the uses to which the land owner may devote the land in the future.)

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Deed
The document that transfers and proves ownership of a property.

Deed Restrictions
Restrictions or limitations to the use of property as noted in a deed.

Density
The number of housing units per unit of land, usually per acre.

Density Bonus
The allocation of development rights that allow a parcel to accommodate additional square footage or additional residential units beyond the maximum for which the parcel is zoned, usually in exchange for the provision or preservation of an amenity (such as affordable housing or open space) at the same site or at another location.

Developer
An individual who or business that prepares raw land for the construction of buildings or causes to be built physical building space for use primarily by others, and in which the preparation of the land or the creation of the building space is in itself a business and is not incidental to another business or activity.

Development
The construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation, or enlargement of any structure; any mining, excavation, landfill or land disturbance; or any change in use, or alteration or extension of the use, of land.

Downzoning
See “Upzoning”.

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Easement
The right of a person or government agency to use for a specific purpose land owned by another party.

Equalized assessed value
The value of a property determined by the local Tax Assessor. The Tax Assessor utilizing estimates for construction cost may obtain estimates at the time of building permit. Final equalized assessed value shall be determined at time of project completion.

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In-lieu fee
A fee charged in certain zones, whereby developers who do not choose to build inclusionary housing onsite may choose to provide a cash contribution, known as an “in-lieu fee,” equivalent to the typical construction cost (including land and improvements) of a new two-bedroom unit to the Community Trust Fund, or, deed developable land equivalent in market value to the “in-lieu fee” indicated, or a combination of the above.

Inclusionary development, housing, or dwelling unit
Affordable housing built in conjunction with market-rate housing in inclusionary housing developments.

Inclusionary Zoning
Zoning which requires portions of new developments or subdivisions to set aside a certain number of lots or units at less-than-market rates. Alternatively, inclusionary zoning may requires the subdivider or developer to pay a fee in lieu of providing the lots or units, and the fees are then used by the municipality to create new affordable housing units.

Income categories
Commonly defined categories of income classification, as a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI) as follows:

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Least cost housing
Least cost housing consists of housing types that are generally less expensive to build (per unit) than typically single-family housing units, and thus can be sold or rented at lower rates than typical homes. While least cost housing is not necessarily “affordable” housing per se (meaning it does not necessarily cost 30 percent or less of household income), it is generally cheaper, and thus within the reach of many low and moderate income families. Examples of least cost housing include mobile homes, some manufactured or pre-fabricated units, accessory dwelling units, apartments, and multi-family homes.

Low Income
A household whose income does not exceed 80 percent of the median income for the area, as determined by HUD, with adjustments for smaller or larger families.

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Median Income
See “Area Median Income”.

Mixed-Income
A type of development that includes families with various income levels. Mixed-income developments are intended to decrease economic and social isolation.

Mixed-Use
A type of development that combines various uses, such as office, commercial, institutional, and residential, in a single building or on a single site in an integrated development project with significant functional interrelationships and a coherent physical design.

Moderate Income
Households whose incomes are between 81 percent and 120 percent of the median income for the area, as determined by HUD, with adjustments for smaller or larger families.

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Overlay Zone
A district established in a zoning ordinance that is superimposed on one or more districts or parts of districts and that imposes specified requirements in addition to, but not less, than those otherwise applicable for the underlying zone. An overlay zone might restrict certain uses or allow higher densities than would be permitted in the same zone in other parts of Town.

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Permitting Process
The process of obtaining government approval to build or renovate in compliance with applicable zoning and building codes.

Purchase of Development Rights
Purchase of Development Rights Under a PDR program, a landowner voluntarily sells his/her rights to develop a parcel of land to a public agency or qualified conservation organization. The landowner retains all other ownership rights attached to the land, and a conservation easement is placed on the land and recorded on the title. The buyer (often a local unit of government or land trust) essentially purchases the right to develop the land and extinguishes that right permanently, thereby assuring that development will not occur on that particular property. In placing such an easement on their farm and/or forest land, participating landowners often take the proceeds from sale of the development rights to invest in their farming operations or retire from the business, and may allow another farmer to purchase the land at lower rates (i.e. rates devoid of development rights).

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Single-Family Housing
A type of residential structure designed to include one dwelling. Adjacent units may share walls and other structural components but generally have separate access to the outside and do not share plumbing and heating equipment.

Subdivision
The division of a tract of land into defined lots, either improved or unimproved, which can be separately be conveyed by sale or lease, and which can be altered or developed.

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Tax Abatement
A reduction in taxes, usually for a specified period of time, granted as an incentive in a particular area or of a particular type, so as to achieve public purposes, in the case of Rhinebeck and this Plan, to encourage affordable housing development, trail and public open space dedication, and land conservation.

Tax Exemption
A reduction in taxes granted for special classes such as elderly or veterans.

Townhouse
A one-family dwelling in a row of such units in which each unit has its own front and rear access to the outside, no unit is located over another unit, and each unit is separated from any other unit by one or more common and fire-resistant walls. Townhouses usually have separate utilities; however, in some condominium situations, common areas are serviced by utilities purchased by a homeowners association on behalf of all townhouse members of the association.

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Upzoning
An increase in the amount of square footage or acreage of land required in connection with specified amounts of development: for example: a change in the acreage requirement for a single family home from one acre to three acres. “Upzoning” is often confused with “downzoning”, as it is common to assume that the “up” refers to the amount of allowable density instead of the amount of mandated land area.

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Very Low Income
Households whose incomes do not exceed 50 percent of the median area income for the area, as determined by HUD.

* The 2007 area median income is $76,400. The Town of Rhinebeck (and all of Dutchess County) is included within the current Office of Management and Budget definition of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown NY Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).