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Appendices
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Glossary
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Bike Lane - A portion of the roadway that has been designated by striping, signing and pavement
markings for the preferential and exclusive use of bicyclists.
CAMPO - Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. A multi-jurisdictional agency with fed-
eral responsibility for long-range transportation planning for the Raleigh area including Morrisville.
CIP - Capital Improvement Plan. A CIP details the infrastructure improvements (streets, water and
sewer facilities, as well as police and fire stations) that the Town will need to meet the needs of
growth over the next five years.
Collector Street - Collect traffic from local roads and connects with thoroughfares. Lower speed and
shorter distances than arterials.
Committed Land Use - Parcels that are developed and are likely to stay in their current use for the
time period covered by the Land Use Plan, or parcels that are undevelopable for other reasons. E.g.
parcels built 1996 or later, Town, State or Federally owned developed parcels.
ETJ - Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction. An ETJ is the area adjacent to and outside of the town limits in which
the municipality has authority to exercise planning, zoning, building and subdivision regulation.
Freeway - Multi-lane roadway with limited access and relatively high speeds.
FAR - Floor Area Ratio. FAR is the ratio of the floor area of a building to the area of the lot on which
the building is located. A 1:1 FAR might be reached with a one story covering the entire lot, 2 stories
covering half of the lot, or 4 stories covering a quarter of the lot. A greater FAR implies a more inten-
sive use of the land, although it need not be in terms of impervious surface coverage.
Future Land Use - The proposed future use for land in the town. This designation is made for planning
purposes only and does not restrict the property owner in any way.
Greenway - Similar to a Multi-use Path, but contained in an independent right-of-way, separated
from roadways.
Gross Density and Net Density - Gross density is calculated by dividing the number of dwelling units
by the total area of the subdivision, including roads, open space, and unbuildable areas. It results
in a lower number of dwelling units per acre than net density, which is calculated by dividing the
number of dwelling units by only the developed area, such as houses and private yards.
High-Visibility Crosswalk - Instead of two simple stripes, a bold pattern of reflective paint, combined
with high-visibility signage.
Intensity - Related to the discussion of density of residential or commercial land uses, intensity refers
more to the design of the facilities rather than the actual number of units per land area. Develop-
ments with the same density can have different intensities depending on how they are designed.
Land Use Plan - The vehicle for town staff and the public to express their vision for the town’s future. It
is intended to guide public officials in their consideration of proposed developments, but it does not
legally bind the town or property owners to a particular land use.
Local Roads - All roads not defined as freeways, thoroughfares or collectors. Provide access to land
with little or no through movement.
Multi-use Path - Wide sidewalk, typically 8 to 10 feet wide. Physically separated from motor vehicle
traffic, but usually within the roadway right-of-way.
NCDENR - North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
NCDOT - North Carolina Department of Transportation
Net Density - See Gross Density above.
PAC - Plan Advisory Committee. Group of ten citizens and two alternates selected by the Town
Council to provide input to the staff and consultants in drafting the Plans.
Planning Jurisdiction - The town limits, ETJ and SRUSA comprise the town’s planning jurisdiction.
RDU - Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Located adjacent to and northeast of Morrisville.
Redevelopment Potential - Parcels that are developed but are underutilized for their location. Suf-
ficient value exists in the location that developers may benefit from redeveloping it for a different or
more intensive use. E.g. parcels with older/smaller buildings that are near major roadways.
RTP - Research Triangle Park. Office and industrial park covering 7,000 acres in Durham and Wake
counties. Located northwest and adjacent to Morrisville.
Sharrow - Sharrows are streets marked with bicycle symbols to denote that bicycles “share” the
travel lane with motorized traffic.
Short-Range Urban Services Area - All land in the jurisdiction that: (a) is projected and intended to
be urbanized and served by municipal services in the next 10 years; and (b) is not located within a
water supply watershed. A water supply watershed includes all land that drains down to an existing
or planned surface water source of drinking water and is subject to the State’s minimum water sup-
ply watershed protection regulations.
Signed Bicycle Route - Designated route with directional and informational markers. Designated
along more lightly traveled secondary roads where additional facilities are not necessary.
Thoroughfare - Relatively high level of service at the greatest speed for the longest uninterrupted
distance, with some degree of access control.
TIP - Transportation Improvement Program. Plan that contains a seven-year forecast of transporta-
tion improvements. Forms the basis for state funding of transportation projects.
Travel Demand Model - Computer simulation to project traffic using future transportation network
conditions. Described in more detail on page X of the Transportation Plan.
UDO - Unified Development Ordinance. A combination of zoning ordinances and subdivision ordi-
nances, it also includes regulations such as nuisance regulations and sign regulations.
Wide Outside Lane - The through lane closest to the curb is wider (generally 14 feet, rather than 12 or
11 feet), allowing cars to more safely pass bicyclists.
Zoning Ordinance - The set of laws that govern how property owners can develop their land, stating
the acceptable uses and densities for each category. Zoning is the legally-binding form of control
on property, rather than the Land Use Plan.
High-Visibility Crosswalk in front
of Cedar Fork Elementary.
Diagram of a greenway.