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12.0 Glossary

Development Rights: The right to develop land by a land owner who maintains fee-simple
ownership over the land or by a party other than the owner who has obtained the rights to
develop. Such rights usually are expressed in terms of density allowed under existing zoning.
For example, one development right may equal one unit of housing or may equal a specific
number of square feet of gross floor area in one or more specified zone districts.

Direct Effects: Effects which are caused by an action and occur at the same time and place.

Discoidal: Stone artifact having a circular shape. Specific to earlier periods of prehistory.
Actual function uncertain.

Discrete Early Actions: Measures that can be fully adopted as regulations and made
effective no later than January 1, 2010, as defined in AB 32. Other “early actions” are
measures that are underway or are to be initiated by the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) in the 2007–2012 timeframe (ENVIRON 2009).

Discretionary Approval/Decision: A decision requiring the exercise of judgment,
deliberation, or decision on the part of the decision-making authority in the process of
approving or disapproving a particular activity, as distinguished from situations where the
decision-making authority merely has to determine whether there has been conformity with
applicable statutes, ordinances, or regulations. An approval by a decision-making body
which has the legal discretion to approve or deny a project or action.

Discretionary Project: A project which requires the exercise of judgment or deliberation
when the public agency or body decides to approve or disapprove a particular activity, as
distinguished from situations where the public agency or body merely has to determine
whether there has been conformity with applicable statutes, ordinances, or regulations
(State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15357).

District: (1) An area of a city or county that has a unique character identifiable as different
from surrounding areas because of distinctive architecture, streets, geographic features,
culture, landmarks, activities, or land uses. (2) A portion of the territory of a city or county
within which uniform zoning regulations and requirements apply; a zone.

Diversion: The direction of water in a stream away from its natural course (i.e., as in a
diversion that removes water from a stream for human use).

Diversity: Differences among otherwise similar elements that give them unique forms and
qualities (i.e., housing diversity can be achieved by differences in unit size, tenure, or cost.)

Dose: A function of the concentration of a substance or substances in the environment and
the extent of exposure that a person has with the substance

Drainage: An area that collects and diverts rain water and urban runoff down slope.

Drainage Area: The portion of the Earth’s surface from which precipitation or other runoff
flows to a given location. With respect to a highway, this location may be a culvert, the
farthest point of a channel, or an inlet to a roadway drainage system.

R:\Projects\PAS\CEN\000306\Draft EIR\12.0_Glossary-051017.docx 12-23 Centennial Project
Draft EIR