Zoning Glossary E-F
This Glossary is provided to assist the public in understanding the staff evaluation and analysis of development proposals. It should not be construed as representing legal definitions. Refer to the Fairfax County Zoning Ordinance, Comprehensive Plan or Public Facilities Manual for additional information.
EASEMENT: A right to or interest in property owned by another for a specific and limited purpose. Examples: access easement, utility easement, construction easement, etc. Easements may be for public or private purposes.
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CORRIDORS (EQCs): An open space system designed to link and preserve natural resource areas, provide passive recreation and protect wildlife habitat. The system includes stream valleys, steep slopes and wetlands. For a complete definition of EQCs, refer to the Environmental section of the Policy Plan for Fairfax County contained in Vol. 1 of the Comprehensive Plan.
ERODIBLE SOILS: Soils that wash away easily, especially under conditions where stormwater runoff is inadequately controlled. Silt and sediment are washed into nearby streams, thereby degrading water quality.
FLOODPLAIN: Those land areas in and adjacent to streams and watercourses subject to periodic flooding; usually associated with environmental quality corridors. The 100 year floodplain drains 70 acres or more of land and has a one percent chance of flood occurrence in any given year.
FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR): An expression of the amount of development intensity (typically, non-residential uses) on a specific parcel of land. FAR is determined by dividing the total square footage of gross floor area of buildings on a site by the total square footage of the site itself.
FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION: A system for classifying roads in terms of the character of service that individual facilities are providing or are intended to provide, ranging from travel mobility to land access. Roadway system functional classification elements include Freeways or Expressways which are limited access highways, Other Principal (or Major) Arterials, Minor Arterials, Collector Streets, and Local Streets. Principal arterials are designed to accommodate travel; access to adjacent properties is discouraged. Minor arterials are designed to serve both through traffic and local trips. Collector roads and streets link local streets and properties with the arterial network. Local streets provide access to adjacent properties.