A Developing Glossary

Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS): New city office within the Dept. of Health and Human Services, tasked with responding to neighborhoods as a "single point of contact" for their issues and concerns.

Neighborhood Planning Program: City initiative to develop some 50 separate neighborhood plans which would cover the entire central city. Three plans -- Chestnut, East Cesar Chavez, and Dawson -- are already completed, and 10 more are in the works.

Neighborhood Academy: ONS program designed to educate citizens and designate "neighborhood support teams" in East and Northeast Austin.

SPOCs: Single point of contact; a concept whereby every development project, whether large or small, would have one contact person or team assigned to their case, to act as an intermediary between the developer and the various city departments which have a stake in the project. This concept is already in place in some cities (see "San Diego," p.20) and is another ONS initiative.

Development Review & Inspection Dept.: (DRID) City department in charge of everything related to site plan approval and building code enforcement.

Smart Growth Initiative: A 1998 city initiative to manage urban and suburban growth, protect the environment, and enchance the local tax base.

Austin Neighborhoods Council (ANC): Umbrella group for neighborhood associations citywide.

Citizens Planning Committee (CPC): Council-appointed commission charged in 1994 with examining growth and development issues, specifically trying to make sense of the Land Development Code.