The key
Every abbreviation used in the scenarios, in plain language. The same definitions appear under “What do these terms mean?” on each decision card.
A
- AMIArea Median Income
- A household income benchmark published for a region. '80% AMI' means a household earning 80% of the regional median — a common target for attainable housing.
C
- CDFICommunity Development Financial Institution
- A lender that exists to fund projects mainstream banks often won't. Terms are usually more patient, and the paperwork is heavier.
- CLTCommunity Land Trust
- A nonprofit that owns the land permanently and sells only the homes on it, so the price stays attainable for future owners too.
- cluster subdivisionCluster / open-space subdivision
- A rule that lets you build more homes if you permanently set aside part of the land as open space.
- contingencyContingency reserve
- Money held back for things that go wrong. Usually a percentage of construction cost.
D
- DPADown Payment Assistance
- A grant or deferred loan that helps a buyer cover part of their down payment and closing costs.
- delineationWetland delineation
- A qualified specialist marking, on the ground, exactly where regulated wetlands begin and end.
E
- ESAEnvironmental Site Assessment
- A study of whether a site is polluted. 'Phase I' is records and a walk-through; 'Phase II' means drilling soil and water samples.
- entitlementsEntitlements
- The legal permissions a site needs before building — zoning, subdivision, stormwater, access.
- expediterPermit coordinator / expediter
- A specialist who tracks submissions and chases review comments so the package doesn't stall.
G
- GMPGuaranteed Maximum Price
- A construction contract where the contractor caps the price. Cost certainty, usually bought with a higher number.
L
- LTCLoan-to-Cost
- How much of the project's total cost a lender will finance. 75% LTC means you must find the other 25%.
- LIHTCLow-Income Housing Tax Credit
- A federal tax credit that investors buy to fund affordable rental housing. Powerful, but slow and heavily regulated.
M
- MBE/WBEMinority- / Women-owned Business Enterprise
- Firms certified as owned by minority or women entrepreneurs. Hiring them is often counted as a community benefit.
R
- RLSRow-Level Security
- Database rules that decide which rows each signed-in account is allowed to see.
T
- TDCTotal Development Cost
- Everything it costs to deliver the project: land, construction, fees, financing, and contingency.
B
- by-rightBy-right development
- A project that current zoning already permits, so no rezoning or special hearing is needed.
I
- interest reserveInterest reserve
- Money set aside to pay loan interest while the project is still being built and earns nothing.
V
- value engineeringValue engineering (VE)
- Cutting cost by swapping materials or finishes, ideally without cutting the structure or the program.
W
- will-serve letterWill-serve / capacity letter
- A utility's written confirmation that water or sewer capacity is actually available to your site.