A.
Words used in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural
include the singular. The word "person" includes a corporation and
a partnership as well as an individual. The word "building" includes
"structure" and shall be construed as if followed by the words "or
part thereof." The word "street" includes "street" and "lane," and
"watercourse" includes "drain," "ditch" and "stream."
B.
ALLEY
ANCHORING
APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
BASE FLOOD
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE)
BLOCK
BUFFER
(1)
(2)
(3)
BUILDING SETBACK LINE
CARTWAY
CLEAR SIGHT TRIANGLE
COMMON ELEMENTS
COMMON OPEN SPACE
COMMON PARKING
CONCENTRATED FLOW
CONSTRUCTION
CROSSWALK
CUL-DE-SAC
DEVELOPER
DEVELOPMENT
DRAINAGE
DRIVEWAY
EASEMENT
EQUIVALENT RIGHT-OF-WAY
FILL
FLOOD
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY (FIS)
FLOODPLAIN AREA
FLOODPROOFING
FLOODWAY
HITCH
IMPROVEMENT
LAND DEVELOPMENT
(1)
(a)
(b)
(2)
LOT
MOBILE HOME
MOBILE HOME LOT
MOBILE HOME PARK
MOBILE HOME STAND OR PAD
MONUMENT
ONE-HUNDRED-YEAR FLOOD
PARKING SPACE
PLAN, AS-BUILT
PLAN, FINAL
PLAN, IMPROVEMENT CONSTRUCTION
PLANNING COMMISSION
PLAN, PRELIMINARY
PLAN, RECORD
RIGHT-OF-WAY
SEDIMENT
SEDIMENTATION
SEWER CONNECTION
SEWER RISER PIPE
SHEET FLOW
SIGHT DISTANCE
SKIRTS
STREAM
STREET
(1)
(2)
(3)
STRUCTURE
SUBDIVISION
SWALE
TENURE
TOPSOIL
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
TRACT AREA
ULTIMATE RIGHT-OF-WAY
WATER CONNECTION
WATERCOURSE
WATER RISER PIPE
WOODLAND (includes Forest or Tree Mass)
(1)
(2)
WOODLAND CANOPY
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following terms shall, for
the purpose of these regulations, have the meanings indicated:
A strip of land over which there is a right-of-way, municipally
or privately owned, on which no dwellings or stores front, serving
as the secondary means of access to two or more properties.
The fastening of the mobile home to its mobile home stand
or pad in order to prevent upset or damage due to wind, erosion, flooding
or other natural forces.
Every application, whether preliminary or final, required
to be filed and approved prior to start of construction or development,
including but not limited to an application for a building permit,
for the approval of a subdivision plat or plan or for the approval
of a development plan.
A flood which has a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year (also called the "one-hundred-year flood").
The elevation shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
for Zones AE, AH, Al-30 that indicates the water surface elevation
resulting from a flood that has a one-percent or greater chance of
being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The BFE is also shown
on the FIS profile, and can be determined for Zone A Floodplains.
An area bounded by streets.
An area designed and functioning to separate the elements
and uses of land which abut it and to ease the transition between
them. Unless otherwise specified, buffers may be included as part
of the required setbacks and yard areas. Buffers are divided into
three types:
SCREEN BUFFERA buffer comprised of natural and/or man-made material arranged in a certain specified depth, height and density to effectively block the view from one side to another during all seasons of the year and to reduce the transmittal of noise and odors between the sides.
SOFTENING BUFFERA buffer comprised of natural and/or man-made material arranged in a certain specified depth, height and density to ease and soften, but not essentially block, the view from one side to another and to reduce the transmittal of noise and odors between the sides.
OPEN BUFFERA buffer normally comprised of grass, ground cover and/or possibly other landscaping material having a specified depth, but not necessarily having significant vertical components to achieve a certain height or density, the purpose of which is to achieve adequate spacing and attractive landscaping between two or more actively used areas.
A line within a lot, so designated on a subdivision or land
development plan, between which line and right-of-way line of the
street on which the lot abuts a building may not be erected.
The portion of a street or alley intended for vehicular use.
An area of unobstructed vision at street intersections defined
by lines of sight between points at a given distance from the intersection
of the street center lines.
Any part of a development used jointly by the occupants of
the development, including but not limited to open space, recreation
facilities, streets, parking areas, storage buildings and maintenance
facilities.
Any area of land and/or water designed for joint use and
recreational enjoyment of tenants and/or owners occupying a development,
excluding common parking areas, streets, storage buildings and similar
facilities not primarily intended for recreational benefit. The common
open space shall be essentially free of structures but may contain
such improvements as are in the subdivision or development plan, as
finally approved, and as are appropriate for the recreation of residents.
Any parking area used by three or more motor vehicles.
Runoff that accumulates or converges into well-defined channels.
The construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension,
expansion, alteration or relocation of a building or structure, including
the placement of mobile homes.
A right-of-way, municipally or privately owned, at least
10 feet in width, which cuts across a block so as to furnish access
for pedestrians to adjacent streets or properties.
A local street with one end open for public vehicular and
pedestrian access and the other terminating in a vehicular turnaround.
Any landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant, with the
permission of such landowner, who makes or causes to be made a subdivision
of land or a land development.
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including but not limited to buildings or other structures, the placement
of mobile homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging,
filling, grading, excavation or drilling operations.
The flow of water and the method, means or structures for
directing such flow, whether surface or subsurface and whether natural
or artificial.
A means of passage for vehicles upon a lot which must be
a minimum of 10 feet wide and constructed with a base course and surface
course so that it is passable in all types of weather.
A right-of-way or other right granted for limited use of
private land for public or quasi-public purpose or private purposes.
A theoretical right-of-way dimension calculated from the
center line of designated private streets, the width of which corresponds
to that of public streets performing the same function.
Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other
material is deposited, placed, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported
or moved to a new location, and includes the conditions resulting
therefrom.
A temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of
normally dry land areas.
The official map on which the Federal Emergency Management
Agency of Federal Insurance Administration has delineated both the
areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable
to the community.
The official report provided by the Federal Insurance Administration
that includes flood profiles, the Flood Insurance Rate Map, the Flood
Boundary and Floodway Map, and the water surface elevation of the
base flood.
A relatively flat or low land area which is subject to partial
or complete inundation from an adjoining or nearby stream, river or
watercourse; and/or any area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation
of surface waters from any source. The floodplain area is defined
in Article XXV of the Township Zoning Ordinance[1] as the Floodplain Conservation District.
The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent
land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood
without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than
one foot.
A device which is part of the frame or attaches to the frame
of a mobile home and connects it to a power source for the purpose
of transporting the unit.
The physical additions, installations and changes required
to render land suitable for the use proposed, including, but not limited
to, grading, paving, curbing, streetlights and signs, wells, fire
hydrants, water mains, sanitary sewers, septic tanks, storm drains,
sidewalks, crosswalks, street shade trees, underground gas mains and
electric and telephone conduits.
Includes any of the following activities:
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts
or parcels of land for any purpose involving:
A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings,
whether proposed initially or cumulatively, or a single nonresidential
building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or
tenure; or
The division or allocation of land or space, whether initially
or cumulatively, between or among two or more existing or prospective
occupants by means of, or for the purpose of streets, common areas,
leaseholds, condominiums, building groups or other features.
A subdivision of land.
A parcel of land intended for transfer of ownership or building
development.
A transportable, single-family detached dwelling intended
for permanent occupancy contained in one unit, or in two or more units
designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being
separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and
ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and
assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used without
a permanent foundation including any roofed addition such as extra
rooms, covered patios, arches, etc. The mobile home may not meet local
building codes but does meet the standards set by the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development and other appropriate
federal agencies and is certified by them.
A parcel of land in a mobile home park, improved with the
necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for
the erection thereon of a single mobile home and the exclusive use
of its occupants.
A parcel or contiguous parcels of land under single ownership
which has been so designated and improved that it contains two or
more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes, subject
to the requirements of the R-9 Residential Zoning District.
That part of an individual lot which has been reserved and
prepared for the placement of the mobile home.
A permanent marker, made of stone or concrete, set by a registered
professional land surveyor at points along the street right-of-way
and tract boundaries or at locations as directed by the Township Engineer.
A flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded
in any given year. Also referred to as the "one-percent-frequency
flood," or the "base flood," as defined by FEMA in the Flood Insurance
Study for Whitpain Township.
A reasonably level space available for parking of one motor
vehicle not less than 9 1/2 feet in width and having an area
of not less than 180 1/2 square feet, exclusive of passageways
or other means of circulation or access. Said parking space shall
be surfaced with an appropriate all-weather surface material sufficient
to enable use thereof in all weather conditions. Parking space dimensions
may be altered pursuant to the applicable provisions of Article XXVII
of the Zoning Code.[2]
A plan prepared by a registered professional engineer or
registered land surveyor licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
showing the dimensions and locations of all improvements as actually
constructed both above and below grade. It consists of an updated
set of drawings showing all details in the as-built condition.
A complete and exact plan, with a professional engineer's
seal affixed and prepared for official recording as required by this
chapter to define property rights, streets and other proposed improvements.
It consists of an improvement construction plan and a record plan.
A plan prepared by a registered engineer or land surveyor
licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania showing the construction
details of streets, drainage swales, pipes and conduits, sewers, bridges,
culverts and other improvements as required by this chapter.
The Whitpain Township Planning Commission.
A plan prepared by a registered engineer licensed in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania showing existing features and topography
of the land and approximate proposed streets, lot layout and other
improvements required by this chapter to be shown on that plan as
a basis for consideration prior to preparation of a final plan.
A plan prepared for recording by a registered engineer or
registered land surveyor licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
showing right-of-way lines, easements, lot lines and areas and any
other relevant information pertaining to the streets or lot layout
of a subdivision or of a land development.
The land acquired, reserved or dedicated as a street, alley,
crosswalk or for other public purposes.
The resulting residue from the movement of water, ice, wind,
gravity or other means of erosion.
The process by which mineral or organic matter is accumulated
or deposited by moving water, ice, wind or gravity. Once this matter
is deposited (or remains suspended in water), it is usually referred
to as sediment.
Consists of all pipes, fittings and appurtenances from the
drain outlet of the mobile home to the inlet of the corresponding
sewer riser pipe.
That portion of the sewer lateral which extends vertically
to the ground elevation and terminates at each mobile home space.
An overland flow or downslope movement of water taking the
form of a thin, continuous film over relatively smooth soil or rock
surfaces and not concentrated into channels larger than rills.
The longest required line of unobstructed vision along the
street visible to the driver of a passenger vehicle at any given point
on the street measured in accordance with standards established by
the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Panels specifically designed for the purpose of screening
the underside of a mobile home by forming an extension of the vertical
exterior walls of the mobile home and covering the entire distance
between the bottom of the exterior walls and the ground elevation
below.
A continuing current or flow of water.
A general term used to describe a right-of-way, public or
privately owned, serving as a means of vehicular and pedestrian travel,
furnishing access to abutting properties, with space for sewers and
public utilities.
ARTERIALA through street originating outside the Township and carrying large volumes of traffic. It provides the highest level of service at the greatest speed for the longest uninterrupted distance, with some degree of access control. This category shall include the following streets: Skippack Pike, North Wales Road, DeKalb Pike, Butler Pike, Norristown Road, Swede Street, Stenton Avenue, Penllyn-Blue Bell Pike and Morris Road.
COLLECTORA street collecting the traffic of local streets and delivering to arterial streets. It provides a less highly developed level of service at a lower speed for shorter distances by collecting traffic from local roads and connecting them with arterials. This category shall include the following streets: Wentz Road, Walton Road, Jolly Road, Plymouth Road north of Morris Road, Union Meeting Road, Cathcart Road, Arch Street, Narcissa Road, Yost Road, School Road, Township Line Road South, West Mount Pleasant Avenue, and Lewis Lane. With respect to Township Line Road South, the right-of-way adjacent to land zoned R-1 or R-2 shall be 30 feet measured from the center line of said street; with respect to all other zoning classifications, the right-of-way shall be 40 feet measured from the center line of said street.
[Amended 5-1-2018 by Ord. No.
366]
LOCALA minor street serving residential properties. It consists of all roads not defined as arterials or collectors; primarily provides access to land with little or no through movement.
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location
on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land.
The division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land
by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions
of land, including changes in existing lot lines for the purpose,
whether immediate or future, of lease, partition by the court for
distribution to heirs or devisees, transfer of ownership or building
or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision of land
by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than
10 acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or any
residential dwelling, shall be exempted.
A low-lying area of land which gathers or carries surface
water runoff.
The form of occupancy of a unit, i.e., fee simple sale, rental,
condominium, cooperative, etc.
Surface soils and subsurface soils which presumably are fertile
soils and soil material, ordinarily rich in organic matter or humus
debris. Topsoil is usually found in the uppermost soil layer called
the "A horizon."
A professional engineer registered in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, duly designated by the Board of Supervisors to perform
the duties of Township Engineer.
The total acreage within the lot lines, excluding those areas
continuously covered with water and rights-of-way of existing public
streets and overhead utility lines.
The expected future right-of-way width computed from the
center line of an established right-of-way, as shown on the Ultimate
Right-of-Way Map for Whitpain Township, adopted by the Township Board
of Supervisors as a part of the Official Map of Whitpain Township.
Said map may be examined at the office of the Township Secretary.
Consists of all pipes, fittings and appurtenances from the
water riser pipe to the water inlet pipe of the distribution system
within the mobile home.
A perennial or intermittent channel, stream, brook, river,
creek, ditch for water, swale, drain, dry run, or spring, whether
natural or man-made with a detached bed and bank.
That portion of the water service pipe which extends vertically
to the ground elevation and terminates at a designated point at each
mobile home lot.
[Added 10-17-2017 by Ord. No. 360]
An area, grove or stand of evergreen or deciduous primarily
native trees or plants covering at least 5,000 square feet, and containing
some trees which are at least 20 feet in height or four inches diameter
at breast height, having canopies that interlock or are nearly contiguous.
Woodlands shall include areas where woodland disturbance has
occurred within the previous five years. Woodlands shall not include
a field of nursery stock or of native trees planted for commercial
purposes so long as the area shall not have been abandoned.
The area of woodland measured from the outermost reaches
of a tree's widest branching points, which shall be contiguous
or nearly contiguous and which shall consist of generally healthy
trees and those areas that had qualified as woodland but were removed
within the previous five years and remain unbuilt upon.
[Added 10-17-2017 by Ord.
No. 360]
