[Ord. 963, 10/18/2006, § 202]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
APPLICANTA landowner or developer who has filed an application for a subdivision or land development, including his or her heirs, successors and assigns.
APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENTAny application, whether preliminary or final, required to be filed and approved prior to the start of construction or development, including, but not limited to, an application for the approval of a subdivision or land development plan.
AS-BUILT PLANA plan showing the actual plan location of easements, curbs, paving, catch basins, manholes, storm and sanitary sewers, wye-branches, waterlines, drainage channels, guardrails and retaining walls and the surface and flow line elevations of storm and sanitary sewers at every catch basin and manhole. The "plan" must be based on actual field measurements made during and after construction.
BOROUGHBorough of Forest Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
BOROUGH COUNCILThe Council of the Borough of Forest Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
BOROUGH ENGINEERA professional engineer licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, duly appointed by Borough Council to serve as the engineer for the Borough, or his designee.
BUILDINGAny covered structure that is permanently affixed to the land. Any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.
BUILDING LINEA line which designates the minimum distance that a building must be erected from a street right-of-way line. Such distance shall be measured at right angles from the front right-of-way which abuts the property upon which said building is located and be parallel to said right-of-way line.
CARTWAYThat portion of the street right-of-way which is surfaced for vehicular use.
CLEAR SIGHT TRIANGLEAn area of unobstructed vision at street intersections defined by lines of sight between points at a given distance from the intersection of street lines.
COMMON OPEN SPACEA parcel or parcels or land or an area of water, or a combination of land and water within a development site and designed and intended for the use and enjoyment of residents of a development, not including street, off-street parking areas and areas set aside for public facilities.
COMPREHENSIVE PLANThe community master plan created for the purposes of guiding community development in the Borough and known as the Comprehensive Plan of the Borough of Forest Hills.
CONSOLIDATIONThe combination of two or more lots, tracts or parcels of land for the purpose of sale or lease of a building or lot. A consolidation shall be generally referred to as a subdivision under the provisions of this chapter.
CONSTRUCTION STANDARD DETAILSThose standards prepared by the Borough Engineer and adopted by resolution of Borough Council, copies of which are on file in the office of the Borough Secretary.
COUNTYAllegheny County, Pennsylvania.
CUL-DE-SACA short street having one end open to traffic and being permanently terminated by a vehicle turnaround, including a court or dead-end street.
DEVELOPERAny landowner or agent of such landowner or tenant with the permission of such landowner, who proposes, makes, or causes to be made, a subdivision or land development.
DRIVEWAY, PRIVATEA vehicular access route serving only one parcel or lot which provides access to a public street, but which does not provide access to any other lot or parcel under separate ownership. All private driveways shall consist of a hard surface and shall have a maximum grade of no more than 15% slope.
EASEMENTA right-of-way for utility, access or similar purposes located outside the street right-of-way. An easement shall not be considered to be separate and distinct from the lot or parcel burdened by the easement for purposes of this chapter.
ENGINEERA professional engineer licensed as such in the Commonwealth.
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCILThe Environmental Advisory Council of the Borough, as established by Part
3, Chapter
1 of the Code of Ordinances of the Borough of Forest Hills.
The natural process by which soil and rock material moves on the earth's surface through the forces of wind and water.
FEEThe required charge established by this chapter to defray the cost of processing an application, reviewing an application or inspecting improvements during installation which shall be payable to the Borough in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.
FINAL APPLICATIONThe written and graphic materials specified by this chapter to be submitted to the Borough in order to obtain final approval of a proposed subdivision or land development plan.
FINAL PLATThe map or plan of a proposed subdivision or land development containing all the information required by this chapter and the Allegheny County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter
22] for final plat approval and in a form acceptable for recording in the office of the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds.
The slope of a road, street, or other public way specified in percentage terms.
GRADINGExcavation or fill or any combination thereof including conditions resulting from such activities.
GROSS FLOOR AREAThe sum of the gross horizontal area of several floor of a principal building or buildings located on the same lot. All dimensions shall be measured between exterior faces of walls.
IMPROVEMENTThe construction of a new principal building or an addition to an existing building or change of use resulting in an increase in the area of the lot covered by the building and/or paving for a nonresidential use.
LAND DEVELOPMENTAny of the following activities:
(1) The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving:
(a) 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.
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.
Development in accordance with § 503(1.1) of the Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10503(1.1).
LAND DEVELOPMENT PLANA plan which encompasses a proposed land development, which, in addition to a plat of subdivision, if required, includes: all covenants relating to the use of the land; the proposed use, location and bulk of buildings and other structures; the intensity of use or density of development; streets, ways and parking facilities; common open space and public facilities. The land development plan shall include all of the written and graphic information required by this chapter.
LAND DEVELOPMENT, MINORA single-family, or two-family residential development that creates not more than three lots or a nonresidential development with 5,000 square feet or less of new gross floor area.
LANDOWNERThe legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any condition); a lessee, if he or she is authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner; or other persons having a proprietary interest in the land.
LANDSCAPINGActing with the purpose of meeting specific criteria regarding uses of outside space, including ground cover, buffers and shade trees.
LOTA tract of land in a plan of subdivision or land development or any other parcel of land described in a deed or legal instrument pursuant to the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania intended to be used as a unit for development or transfer of ownership. All lots shall front on a public street.
MAINTENANCE SECURITYFinancial security required to be posted as a condition to the Borough's acceptance of dedication of public improvements following completion, by and in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and the Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
MOBILE HOMEA transportable, single family 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 permanent foundation.
MOBILE HOME LOTA 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.
MOBILE HOME PARKA parcel or contiguous parcels of land which has been so designated and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes.
OCCUPANTA resident or tenant on a temporary or permanent basis.
PERFORMANCE SECURITYFinancial security required to be posted as a condition to final plat approval, by and in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and the Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., in order to assure completion of improvements required by this chapter.
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTAn area of land, controlled by a landowner, to be developed as a single entity for a number of swelling units, or combination of residential and nonresidential uses, the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk, type of dwelling, or use, density, or intensity, lot coverage and required open space to the regulations established in any one district created, from time to time, under the provisions of the Borough Zoning Ordinance [Chapter
27].
A map or plan, either preliminary or final, indicating the subdivision, consolidation or redivision of land or a land development.
PRELIMINARY APPLICATIONThe written and graphic materials specified by this chapter to be submitted to the Borough in order to obtain preliminary approval of a proposed subdivision or land development.
PRELIMINARY PLATThe map or plan of a proposed subdivision or land development which contains all of the information required by this chapter for approval of a preliminary application.
PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTSAll roads, streets, walkways, gutters, stormwater management facilities, curbs, sewers and other facilities to be owned, maintained or operated by a private entity such as an individual, corporation or homeowners association for which plans and specifications must comply with the provisions of this chapter and Borough Construction Standard Details.
PUBLIC GROUNDSIncludes:
(1) Parks, playgrounds, trails, paths and other recreational areas and other public areas.
Sites for schools, sewage treatment, refuse disposal and other publicly owned or operated facilities.
Publicly owned or operated scenic historic sites.
PUBLIC HEARINGA formal meeting held pursuant to public notice by the Borough Councilor Planning Commission, intended to inform and obtain public comment, prior to taking action in accordance with this chapter.
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTSAll roads, streets, walkways, gutters, stormwater management facilities, curbs, sewers and other facilities to be dedicated to and accepted by or maintained by the Borough for which plans and specifications must comply with the provisions of this chapter and Borough Construction Standard Details.
PUBLIC MEETINGA forum held pursuant to notice under the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, 65 Pa.C.S.A. § 701 et seq., as amended.
PUBLIC NOTICENotice published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the Borough. Such notice shall state the time and place of the hearing and the particular nature of the matter to be considered at the hearing. The first publication shall be not more than 30 days and the second publication shall not be less than seven days from the date of the hearing.
RIGHT-OF-WAYA strip of land occupied or intended to be occupied primarily as a right-of-way for vehicular travel meeting the "Improvement Standards" of Part
3 of this chapter, the "Construction Standards" of Part
4 of this chapter and the Borough's Construction Standard Details.
The maximum extent of unobstructed vision (in a horizontal or vertical plane) along a street from a vehicle located at any given point on the street.
SITEThe lot, tract or parcel of land upon which a project or development will occur.
STREETAny street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, freeway, parkway, lane, alley, viaduct or any other way, whether public or private, used or intended to be used by vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
STREET, ARTERIALA public street which serves large volumes of local and through traffic and which collects and distributes traffic from collector streets through the region. Streets classified as arterial in the Borough are Greensburg Pike and Ardmore Boulevard.
STREET, COLLECTORA public street which, in addition to providing access to abutting lots, intercepts local streets and provides a route for carrying considerable volumes of local traffic to community facilities and arterial streets. Streets classified as collector in the Borough are Filmore Road and Braddock Road.
STREET, LOCALA street designed to provide access to abutting lots and to discourage through traffic.
STREET, PRIVATEA street, including the entire private right-of-way, which is privately owned and maintained through private agreement and which is intended for private use. A private street provides access to several lots or parcels which do not have access to a public street and which require access to a public street through the private street. (See also "driveway, private.")
STREET, PUBLICA street, including the entire public right-of-way, which has been dedicated to and accepted by the Borough or which has been devoted to public use by legal mapping, use or other means.
STREET, SERVICEA short street or alley, whether public, or private, designed only to provide secondary access to a structure or group of structures or to parking and loading facilities accessory to the structures and which is not intended for general traffic circulation.
STRUCTUREAny assembled, erected or constructed object having a stationary location on or in land or water, whether or not it is affixed to the land. This includes, but is not limited to, gazebos, storage sheds or containers, free-standing posts, pillars and similar uses.
SUBDIVISIONThe division, redivision or consolidation 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, or transfer of ownership or building or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision 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.
SUBDIVISION, MINORAny subdivision of less than three lots and not constituting a land development.
SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETEDWhere in the judgment of the Borough Engineer, at least 90% (based on the cost of the required improvements for which financial security was posted pursuant to the requirements of this chapter) of those improvements required as a condition for final approval have been completed in accordance with the approved plan, so that the project will be able to be used, occupied or operated for its intended use.
SURVEYORA professional land surveyor licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
TEMPORARY STRUCTUREA building or structure intended to be used for a period of six months or less including, but not limited to, construction or land sales trailers, tents, bleachers, air-supported structures, seasonal displays and similar structures.
WATERCOURSEA channel or conveyance of surface water having defined bed and banks, whether natural or artificial, with perennial or intermittent flow, including, but not limited to, drainage channel, creek, drain, river or stream.
ZONING ORDINANCEThe Borough Zoning Ordinance [Chapter
27], as amended, codified as Chapter
27 of the Code of Ordinances of the Borough of Forest Hills.