[Ord. 215, 3/8/1976, § 201]
1. For purposes of these regulations, certain terms or words used herein
are defined as follows:
A. The word "person" or "developer" includes a firm, association, organization,
partnership, trust, company or corporation as well as an individual.
B. The present tense includes the future tense.
C. The singular number includes the plural and the plural number includes
the singular.
D. The word "shall" is mandatory; the word "may" is permissive.
E. Words generally found in legal terminology shall be considered to
have meanings in this chapter similar to their generally held definition
in a court of law.
[Ord. 215, 3/8/1976, § 202; as amended by Ord.
301, 13/30/1991, § 7; by Ord. 372, 9/2/2008, § I;
and by A.O.]
ALIGNMENT
The vertical or horizontal line to which a street, road or
utility adheres in its passage across, over or under the land.
ALLEY
A right-of-way less than 30 feet in width providing secondary
access to a property or properties and upon which no property has
its only means of access.
AMENDMENT
A change in these regulations, including addition of new
requirements, revision of existing requirements or deletion of obsolete
requirements, necessitating public hearings and formal adoption by
the Board of Supervisors before becoming effective.
APPLICATION
A formal request in writing by a person or developer for
consideration of a proposal to develop land in accordance with the
requirements of these regulations.
BLOCK
An area of land, generally in a plan of lots, surrounded
by streets.
BOUNDARY
A line that demarcates the edge of a municipality, a development
plan, zoning district or other land area.
BUILDING
Any man-made structure placed upon the land for any purpose.
BUILDING PERMIT
A document issued by the Township attesting that a proposal
for construction meets all requirements of these regulations and other
applicable development ordinances in force and allowing such proposed
construction to commence.
CARTWAY
The area, usually hard surfaced, within a vehicular right-of-way
for passage of vehicles.
COLLECTOR STREET
A street that in addition to serving the properties abutting
it also receives traffic from intersecting minor streets for distribution
to major highways.
COMMISSION
Unless indicated specifically as the County Planning Commission,
the term refers to the local Township Planning Commission.
COMMON OPEN SPACE
Undeveloped land within a planned residential development
or other land development owned and maintained jointly by the residents
of the development for their exclusive benefit.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
A document based on study and analysis of past trends in
a municipality, projecting future change, recommending measures to
cope with such change and representing the official policy of the
Township towards physical change.
CONTOUR
An imaginary line connecting all points with the same elevation
above or below a fixed base point whose elevation is known.
CORNER LOT
A property that abuts two adjacent streets that intersect.
COVENANT
An agreement legally binding successor owners of a property
to certain conditions regarding use of the property stipulated by
the original owner.
CROSS-SECTION
A drawing showing the relation of component parts as if the
object being examined had been cut through; usually a cut through
a road or utility at right angles to its length revealing materials
and dimensions of components of construction.
CUL-DE-SAC
A street with connection to other streets at only one end
and having a permanent vehicular turnaround at the closed end.
CURVE
A rounded change of direction of an alignment that can be
described by bearings, angles and distances; a sag curve describes
the lowest point in a vertical alignment and a crest curve the highest
point.
CUT
An excavation into earth material that has laid dormant for
at least two years.
DEDICATION
The designation of property, formerly privately owned, for
public or semipublic purpose, such designation stipulated in writing
by the private owner and accepted by the public or semipublic body.
DENSITY
The measure of openness or compactness per unit area as to
the number of families or other quantity, usually per net acre, on
the ground.
DEVELOPER
An individual, group or corporation that undertakes to improve
a property or properties in accordance with these regulations and
with concurrence of the Board of Supervisors.
DWELLING
A building designed exclusively for residential purposes
for one or more families on a permanent basis.
EASEMENT
A right-of-way granted across private property generally
for public utility lines or for access to another property beyond,
passage over which is guaranteed by the grantor to those using the
easement.
EROSION
The process of breaking down and carrying away of exposed
ground surfaces by action of wind, water and temperature change.
FILL
Earth material excavated elsewhere and deposited upon the
ground surface in the process of grading.
FINAL PLAN
The documentation presented by a developer to the Township
for consideration under the terms of these regulations after approval
has been granted a preliminary plan proposal that included the land
area covered by the final plan proposal.
FRONT BUILDING LINE
An imaginary line parallel to the street right-of-way line
extending across a property between side lot lines a prescribed distance
from the right-of-way line and describing the limit of construction
on the property relative to the street.
GOVERNING BODY
The duly elected Board of Supervisors of Harmar Township.
HALF STREET
A right-of-way running parallel and adjacent to the boundary
of a lot plan or other development, intended to be expanded to full
street width upon development of the abutting property.
HIGH WATER TABLE
A condition often chronic, caused by the impermeability of
the soil, poor drainage characteristics or unusually heavy precipitation
that brings the level of water in the ground close to the surface.
HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION
An association of persons resident in a lot plan or development
plan that has an interest in a community facility or facilities which
it maintains and may own, holding the Township free of responsibility.
IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
A number assigned to a lot in a subdivision, so that all
the lots in a plan presented for preliminary approval are numbered
consecutively and in order beginning with one, such numbers to be
retained through recording of the plan.
IMPROVEMENT
Physical man-made changes to a property needed to prepare
the property to receive the uses proposed for it.
IMPROVEMENT BOND
A guarantee, backed by the developer's collateral held
in escrow, that improvements agreed upon as a condition of final plan
approval will be carried out as specified.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
Any of the following activities:
A.
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts
or parcels of land for any purpose involving:
(1)
A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings,
whether proposed initially or cumulative, or a single nonresidential
building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or
tenure.
(2)
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.
B.
A subdivision of land.
|
Land development excludes development in accordance with § 503(1.1)
of the Municipalities Planning Code, Act 170 of 1988, 53 P.S. § 10503(1.1).
|
LOT
A property within a group of similar sized properties in
a plan available for development.
LOT WIDTH
The distance between the side lot lines measured along the
front building line of a lot.
MARKER
A permanent indication, established by a registered surveyor,
of specified points in a subdivision or planned development, as specified
in these regulations.
MINOR STREET
A vehicular street serving the properties abutting it but
not intended to carry traffic collected from other streets.
MOBILE HOME
A transportable single-family dwelling intended for permanent
occupancy, office or place of assembly contained in one unit, or in
two 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.
MOBILE HOME PARK
A parcel of land under single ownership which has been planned
and improved for the placement of mobile homes for nontransient use,
consisting of two or more mobile home sites.
MOBILE HOME SITE
A location in a mobile home park prepared to receive one
mobile home in accordance with the requirements of these regulations.
MONUMENT
A permanent indication, established by a registered surveyor,
of points in the boundary of a subdivision or development plan, or
at points of changes of direction in street rights-of-way within the
plan.
MULTIPLE-FAMILY BUILDING
A residential structure designed to accommodate more than
two families, with access to the outside via common hallways, stairs
and/or elevators.
NET ACRE
The area within any acre of land in a subdivision or land
development not occupied by vehicular or pedestrian rights-of-way.
OFFICIAL MAP
A document adopted by a municipality and indicating the specific
location of land to be acquired in the future for municipal purposes.
OWNER OF RECORD
The individual or corporation whose name appears on the records
of the County Recorder of Deeds as the current owner of a property.
PLAN
An arrangement for development of a property, either for
sale or rental of lots or construction of buildings, including the
provision of improvements as required by these regulations.
PLAT
An arrangement of lots and streets that abut them in a plan.
PLAT ADJUSTMENT
Any of the following:
A.
Adjustment to a plat in the nature of lot line finalization
after final survey of property lines for townhouses and other attached
dwellings, as built, generally consistent with the previously approved
plan.
B.
Adjustment of lot lines between lots where no new lots are created.
C.
Consolidation of lot lines.
PRELIMINARY PLAN
The documentation presented by a developer to the Township
in support of a subdivision or land development plan for consideration
under the terms of these regulations.
PRINCIPAL FACADE
The side or sides of a building on which the majority of
dwelling units within have their access to light and air.
PRIVATE LANE
An access to a second property as an easement over the property
from which the second property was subdivided, approved in accordance
with the requirements of these regulations.
PROFILE
A vertical cut along the center line of a street or utility
line indicating the vertical alignment of the street or utility line,
the vertical dimension often exaggerated to clarify the relation between
horizontal and vertical measurements.
PROPERTY
An area or tract of land, all portions of which are in the
same ownership and the boundary of which closes on itself; also a
parcel.
PUBLIC HEARING
An advertised meeting called by the Township and open to
the public at which testimony is gathered on a proposal for development
or a revision to these or other development regulations in order to
assist the Township in reaching a decision of approval or disapproval
on the proposal or revision.
PUBLIC STREET
A right-of-way dedicated for public use which may or may
not have been accepted for maintenance by the Township.
RECORDING
The act of registering with the County Recorder of Deeds
a subdivision or land development plan which has received final approval
by the local municipality where it is located.
REVERSE FRONTAGE LOT
A lot whose frontage is at right angles or nearly so to the
other lots in the vicinity, typified by corner lots or lots fronting
on the end rather than the side of a rectangular or curvilinear block.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
A strip of land which has been dedicated for public use and
provides access to private property abutting it, connecting with other
rights-of-way to form a vehicular and pedestrian circulation pattern
in the Township; or an easement across private property for the passage
of public utilities or the disposal of stormwater.
ROW HOUSE
A dwelling unit within a group of at least three similar
units, attached to adjacent units at a common party wall, having direct
access to the outside at ground level and arranged to be no more than
two rooms in depth front to back; also a townhouse.
SEMIPUBLIC
A community function generally open to the public often with
constraints but not publicly owned or controlled.
SETBACK LINE
An imaginary line describing the boundary of the area on
a property within which construction can occur, the line being parallel
with the property boundaries and set back from them a distance normally
prescribed by the applicable zoning regulations.
SIGHT DISTANCE
The distance that an automobile driver can see ahead unobstructed
by changes in alignment or roadside structures or topography, usually
measured between points on a road center line three feet six inches
above the surface.
SOIL PERCOLATION TEST
A procedure for measuring the ability of soil to absorb moisture
as an indication of problems that will occur in connection with onlot
sewage disposal, conducted by a municipal or State Health Department
official.
STREET
An open public vehicular and/or pedestrian way within a recorded
right-of-way at least 30 feet in width, connecting with other streets
to form the Township circulation system.
SUBDIVISION
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 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.
THROUGH TRAFFIC
Traffic that is passing through an area because there is
no more feasible way for it to move between its origin and destination.
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP
A map delineating by contours the surface elevations of a
land area.
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
An individual registered as a professional civil engineer
by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania retained by the Township to advise
the Board of Supervisors on enforcement of these regulations where
an engineer's expertise is required.
VARIANCE
A grant by the Planning Commission allowing a developer to
proceed with a deviation of the regulations normally in force on his
property because unusual conditions are present there not of the developer's
making and the deviation if permitted will not downgrade the neighborhood.
WATERCOURSE
A natural or man-made drainage way over the land surface
by reason of the fact that it follows the lowest contours.
ZONING ORDINANCE
A document adopted by the Township establishing how and for
what uses land may be developed throughout the Township and setting
up procedures to administer and change the ordinance from time to
time.