A.Â
The following
words or phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings
given to them in this article unless the context or Pennsylvania Municipalities
Planning Code, Act 247, as amended, indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise
expressly stated, the following terms shall, for the purpose of this
chapter, have the meanings indicated.
B.Â
Words
in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include
the singular.
C.Â
The word
"person" includes an individual or any other legal entity including
a corporation, unincorporated association and a partnership.
D.Â
The words
"shall" and "will" are mandatory; the word "may" is permissive.
E.Â
An "agency"
shall be construed to include its successors or assigns.
F.Â
"Building"
shall include "structure," and "structure" shall include "building,"
except where specified otherwise.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A land area of 43,560 square feet.
A lot line that shares a property line with another and has
no intervening street or alley right-of-way.
The production, keeping or maintenance for sale, lease, or
personal use of plants and animals useful to man, including, but not
limited to, forages and sod crops, grains and seed crops, dairy animals
and dairy products, poultry and poultry products, livestock, including
beef cattle, sheep, swine, horses, ponies, mules, goats, or any mutations
or hybrids thereof, including the breeding and grazing of any or all
of such animals, bees and apiary products, fur animals, fruits of
all kinds, vegetables, or lands devoted to soil conservation.
A public or private street primarily designed to serve as
secondary access to the side or rear of those properties whose principal
frontage is on some other street.
A landowner or developer, hereinafter defined, who has filed
an application for a subdivision or land development including his/her
successors and assigns.
Every application, whether preliminary, tentative, 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 or land development plan.
A road designed to include highways that provide connections
between urban places and other traffic generators that develop substantial
volumes of traffic on an intercounty or intertownship-Township-city
basis where the average trip lengths are usually five miles or greater.
The average number of vehicular trips generated by a land
use over a twenty-four-hour period during the week.
A permanent structure specifically designed and constructed
for an assemblage of persons, and including catering facilities, for
the purpose of hosting weddings, receptions, and other gatherings.
[Added 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2-2021]
A mound of soil, either natural or man-made, used to obstruct
views.
A pathway designed to be used by unmotorized bicycles.
An area within a property or site, generally adjacent to
and parallel with the property line, either consisting of natural
existing vegetation or created by the use of trees, shrubs, fences,
and/or berms, designed to limit continuously the view of and/or sound
from the site to adjacent sites or properties.
Any structure having a roof supported by columns or walls
and intended for the shelter, housing, or enclosure of any person,
animal, process or activity, equipment, goods, or materials of any
kind.
A detached, subordinate building, the use of which is customarily
incidental and subordinate to that of the principal building, and
which is located on the same lot as that occupied by the principal
building. The definition of "accessory building" shall include accessory
structure. In the case of a single-family dwelling, only one additional
dwelling on a lot shall be considered an accessory building and the
second dwelling shall meet all of the yard and height requirements
of the principal structures in the zoning district.
A building in which is conducted the principal use of the
lot on which it is located.
A measurement of the diameter of a trunk tree at four feet
above grade.
A completed water supply and/or sewage collection system
put in place for future use (contingent upon expansion), rather than
to meet immediate development needs.
The actual road surface area from curbline to curbline that
may include travel lanes, parking lanes and deceleration and acceleration
lanes. Where there are no curbs, the cartway is that portion between
the edges of the paved or hard surface width.
The bed and banks of a natural stream that convey the constant
or intermittent flow of the stream.
The straightening and deepening of channels and/or the constant
or intermittent flow of the stream.
Those streets carrying considerable volumes of traffic that,
in addition to giving access to abutting properties, intercept local
streets and provide routes to community facilities to arterials and
to state highways.
The words "Commission" or "Planning Commission" shall mean
the Springfield Township Planning Commission unless otherwise clearly
stated.
Land within or related to a development, not individually
owned or dedicated for public use, that is designed and intended for
the common use or enjoyment of the residents of the development. It
may include complementary structures and improvements.
Any device used for the transmission or reception of radio,
television, wireless telephone, pager, commercial mobile radio service,
or any other wireless communications signals, including, without limitation,
omnidirectional or whip antennas and directional or panel antennas,
owned or operated by any person or entity licensed by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) to operate such device. This definition
shall not include private residence mounted satellite dishes, television
antennas, or amateur radio equipment, including, without limitation,
ham or citizen band radio antennas.
An unmanned building or cabinet containing communications
equipment required for the operation of communications antennas and
covering an area on the ground not greater than 250 square feet. Such
construction may occur upon a leased area and shall comprise a land
development.
A structure, other than a building, such as a monopole, self-supporting,
or guyed tower, designed and used to support communications antennas.
Such construction may occur upon a leased area and shall comprise
a land development.
A building, or group of buildings, in which dwelling units,
offices, or floor area are owned individually and the structure, common
areas and facilities are owned by all the owners on a proportional,
undivided basis.
A facility with overnight lodging to accommodate all participants
in an event, at which meetings, seminars and conferences are conducted.
[Added 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2-2021]
An imaginary line on the surface of the earth connecting
all points of equal height above some reference plane, usually sea
level.
A structure designed to convey a watercourse, not incorporated
in a closed drainage system, under a road or pedestrian walk.
A vertical or sloping edge marking the edge of a cartway.
A local street with only one outlet and having the other
end for the reversal of traffic movement (see "street").
An act transmitting property or interest thereto.
Standards that set forth specific improvement requirements.
A man-made or natural water collector facility designed to
collect surface and subsurface water in order to impede its flow and
to release the same gradually, at a rate not greater than that prior
to the development of the property, into natural or man-made outlets.
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 (MPC).
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to, construction or improvements to buildings or other structures, the placement of mobile homes, streets, and other paving, utilities, storm sewers, drains, improvements to watercourses, sidewalks, street signs, crosswalks, shade trees, seeding, sodding, monuments or other property markers, water supply facilities, and sewage facilities; filling, grading, excavation, mining, dredging, or drilling operations, or change of use as regulated by Chapter 425, Zoning, in the subdivision of land, when conducted within the context of subdivision or land development activities, as defined by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
A street having an island or other barrier separating moving
lanes.
The removal of surface water or groundwater from land by
drains, grading, or other means.
Any component of the drainage system.
The system through which water flows from the land, including
all watercourses, water bodies and wetlands.
A private paved or unpaved roadway, used for ingress or egress
of vehicles, and allowing access from a street to a property and any
building or other structure or facility on the property.
See "capped (dry) system."
A building, or portion thereof, designed for residential
occupancy.
A single unit providing complete, independent living facilities
for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living,
sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.
A grant of one or more property rights, usually in a defined
area, by the property owner to and/or for use by the public, a corporation,
or another person or entity.
Features, natural resources, or land characteristics that
are sensitive to improvements and may require conservation measures
by the application of creative development techniques to prevent degradation
of the environment, or may require limited development, or in certain
instances may preclude development.
A term used in planning for water and/or sewer facilities
to estimate the water used or generated by a particular use. An EDU
in Springfield Township shall be based upon calculations included
in applicable Township ordinances.
The detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments, or
the wearing away of the land surface by water, wind, ice, or gravity.
A financial guarantee permitted under Section 509 of the
Planning Code.[1]
An artificially constructed barrier of wood, masonry, stone,
wire, metal, or any other manufactured material or combination of
materials.
The official action of the Planning Commission taken on a
minor subdivision or a preliminarily approved major subdivision or
land development plan after all conditions, engineering plans and
other requirements have been completed or fulfilled and the required
improvements have been installed or guarantees properly posted for
their completion or approval conditioned upon the posting of such
guarantee.
The final map of all or a portion of a subdivision or land
development plan that is presented for final approval, and official
recording as required by statute.
The slope of a street or other public way specified in percentage
terms.
The total area of a building measured by taking the outside
dimensions of the building at each floor level intended for occupancy
or storage.
A planting of low-growing plants or sod that, in time, forms
a dense mat covering the area, preventing soil from being blown or
washed away and the growth of unwanted plants.
A surface that has been compacted or covered with a layer
of material so that it is highly resistant to infiltration by water,
or otherwise prevents infiltration of precipitation into the ground
(e.g., building area, footprint, pavement, sidewalks driveways, etc.).
Decks, gravel driveways, gravel parking areas, porous concrete, porous
pavers, and green roofs are not counted as impervious if they do not
prevent infiltration (SWM).
A body of water, such as pond, confined by a dam, dike, floodgate,
or other barrier.
Physical changes to the land, including, but not limited
to, grading, paving, conversion or change of land or building use,
curbs, gutters, storm sewers and drains, improvements to existing
watercourses, provision of sidewalks, crosswalks, roads and streets,
street signs, monuments, parking lots, water supply facilities and
sewage disposal facilities and construction or emplacement of buildings.
A septic tank, seepage tile sewage disposal system, or any
other sewage treatment device serving a single unit and approved by
the Department of Environmental Protection and the municipal Sewage
Enforcement Officer.
A public or private street designed to provide access from
a collector or arterial street to an industrial structure of 20,000
square feet or larger with one or more loading docks.
As defined by the MPC Section 107,[2] is 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 subdivision of land (provided that, for the purpose of this
chapter, the regulations governing subdivisions are separate from
those governing other types of land development);
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.
Development in accordance with Section 503(1.1) of the MPC.[3]
The 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 is
authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner,
or other person having a proprietary interest in land (MPC).
A private street or roadway designed to provide access for
four or fewer dwelling units to a public road.
Those streets used primarily to provide access to abutting
properties, to provide frontage for access to private lots and carry
traffic having destination or origin on the street itself.
A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by
a plat or otherwise as permitted by law and to be used, developed
or built upon as a unit (MPC).
The area contained within the lot lines of the individual
parcels of land as shown on a subdivision plan, excluding the area
within the street right-of-way or easement for overhead utility lines,
but including any easements, expressed in terms of acres or square
feet.
The act of eliminating an existing subdivision by combining
lots or parcels of land into one deed describing the entire tract
as one lot or parcel. The procedure for an unsubdivision follows that
of a minor subdivision.
That portion of a lot extending along a street line.
The area contained within the lot lines of the individual
parcels of land as shown on a subdivision plan, excluding the area
within the street right-of-way, but including any easements, expressed
in terms of acres or square feet.
A lot at the point of intersection of and abutting on two
or more intersecting streets.
A lot which has a narrow strip connecting the lot to a public
road in order to provide owned access to the main part of the lot.
The access strip shall be a part of that lot but shall not be used
in computing the minimum lot area. No structure may be placed within
the access strip except for driveways, fencing or a lawful sign.
Any line dividing a lot from another lot or from an abutting
street or other right-of-way.
Any security that may be required and accepted by the governing
body of the local municipality to ensure that necessary improvements
will function as required for a specific period of time.
See Table 370-12.
See Table 370-12.
A service street that runs parallel to a higher-order street
that, for purposes of safety, provides access to abutting properties
and separation from through traffic. May be designed as a local street
or collector as anticipated daily traffic dictates.
That portion of a divided highway separating lanes of traffic
proceeding in opposite direction.
The excavation or extraction of any earth products of natural
mineral deposit, except where such excavation is for purposes of grading
for a building lot or roadway.
See Table 370-12.
See Table 370-12.
A 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, that 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
(MPC).
A parcel or leased area of land in a mobile home park, improved
with the necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary
for the erections thereon of a single mobile home (MPC).
The land development of a parcel or contiguous parcels of
land that have been so designated and improved that they contain two
or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes
(MPC).
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247 of
1968, as subsequently reenacted and amended.[4]
A building that contains two or more dwelling units. Such
development, construction or improvement shall constitute a land development.
A professional, licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
duly appointed as the engineer for the Township of Springfield.
The Township of Springfield, unless otherwise noted.
A lot not intended for construction and subject to a permissible
nonbuilding waiver under Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection Sewage Facilities Planning Regulations.
Located outside the lot lines of the lot in question but
within the property (of which the lot is a part) that is the subject
of a development application, or on a contiguous portion of a street
or right-of-way.
Located on the property that is the subject of a development
application or on a contiguous portion of a street or right-of-way.
Located on the lot in question, or immediately adjacent to
the lot. For the purposes of this chapter, "on-site" includes abutting
public street rights-of-way, adjacent properties that would abut the
lot in question except for intervening rights-of-way, and intersecting
rights-of-way served by the lot in question, when one or more rights-of-way
abut the lot.
A parking space that is located on a dedicated street right-of-way.
Any parcel or area of land or water essentially unimproved
and set aside, dedicated, designated, or reserved for the public or
private use enjoyment or for the use and enjoyment of owners and occupants
of land adjoining or neighboring such open space.
Any legally described piece of land under single ownership.
A lane usually located on the sides of streets, designed
to provide on-street parking for vehicular traffic.
An area provided for the parking of a motor vehicle; an open
space with a dustless all-weather surface, or space in a private garage
or other structure with an effective length of at least 18 feet and
a uniform width of at least nine feet for the storage of one automobile
and accessible from a public way.
The one hour of the day that has the highest number of trip
ends, for a site. The one hour of the day that has the highest traffic
volume counts, for a roadway segment or an intersection.
A surface that permits full or partial absorption of stormwater.
The map or plan of a subdivision or land development, whether
preliminary or final.
Water suitable for drinking or cooking purposes.
The conferral of certain rights prior to final approval,
after specific elements of a land development plan or subdivision
have been agreed upon by the Planning Commission and the applicant.
A drawing indicating the proposed layout of a land development
or subdivision and related information that is submitted for preliminary
approval and meeting the requirements of this chapter.
Persons who provide expert or professional advice, including,
but not limited to, architects, attorneys, certified public accountants,
engineers, geologists, land surveyors, landscape architects or planners.
A formal meeting held pursuant to public notice by the governing
body or planning agency, intended to inform and obtain public comment,
prior to taking action in accordance with this chapter or the Municipalities
Planning Code (MPC).
A forum held pursuant to notice under 65 Pa.C.S.A. Ch. 7
(relating to open meetings) (MPC).
Notice published once each week for two successive weeks
in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. 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 not be more than 30 days and the second publication shall not
be less than seven days from the date of the hearing (MPC).
An open space area conveyed or otherwise dedicated to the
local municipality, municipal agency, board of education, state or
county agency, conservancy, or other public body for recreational
or conservational uses.
A land development of plots of land upon which two or more
recreational vehicle sites are located, established, or maintained
for occupancy by recreational vehicles of the general public as temporary
living quarters for recreation or vacation purposes.
A vehicular-type unit primarily designed as temporary living
quarters for recreational, camping, or travel uses that either has
its own drive power or is mounted or drawn by another vehicle. The
basic types are travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper and
motor home. Recreational vehicles licensed and/or inspected for travel
on the highways of the commonwealth and stored in compliance with
all local codes shall not be regarded as structures.
See Table 370-12.
A tract of land from which new lots are created.
A structure erected between lands of different elevation
to protect structures and/or to prevent the washing down or erosion
of earth from the upper slope level.
A pond, pool, or basin used for the permanent storage of
water runoff.
A strip of land occupied or intended to be occupied by a
street, crosswalk, railroad, road, electric transmission line, gas
pipeline, water main, sanitary or storm sewer main, shade trees, or
for another special use.
A structure or planting that may consist of fencing, berms,
and/or evergreen trees or shrubs providing a continuous view obstruction
within a site or property.
A deposit of soil that has been transported from its site
of origin by water, ice, wind, gravity, or other natural means as
a product of erosion.
An underground system with a septic tank used for the decomposition
of domestic wastes.
A watertight receptacle that receives the discharge of sewage.
The distance between the street right-of-way line and the
front line of a building or any projection thereof, excluding uncovered
steps.
An official of a local municipality who issues permits for
on-lot sewage systems under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Sewage
Facilities Act.[6]
Any pipe conduit used to collect and carry away sewage or
stormwater runoff from the generating source to treatment plants or
receiving streams.
The graded part of the right-of-way that lies between the
edge of the main pavement (main traveled way) and the curbline or
drainageway.
A paved path provided for pedestrian use and usually located
at the side of a road within the right-of-way.
A triangular-shaped portion of land established at street
intersections in which nothing is erected, placed, planted, or allowed
to grow in such a manner as to limit or obstruct the sight distance
of motorists entering or leaving the intersection.
An architectural plan, landscape architecture document, and/or
a detailed engineering drawing of proposed improvements to a given
lot prepared by a design consultant who must be either a licensed
engineer, architect, landscape architect or land surveyor.
[Amended 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2-2021]
A rough drawing of a proposed subdivision plan or land development
of sufficient accuracy as to be used for the purpose of discussion
and applicability of this chapter.
An electric-generating facility, with the purpose of electricity
supply, consisting of one or more solar panels and other ancillary
associated buildings and structures, including substations, meteorological
towers, electrical infrastructure, transmission lines, and other appurtenant
structures and facilities.
[Added 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2-2021]
A permanent existing structure that was previously used as
a barn and is fully or partially repurposed as a venue for the commercial
purpose of hosting weddings, receptions, and other gatherings to include,
but not be limited to, birthday parties, retirement parties, anniversary
parties, graduation parties, formal dinners, and business engagements.
[Added 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2-2021]
A provision for storage of stormwater runoff and the controlled
release of such runoff during and after a flood or storm.
Includes a street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, freeway,
parkway, alley, viaduct, stub street and any other way used or intended
to be used by vehicular traffic or pedestrians, whether public or
private (MPC).
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location
on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land (MPC).
A specific type of land development that includes 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 (MPC).
The individual appointed or designated by the Springfield
Township Board of Supervisors to administer this chapter by providing
completeness reviews and serving as a single point of contact between
the developer and the Township.
The natural ground lying beneath a road or other paved area.
The original upper layer of soil material to a depth of at
least six inches that is usually darker and richer than the subsoil.
An analysis prepared by a professional engineer of traffic
generated by a new or expanded development plan on roads that provide
access to the development.
A single or one-way vehicle movement to or from a property
or study area. Trips can be added together to calculate the total
number of vehicles expected to enter and leave a specific land use
or site over a designated period of time.
United States Geological Survey or the maps produced by that
agency.
That portion of a lot that is unoccupied and open to the sky and extends from the lot line or right-of-way to a setback or yard line (including front, side and rear yard areas) and as regulated and defined by Chapter 425, Zoning.
The Zoning Officer of the Township of Springfield or his/her
authorized representative.
[Added 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 2-2021]
