The following words and phrases shall have the particular meanings
specified for the purpose of interpreting this chapter:
ABOVEGROUND STORAGE TANKS
Tanks or other containers that are above the ground, partially
buried, bunkered, or in a subterranean vault meeting the requirements
of Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) regulations
(see 40 CFR 112) where such facilities have a total aboveground oil
storage capacity of more than 1,320 gallons; single aboveground tanks
with an oil storage capacity of more than 660 gallons; or facilities
with a combined underground oil storage capacity greater than 42,000
gallons.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
ACCESS
A means of providing vehicular or pedestrian ingress and
egress to and from a property.
ACCESSORY DWELLING
A dwelling unit, accessory to the principal residence of
the landowner, for the housing of an employed caretaker or relatives
who are in need of economic or health benefits provided by persons
who are concerned about their well-being, while allowing them to live
independently in an apartment converted within an existing single-family
dwelling or detached garage or in a mobile home located on the same
lot with an existing single-family dwelling.
ACCESSORY USE OR STRUCTURE
A use or structure, located on the same lot with the principal
use or structure, that is subordinate and incidental to the principal
structure or use of the property and that may occupy a separate structure
and/or area on or in the ground, including, but not limited to, storage
buildings or other storage structures, off-street parking, signs,
off-street loading, gazebos, children's playhouses, greenhouses for
personal use, garages, swimming pools, detached decks, fences and
similar structures.
ADJACENT; ADJOINING
Sharing common property lines uninterrupted by any alley,
public street or private street right-of-way. A lot will not be deemed
to be adjacent to or adjoining a second lot if the lots are separated
by an alley, public street or private street right-of-way.
ADULT ARCADE
Any place where the public is permitted or invited wherein
coin-operated or electronically, electrically or mechanically controlled
still or motion-picture machines, projectors or other image-producing
devices are maintained to show images to five or fewer persons per
machine at any one time and where the images displayed are sexually
explicit or depict nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT BOOKSTORE OR VIDEO STORE
An establishment having a substantial or significant portion
of its stock-in-trade, including, but not limited to, videocassettes,
movies, books, magazines and other periodicals, distinguished or characterized
by its emphasis on matters depicting, describing or relating to nudity
or sexual conduct, as defined herein, or an establishment with a segment
or section devoted to the sale or display of such material.
ADULT BUSINESS
An adult arcade, adult bookstore or video store, adult motel,
adult mini motion-picture theater, adult motion-picture theater, adult
live theater, adult newsrack, adult nightclub, body painting studio,
bathhouse, escort service, massage parlor, or any other business establishment
offering adult entertainment, as defined herein.
ADULT ENTERTAINMENT
Movies that are rated "X" by the Motion Picture Coding Association
or videos, still or motion pictures, photographs, slides, films or
other visual representations, books, magazines or other printed material
or live dramatic, musical or dance performances that are sexually
explicit or depict nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT LIVE THEATER
Any commercial establishment that features live shows for
public viewing in which all or some of the performers are displaying
nudity or engaging in sexual conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT MINI MOTION-PICTURE THEATER
A completely enclosed building, as defined herein, with a
capacity for accommodating fewer than 50 persons, used for presenting
material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting,
describing or relating to nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein,
for observation by patrons therein.
ADULT MOTEL
A hotel or motel presenting adult motion pictures by means
of closed circuit television, the material being presented having
as a dominant theme or presenting material distinguished or characterized
by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to nudity
or sexual conduct, as defined herein, for observation by patrons therein.
ADULT MOTION-PICTURE THEATER
An enclosed building, with a capacity for accommodating 50
or more persons, used for presenting material distinguished or characterized
by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to nudity
or sexual conduct, as defined herein, for observation by patrons therein.
ADULT NEWSRACK
Any coin-operated machine or device that dispenses printed
material substantially devoted to the depiction of nudity or sexual
conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT NIGHTCLUB
Any nightclub, as defined herein, that offers adult entertainment,
as defined herein.
AGRICULTURAL SALES
The sale of products raised, grown or produced on a farm,
provided the sales are conducted on the farm property where the products
are raised, grown or produced, and where products sold that are not
raised, grown or produced on the farm shall be a minor percentage
of the total sales.
AGRICULTURE
Any principal or accessory use of land or structures for
farming, dairying, pasturage, agriculture, kennels, horticulture,
floriculture, arboriculture, or animal or poultry husbandry, whether
for profit or not. Accessory uses permitted in conjunction with agriculture
may include barns, stables, corn cribs, silos and other uses or structures
that are clearly related to an agricultural operation. The definition
of "agriculture" shall not include boarding stables, commercial greenhouses,
kennels, private stables, recreational farmettes or riding academies,
which are separately defined and regulated by this chapter.
AISLE
A paved area of a minimum width specified by this chapter
that provides direct access to one or two rows of parking spaces and
connects those parking spaces with the driveways that provide circulation
through a parking area.
ARCHITECT
A registered professional architect, licensed as such by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
ASSEMBLY HALL
A room, hall or building used for lectures, meetings and
gatherings, other than a religious convocation.
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY
A residential building or group of buildings designed to
provide multifamily dwelling units for elderly or physically or mentally
disabled persons who are independently mobile and are not in need
of the level of service provided by a personal care boarding home,
but that provides on-site supervision and assistance available to
the residents on an occasional, as-needed basis, and where at least
one meal each day is provided in a common dining area, and that includes
certain design features associated with the needs of the elderly that
are not customary in the construction of conventional dwelling units,
such as emergency call systems, common dining facilities, common laundry
facilities, minimal housekeeping services, common leisure and recreational
facilities, transportation services and similar supporting services
for the convenience of the residents.
AUTOMOBILE SERVICE STATION
A retail establishment that provides for one or more of the
following activities:
A.
The servicing of motor vehicles and operations incidental thereto
and limited to the retail sale of petroleum products and that may
include one or more of the following activities: retail sales and
installation of automotive accessories; automobile washing by hand;
undercoating and rustproofing; waxing and polishing of automobiles;
tire changing and repairing (excluding recapping); battery service,
changing and replacement, excluding repair and rebuilding; radiator
cleaning and flushing, excluding steam cleaning and repair; installation
of accessories; and state inspections;
B.
The following operations, if conducted within a completely enclosed
building, as defined by this chapter: lubrication of motor vehicles;
replacement of exhaust systems; brake servicing, limited to servicing
and replacement of brake cylinders, lines and brake shoes; wheel balancing;
and the testing, adjustment and replacement or servicing of carburetors,
filters, generators, points, rotors, spark plugs, voltage regulators,
water and fuel pumps, water hoses and wiring; and/or
C.
The operation of a convenience food store, provided retail sale
of petroleum products is a part of the operation.
BAKERY
A retail establishment that sells baked goods, including
the baking of goods when prepared for retail sales on the premises
only and not for distribution to another retail outlet.
BAR or TAVERN
A business, licensed by the commonwealth, that sells alcoholic
beverages for consumption on the premises as the principal use and
that may offer food for consumption on the premises as an accessory
use.
BATHHOUSE
An establishment that provides baths of all kinds, including
methods of hydrotherapy involving nudity or sexual conduct, as defined
herein, but not including hydrotherapy treatment practiced by or under
the supervision of a medical practitioner, such as a medical doctor,
physician, chiropractor or similar professional licensed by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
BED-AND-BREAKFAST
A dwelling that is the principal residence of the operator
where no more than four sleeping rooms are offered to transient overnight
guests for compensation and where the only meal served and included
with the overnight accommodations is breakfast.
BEER DISTRIBUTOR
A commercial business licensed by the commonwealth to sell
beer in quantity entirely for off-premises consumption.
BEVERAGE DISTRIBUTOR
An establishment licensed by the commonwealth for retail
and wholesale sales by the case to businesses and the general public
of beer and other malt beverages, soft drinks and snacks, but not
including the sale of wine or liquor.
BILLBOARD
Any off-premises sign with a changeable or permanent advertising
face that advertises an establishment, person, activity, product or
service that is unrelated to or not available on the premises on which
the sign is located.
BOARDING STABLE
The keeping of horses and ponies owned by persons other than
the owner of the stable, or the rental of horses owned by the owner
of the stable for a fee or other form of compensation, that may include
training of horses, riding lessons and riding facilities.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of South Strabane,
Washington County, Pennsylvania.
BODY PAINTING STUDIO
Any establishment that provides the service of applying paint
or other substance, whether transparent or nontransparent, to or on
the human body in a state of nudity, as defined herein.
BOUTIQUE WINERY
A use that may comprise a small vineyard area (less than
one acre of land dedicated to wine growing/vineyard space) and a building
or buildings used for wine production which includes the conversion
of fruit juices (all or part of which are produced on the property)
to wine, and to barrel age, bottle, store, distribute and sell said
wine. Wine production, for the purposes of this chapter, also includes
crushing, fermenting and refermenting, bottling, blending, bulk, case
goods and bottle storage, aging, shipping, receiving, laboratory equipment
and maintenance facilities, and administrative office functions. The
use may also include ancillary uses related to the winery operations.
[Added 7-28-2020 by Ord. No. 1-2020]
BUFFER AREA
A landscaped area of a certain depth specified by this chapter
that shall be planted and maintained in trees, grass, ground cover,
shrubs, bushes or other natural landscaping material and shall consist
of a mix of types and sizes of plant material that, within three years
of planting, meets the standard of providing a compact year-round
visual screen at least six feet in height, or an existing natural
barrier, such as vegetation and/or topography, that duplicates the
effect of the required buffer area, provided the natural barrier is
maintained with vegetation or landscaping at all times.
BUILDING
A roofed structure, whether or not enclosed by walls, to
be used for shelter, enclosure or protection of persons, goods, materials,
animals, things or an area of land. (See also "completely enclosed
building.")
BUILDING FOOTPRINT
The area of the lot, expressed in square feet, that is covered
by the ground floor of a building, measured between exterior faces
of walls. If the floor area of any upper floor exceeds the floor area
of the ground floor by more than 10%, the upper floor shall be used
to determine the building footprint.
BUILDING HEIGHT
The vertical distance measured from the average of the elevations
of the finished grade at the four corners of the building to the highest
point of the roof for flat roofs, to the decklines of mansard roofs,
and to the mean height between eaves and ridges for gable, hip and
gambrel roofs.
BUILDING LINE, FRONT
A line parallel to or concentric with the front lot line,
the minimum measurement of which is the front yard depth required
by this chapter.
BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL OFFICES[Amended 4-14-2015 by Ord. No. 2-2015]
A.
BUSINESS OFFICEA business establishment which generally operates on a first-come, first-serve basis and which has relatively high pedestrian or customer traffic throughout the entire year, including utility payments, etc.
B.
PROFESSIONAL OFFICEA business establishment which generally serves clients and operates on an appointment basis, with relatively low pedestrian or vehicular traffic, including offices of accountants, management services, services to businesses, architects, attorneys, consultants, designers, engineers, insurance agents, medical professionals, realtors, and the like.
BUSINESS SERVICES
Establishments engaged in providing services to business
offices on a fee or contract basis, including, but not limited to,
advertising and public relations; management and consulting services;
employment services; building security and maintenance services; equipment
servicing, rental/leasing and sales; computer and data processing
services; mailing, photocopying, quick printing and fax services;
sale of office supplies; and similar business services, but not including
the rental, sale or repair of vehicles or heavy equipment.
CANDY OR ICE CREAM STORE
A retail establishment that sells candy and/or ice cream
and which may include on-site processing of the products sold on the
premises, but which shall not include on-site processing of products
for delivery off the premises.
CARPORT
A structure to house or protect motor vehicles that is open
to the weather for at least 40% of the total area of its sides.
CARTWAY
That portion of the street right-of-way that is surfaced
for vehicular use, excluding curbs and shoulders.
CAR WASH
A facility, whether automatic, semiautomatic or manual, for
washing and polishing vehicles.
CASING HEAD
The lowest part of the wellhead that is almost always connected
to the surface casing string, and provides a means of suspending and
packing off the next casing string.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
CASING STRING
A long section of connected oilfield pipe that is lowered
into a wellbore and cemented.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
CATERING SERVICE
A business that provides the preparation and serving of food
for businesses, groups or individuals for special occasions, usually
delivered for consumption off the premises, but which may include
a rental hall if specifically authorized by this chapter in the list
of authorized uses.
CEMETERY
Property used for interring of dead persons or domestic pets,
including mausoleums, columbariums, crematoriums, and mortuaries operated
in conjunction with and within the boundaries of such property, but
not including a family plot, as defined herein.
CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
A document issued by the Zoning Officer or his/her designated agent indicating that a premises for which a building permit and/or a zoning certificate has been issued is ready for occupancy and is in compliance with the provisions of this chapter and the Uniform Construction Code (Ch.
95, Construction Codes, Uniform), if applicable.
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
CERTIFIED WATER STORAGE TANK
An aboveground assembly of fluid storage containers that
are each certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or
organization such as the ASA, American Petroleum Institute, ASTM International,
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or the American Water
Works Association and used to hold fresh water and/or reuse water
for use in oil and gas development and related operations.
[Added 11-24-2020 by Ord. No. 7-2020]
CHRISTMAS TREE
An assembly of valves, spools, and fittings used for an oil
well, gas well, water injection well, water disposal well, gas injection
well, condensate well, and other types of wells.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
CHURCH
A building or buildings, other than a dwelling, used primarily
as a place of worship on a regular basis by a religious denomination,
that may also include, as accessory uses, rooms for religious education,
social and recreational activities and administrative offices, rectories,
parsonages, convents, preschool programs and elderly or child day-care
centers.
CLEAR SIGHT TRIANGLE
A triangular area of unobstructed vision at the intersection
of two streets or of a driveway and a street defined by line of sight
a given distance from the intersection of the center lines of two
streets or the center lines of the driveway and the street. (See illustration
in Appendix A.)
COMMERCIAL
A business, enterprise, activity or other undertaking engaged
in for a profit.
COMMERCIAL GREENHOUSE
A retail business that sells flowers, plants, shrubs, trees
and other natural flora and products that aid their growth and care
and that may include a greenhouse and/or the growing of plant material
outside on the lot.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
A motor vehicle licensed by the Department of Transportation,
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having a gross vehicle weight in excess
of 10,000 pounds; or any other vehicle either motorized, self-propelled
or designed to be towed by another vehicle for use in commercial or
industrial enterprises, such as air compressors, welding units and
the like; or any and all earthmoving equipment, such as bulldozers,
hi-lifts, backhoes, ditching equipment and the like.
COMMON OPEN SPACE
A lot or portion thereof or body of water or a combination
thereof within a development site for the use and enjoyment of the
residents of a development, including subsurface stormwater management
facilities, but not including surface stormwater management facilities,
streets, off-street parking areas and other areas set aside for facilities
for the general public.
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNA
Any structure designed for transmitting or receiving wireless
communications of video, voice, data and similar transmissions, including
but not limited to omnidirectional or whip antennas, directional or
panel antennas and satellite or microwave dish antennas, that may
be mounted on an existing building, an existing public utility storage
or transmission structure or an existing communications tower, excluding
transmission and receiving devices licensed by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) exclusively for private use by citizens.
COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT BUILDING
A manned or unmanned structure that contains the equipment
necessary to maintain and operate communications antennas and that
covers an area on the ground in excess of 200 square feet.
COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CABINET
An unmanned structure that contains the equipment necessary
to maintain and operate communications antennas and that covers an
area on the ground of no more than 200 square feet.
COMMUNICATIONS TOWER
Any structure, whether freestanding or attached to a building,
designed to support multiple communications antennas, including monopole,
self-supporting and guyed towers, and one or more of the following
mounts for antennas: rotatable platform, fixed platform, multipoint
or side-arm mounts and pipe mounts for microwave dish antennas.
COMMUNITY CLUB
An organization comprised of residents in the neighborhood
in which it is located, the primary purpose of which is the advancement
of its members' interests in recreation, education, cultural or civic
pursuits and activities.
COMPARABLE USE NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED
A use which is not specifically listed in a particular zoning
district, but which is determined by the Zoning Hearing Board, in
accordance with the express standards and criteria set forth in this
chapter, to be similar in characteristics and impacts to another use
which is specifically listed in the same zoning district as a permitted
use, conditional use or use by special exception.
COMPLETELY ENCLOSED BUILDING
A building designed and constructed so that all exterior
walls shall be solid from the ground to the roofline, containing no
openings except for windows and doors that are designed so that they
may be closed and any other small openings required for the ventilation
system.
COMPRESSOR
A device used alone or in series to raise the pressure of
natural gas and/or by-products to create a pressure differential to
move or compress a liquid, vapor or gas.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
COMPRESSOR STATION
A facility designed and constructed to compress natural gas,
through the use of electric motors, that originates from an oil and
gas well or collection of such wells and to operate as an upstream
or midstream facility for delivery of oil and gas to a transmission
pipeline, distribution pipeline, natural gas processing and/or treatment
facility or underground storage field.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
CONDITIONAL USE
A use authorized by this chapter that may be granted only
by the Board of Supervisors, following review by the Planning Commission
and a public hearing, subject to express standards and criteria contained
in this chapter.
CONFERENCE OR CONVENTION CENTER
A facility used for corporate, professional or organizational
meetings, conferences, exhibitions, conventions, seminars and/or training
and which may include supporting dining and lodging facilities and
related recreational facilities as accessory uses.
CONSERVATION SUBDIVISION
A residential development in which the dwelling units are
clustered on the portion of the site most suitable for development
and the remaining property is preserved as undivided common open space.
CONSTRUCTION TRAILER, TEMPORARY
A structure designed, used or constructed to provide temporary
offices for construction supervision on the site of an approved subdivision
or land development during the time that a valid building permit or
grading permit is in effect.
CONTRACTING BUSINESS
The administrative offices of a business that provides construction,
remodeling, home improvement, land development and related services
on a contractual basis and that may include the storage of materials,
equipment and vehicles, provided all materials, equipment and vehicles
are stored within a completely enclosed building. (See also "landscaping
contractor.")
CONTRACTOR'S YARD
An establishment that may or may not include administrative
offices for a business that provides landscaping, construction, remodeling,
home improvement, land development and related services on a contractual
basis, but that involves the outdoor storage of all or part of the
materials, equipment or vehicles used in the business.
CONVERSION APARTMENT
A dwelling unit created in an existing single-family dwelling
by structurally adapting the structure in accordance with the provisions
of this chapter.
CORNER LOT
A lot at the intersection of, and fronting on, two or more
street rights-of-way.
COUNTY
Washington County, Pennsylvania.
CUTOFF ANGLE
The angle formed by a line drawn from the direction of light
rays at the light source and a line perpendicular to the ground from
the light source, above which no light is emitted. (See Appendix B.)
DAY-CARE CENTER
A facility, licensed by the commonwealth, located within
a building that is not used as a dwelling unit, for the care, on a
regular basis, during part of a twenty-four-hour day, of children
under the age of 16 or handicapped or elderly persons.
DAY SPA
A business establishment that provides one or more of the
following services to customers who do not stay overnight on the premises:
massage therapy, facials, body wraps, tanning, steam or sauna baths,
herbal treatments, hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, nutritional
counseling, yoga, exercise, aromatherapy, reflexology and relaxation
therapy.
DECK or PATIO
Any uncovered outdoor living area, without a roof, constructed
on or above the surface of the ground.
DELICATESSEN
A retail establishment, other than a restaurant, that sells
ready-to-eat food products, such as cooked meats, sandwiches and prepared
salads, primarily for consumption off the premises, but that may provide
a few tables or a counter for on-premises consumption as an accessory
use, and that may include off-premises catering.
DEVELOPER
A landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant with the landowner's written permission who causes development to occur upon a lot and who is responsible for compliance of such development with the terms of this chapter and Chapter
206, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of South Strabane.
DEVELOPMENT
Any man-made change to an improved or unimproved land or
water area, including but not limited to construction of buildings
or structures or additions thereto, mining, dredging, filling, grading,
paving, excavation or drilling operations.
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
A graphic and written presentation of a proposed development,
including a plat of subdivision and all provisions relating to use,
location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of
use or density of development, streets, parking facilities, common
open space and public facilities.
DIRECT VEHICULAR ACCESS
A curb cut onto an existing public street, the intersection
of a public street proposed within a development with an existing
public street or a private driveway within a development that intersects
with an existing public street right-of-way. In the case of the requirement
for direct vehicular access to an arterial or collector street, the
point of access from a development site shall be onto the arterial
or collector street without traversing any other public street right-of-way
outside the development site. In the case of a regional commercial
development, direct vehicular access may be satisfied by providing
access by means of a public street or private driveway within another
existing or approved regional commercial development that intersects
with an existing arterial or collector street.
DISTILLERY
A use that may comprise of a license to operate a distillery
that manufactures and sells bottled liquors produced on the premises
and a building or buildings used for liquor production which includes
the conversion of fruit juices (all or part of which are produced
on the property) to distilled liquor, and to barrel age, distill,
bottle, store, distribute and sell said liquor. Production, for the
purposes of this chapter, also includes crushing, fermenting and refermenting,
distilling, bottling, blending, bulk, case goods and bottle storage,
aging, shipping, receiving, laboratory equipment and maintenance facilities,
and administrative office functions. The use may also include ancillary
uses related to the distillery operations. The distilling capacity
shall not exceed 15,000 gallons per year.
[Added 8-28-2021 by Ord. No. 4-2021]
DOMESTIC PETS
Animals, fish or birds customarily found in a dwelling and kept for company or pleasure, including no more than four dogs and/or cats; hamsters, rabbits, gerbils, parakeets, canaries and similar small animals or birds, excluding exotic animals as defined by Chapter
59, Animals, Article
II, Exotic and Wild Animals, of the Code of the Township of South Strabane, as now or hereafter amended; and any horses, pigs (except for Vietnamese potbellied pigs) or other fowl or livestock customarily found on a farm.
DRILLING
Any vertical or horizontal digging or boring of a new well
or reworking of an existing well with the intention to explore, develop
or produce oil, gas or other hydrocarbons or to inject gas, water
or any other fluids or substances into the earth.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
DRILLING AND STIMULATION EQUIPMENT
All parts and appurtenances to such structure and every piece
of apparatus, machinery or equipment used, erected or maintained in
connection with oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, as well as
the completion and stimulation/workover equipment utilized to complete
the well.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
DRIVE-THROUGH FACILITY
Any principal use or accessory use that involves a window,
service lane, bay or other facility where customers are provided services
either inside or outside their vehicles and where cars may or may
not wait in line to access these services, including but not limited
to drive-in or drive-through windows at fast-food restaurants, banks
or other businesses, exterior automated teller machines (ATMs), quick
oil change facilities, car washes and similar automotive services
and other such facilities.
DRIVEWAY
A private vehicular way providing access between a street
and a parking area or garage located on a lot.
DRY-CLEANING PICKUP STORE
A retail store where customers drop off and pick up clothing
and household items for dry cleaning that does not involve any dry
cleaning on the premises, but that may include tailoring or pressing
on the premises.
DWELLING
Any building designed or used as permanent living quarters
for one or more families, but not including hotels, motels or boardinghouses.
DWELLING TYPES
The following dwelling types are included in this chapter:
A.
SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLINGA detached residential building that is the only principal structure on the lot, designed exclusively for occupancy by one family, as defined herein, and containing one dwelling unit.
B.
TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGA residential building that is the only principal structure on the lot, unless authorized by this chapter to be subdivided along the common wall for fee simple ownership of each dwelling unit, designed exclusively for occupancy by two families living independently of each other, and containing two dwelling units, each with a separate entrance directly to the outside.
C.
TRIPLEXA residential building designed exclusively for occupancy by three families living independently of each other, containing three dwelling units, each having independent access directly to the outside and having no other units above or below.
D.
QUADRAPLEXA residential building designed exclusively for occupancy by four families living independently of each other, containing four dwelling units, each having independent access directly to the outside and having no other units above or below.
E.
MULTIFAMILY DWELLINGA residential building designed exclusively for occupancy by three or more families living independently of each other and containing three or more separate dwelling units, including triplexes, quadraplexes, townhouses, garden apartments, mid-rise apartments and high-rise apartments.
F.
GARDEN APARTMENTA multifamily residential building, no more than three stories in height, containing three or more dwelling units that share a common entrance to the outside, usually through a common corridor, and which dwelling units may have other dwelling units either above or below them.
G.
HIGH-RISE APARTMENTA residential building, comprised of multifamily dwelling units, containing seven or more stories.
H.
MID-RISE APARTMENTA residential building, comprised of multifamily dwellings, containing at least four, but no more than six, stories.
I.
MODULAR DWELLINGA factory-fabricated single-family dwelling that is delivered to its site in at least two sections that are set upon a permanent foundation and the sections joined together. Such dwellings shall be certified as meeting the minimum standards for manufactured housing in Pennsylvania. Modular dwellings shall be permitted wherever single-family dwellings are allowed, provided they are installed on a permanent foundation and connected to all available utilities.
J.
TOWNHOUSEA multifamily residential building, other than a triplex or quadraplex, no more than 2 1/2 stories in height that contains at least five, but no more than eight, dwelling units, each of which are separated from the adjoining unit or units by a continuous, unpierced vertical wall extending from the basement to the roof, each unit having independent access directly to the outside and having no other units above or below.
DWELLING UNIT
One or more rooms that are used as living quarters for one
family and that have permanent facilities for sleeping, cooking and
eating, as well as sanitary facilities.
EASEMENT
A grant of one or more property rights by the property owner
to and for use by the public, a utility, a corporation or any other
person, the use of which by the grantor shall not be inconsistent
with the rights of the grantee.
EDUCATIONAL STUDIO
An establishment that provides training to individuals or
groups in specialized recreational activities or avocations, including
but not limited to dance, gymnastics, martial arts, photography, arts
and crafts and similar pursuits.
EFFECTIVE DATE
The date on which this chapter is duly adopted by the Township
or as specified in this chapter so adopted.
ENGINEER
A registered professional engineer, licensed as such by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
EQUIPMENT STORAGE YARD
An area of land devoted to the storage, whether temporary
or permanent, of construction equipment, farm equipment or other heavy
equipment or vehicles in excess of 26,000 pounds GVW.
EQUIPMENT TESTING TRACK
A paved pathway or course accessory to a recreational equipment
center or facility, as defined herein, laid out for the purpose of
demonstrating ATVs or other motorized recreational vehicles to prospective
purchasers or training recent purchasers in the safety and handling
of such vehicles.
ERECTED
Includes "built," "constructed," "reconstructed," "moved
upon" or any physical operations on the land required for the building.
Excavation, fill, drainage and the like shall be considered part of
the erection.
ESCORT SERVICE
A business that provides a service by appointment or upon
request where individuals leave one premises and go to another premises
for a specified period of time for the purpose of engaging in nudity
or sexual conduct as defined herein.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES
The provision of distribution and collection systems by public
utilities, regulated by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) or any
agency, franchisee or authority of South Strabane Township, of underground
or overhead gaslines, electrical lines, telephone lines, steam lines, or waterlines, sewers, fire alarm
boxes, traffic signals, hydrants, cable TV (not including towers)
and accessories in connection therewith, reasonably necessary to furnish
adequate services within South Strabane Township to the general public.
FAMILY
A.
An individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage,
adoption or foster child care, including domestic servants or gratuitous
guests thereof, or a group of not more than three unrelated persons
living together without supervision in a dwelling unit, or not more
than 12 persons living together in a group living arrangement with
supervision, provided that the group living arrangement meets all
of the following criteria:
(1)
It provides nonroutine support services, including supervision,
personal care, social or counseling services and transportation, to
persons who need such assistance in order to use and enjoy a dwelling
or to avoid being placed within an institution because of physical
disability, old age, mental retardation, or other handicap or disability
as defined by the Fair Housing Amendments Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601
et seq.) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101
et seq.).
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
(2)
It provides for the joint occupancy of a dwelling unit where
the residents maintain a common household and practice, on a permanent
or long-term basis, a joint economic, social and cultural life.
(3)
It does not involve the housing of persons on a transient basis.
(4)
It does not involve the housing or treatment of persons accepted
for residence in the group living arrangement on the basis of their
status as criminal offenders, juvenile offenders or delinquents, or
who would otherwise qualify for residence by virtue of having been
found by any governmental tribunal, court or agency to be a danger
to society or are on release or under the jurisdiction of the criminal
justice system, a government bureau of corrections or similar institution.
(5)
"Family" shall not include persons living together in a group
care facility, personal care boarding home or transitional dwelling,
as defined herein, or any other supervised group living arrangement
for persons not protected by the Fair Housing Act or for any persons
who constitute a direct threat to others or their physical property.
FAMILY DAY-CARE HOME
A facility regulated by the commonwealth located within a
dwelling in which the operator resides where out-of-home care is provided,
at any one time, for part of a twenty-four-hour day to four, five
or six children who are not related to the operator and who are 15
years of age or younger, or the current definition as may be amended
from time to time by the commonwealth, where such use is secondary
to the use of the dwelling for living purposes and shall meet all
applicable requirements for a home occupation.
[Amended 6-26-2012 by Ord. No. 2-2012]
FAMILY PLOT
Any property used for interring dead persons or domestic
pets, the use of which is restricted to the members of a family, and
which property is owned and operated by the members of that family.
FARM
A site of 10 acres or more used for the pursuit of agriculture,
as defined herein.
FENCE
An artificially constructed barrier of wood, masonry, stone, wire, metal or any other manufactured or natural material or combination of materials erected for the enclosure of land and/or dividing one area of land from another. This definition shall not include agricultural fences erected for the purpose of enclosing livestock in areas properly used for agricultural purposes, nor shall it include retaining walls that are designed and approved in accordance with Chapter
109, Excavations, Filling and Grading, of the Code of the Township of South Strabane.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
A bank, savings-and-loan association or similar institution
that lends money or is engaged in a finance-related business.
FLOOR AREA, GROSS
The sum of all the horizontal floor areas of a building,
measured between exterior faces of walls.
FLOOR AREA, HABITABLE
The floor area of all the rooms in a dwelling unit, excluding
the floor area devoted to kitchen, bathroom and/or other cooking and
sanitary facilities, closets, pantries, storage spaces, hallways,
basements (whether finished or unfinished) and garages.
FLOOR AREA, NET
The total floor area of a building designed for tenant occupancy,
or areas accessible to the customers, clients or general public, but
excluding storage areas, equipment rooms, food preparation areas in
a restaurant, and common areas, such as halls, corridors, stairwells,
elevator shafts, rest rooms, interior vehicular parking and loading
areas and similar common areas, expressed in square feet and measured
from the center line of joint partitions and exteriors of outside
walls.
FORESTRY
The management of forests and timberlands, when practiced
in accordance with accepted silvicultural principles, through developing,
cultivating, harvesting, transporting and selling trees for commercial
purposes, that does not involve any land development.
FUNERAL HOME
A building used for the embalming of the deceased for burial,
but not including cremation, and for the display of the deceased and
ceremonies connected therewith before burial or cremation.
GARAGE, PRIVATE
An accessory building, or a portion of the principal building,
not accessible to the general public and designed or used for shelter
or storage of private vehicles and personal property of the occupants
of the principal building and that may include the shelter or storage
of no more than one private vehicle owned and used by others.
GARAGE, PUBLIC
A building, other than a private garage, containing two or
more parking spaces accessible to the general public, used for the
storage or parking of motor vehicles or where such vehicles are kept
for remuneration, hire or sale, but not including the repair of vehicles
or the storage of dismantled or wrecked motor vehicles.
GARDEN CENTER
A retail establishment that sells flowers, plants, shrubs,
trees, other natural flora and the products that aid their growth
and care, but that does not include any outdoor growing area.
GOLF COURSE
A recreational facility that has a course, with a minimum
of nine regulation-size holes, for playing golf as its principal use
and that may have a clubhouse, locker rooms, restaurant, swimming
pool, pro shop, driving range, putting green or other practice facilities,
facilities for racquet sports, maintenance facilities and similar
facilities as accessory uses.
GOLF OR COUNTRY CLUB
A recreational facility operated by a public or private entity
that has as its principal use a golf course, as defined herein, and
that may include one or more of the following accessory uses: a clubhouse
and/or restaurant, locker rooms, pro shops, swimming pool and facilities
for racquet sports.
GROUP CARE FACILITY
Any supervised long-term group living arrangement licensed
by the commonwealth for any of the following:
A.
Persons who do not meet the definition of "mentally or physically
handicapped" provided in the Fair Housing Amendments Act or the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
B.
Persons who do meet the definition of "mentally or physically
handicapped" provided in the Fair Housing Amendments Act or the Americans
with Disabilities Act living in an institutional setting and not maintaining
a common household.
C.
Persons who, whether handicapped or not, are criminal offenders,
juvenile offenders or delinquents or who have been found by any governmental
tribunal, court or agency to be a danger to society or who are under
the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system, a governmental bureau
of corrections or similar agency or institution.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Any material designated as a "hazardous material" under the
terms and provisions of the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act
of 1980 (35 P.S. § 6018.101 et seq.) and/or any regulations
promulgated thereunder by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) and designated as "hazardous materials."
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
HEALTH CLUB
A commercial recreational enterprise or private club that
has as a principal use a gymnasium, swimming pool or other sports
facility and that may offer massages, whirlpool baths, steam rooms,
saunas and/or medical facilities as accessory uses to the principal
use.
HEIGHT OF SIGN
The vertical distance measured from the average elevation
of the finished grade around the sign to the highest point on the
sign and its supporting structure, including the foundation of the
sign, if it is elevated above the ground level.
HEIGHT OF STRUCTURE
For structures other than buildings or signs, the vertical
distance measured from the average elevation of the finished grade
around the structure to the highest point on the structure.
HIGH-TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES
The assembly of component parts or the production of finished
products, excluding any process that involves toxic or highly volatile
substances, including computer components and accessories; electrical
parts, accessories and equipment; laboratory apparatus; robotics;
optical instruments; precision instruments; surgical, medical and
dental instruments and supplies; timers and timepieces; search, detection
and navigational equipment; musical instruments; and photographic
equipment and accessories.
HOME-BASED BUSINESS, NO-IMPACT
A business or commercial activity administered or conducted
as an accessory use that is clearly secondary to the use of a dwelling
for residential purposes and that involves no customer, client or
patient traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian, and no pickup, delivery
or removal functions to or from the premises in excess of those normally
associated with residential use.
HOME GARDENING
Raising flowers, ornamental plants, fruits and vegetables
for personal use and enhancement of a residential lot.
HOME OCCUPATION
An accessory use of a service character that does not meet
the definition of a "no-impact home-based business" conducted entirely
within a dwelling by the residents thereof, which use is clearly secondary
to the use of the dwelling for living purposes and does not, in any
way, change the character of the dwelling.
HOSPITAL
An institution licensed by the commonwealth for the care
of human patients suffering from physical or mental illnesses and
that may or may not include facilities for major surgery and that
may be publicly or privately operated.
HOTEL
See "motel or hotel."
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE
Surfaces with a coefficient of runoff greater than 0.85,
including all buildings, roofed areas, parking areas, driveways, streets,
sidewalks and areas paved in concrete and asphalt, and any other areas
determined by the Township Engineer to be impervious within the meaning
of this definition.
INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITY
A residential building or group of buildings designed to
provide housing for elderly or senior citizens who are independently
mobile and not in need of supervision, but that includes certain design
features associated with the needs of elderly or senior citizens not
customary in the construction of conventional multifamily dwellings,
such as emergency call systems, handicapped facilities, minimal housekeeping
and laundry services, common leisure and recreational services, personal
services (beauty shop or barbershop or cleaner's valet), transportation
services and similar support services for the convenience of the residents.
INDOOR ENTERTAINMENT
A commercial establishment located within a completely enclosed
building, as defined by this chapter, where customers or patrons engage
in nonathletic leisure activities as spectators or participants, including
but not limited to theaters (live and motion-picture), bowling alleys,
pool halls, virtual reality and simulation gaming parlors, video arcades,
dance halls and similar facilities, but excluding any adult business,
as defined herein.
JUNKYARD
Any premises devoted wholly or in part to the storage, buying
or selling, salvaging, recycling or otherwise handling of or dealing
in scrap metals, building materials, scrapped or used appliances or
other household goods, fixtures, vehicles and vehicle parts, machinery
and machinery parts or other forms of discarded materials.
JUVENILE INCARCERATION FACILITY
A facility operated under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania for up to 120 juveniles that provides for the twenty-four-hour
incarceration and confinement of juveniles adjudicated to be delinquent
by the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court System or juveniles requiring incarceration
and confinement by virtue of having been determined to be prosecuted
as adults while committing crimes as a juvenile and limited to juveniles
to be incarcerated or confined for serious criminal offenses, and
not including juveniles eligible to reside in a juvenile personal
care home/child residential facility or other such less-restrictive
residential setting.
JUVENILE PERSONAL CARE HOME/CHILD RESIDENTIAL FACILITY
A premises or part thereof for the housing of up to 50 juveniles,
operated in a twenty-four-hour living setting, in which care is provided
for one or more children who are not relatives of the facility operator,
as governed by the Pennsylvania Code, Title 55, Public Welfare, Chapter
3800, Child Residential and Day Treatment Facilities.
KENNEL
An establishment for the boarding, breeding or training of
domestic pets for compensation.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots,
tracts or parcels for any purpose involving:
A.
A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings,
whether proposed initially or cumulatively;
B.
A single nonresidential building on a lot or lots, regardless
of the number of occupants or tenure;
C.
Any change of use or structural alteration that results in an
increase in total lot coverage by structures and/or paving; or
D.
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.
LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN
A plan prepared in accordance with the application requirements of Chapter
206, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of South Strabane, for approval of a land development, as defined herein.
LANDFILL
Any site licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) for the disposal of solid waste, other than hazardous
waste, as defined and regulated by federal statute.
LANDOWNER
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/she
is authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner,
or other person having a proprietary interest in land.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
A registered professional landscape architect, licensed as
such by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
LANDSCAPING CONTRACTOR
A retail business that includes the growing and/or selling
of flowers, plants, trees, shrubs and other natural flora and the
products that aid their growth and care and that may include one or
more of the following activities as accessory uses only: storage of
decorative landscaping materials, such as landscaping ties, decorative
rocks, marble chips, sandstone or limestone chips; storage of mulch,
red dog, sand or gravel to be used in landscaping; and/or shredding,
screening or storage of topsoil.
LANDSCAPING PLAN
A plan, prepared by a registered architect or a registered
landscape architect, identifying each tree and shrub by size, type
and scientific name, indicating balled and burlapped or bare root,
and location. The plan shall include a planting diagram and such other
diagrams or reports necessary to show the method of planting, staking
and mulching, grass seeding specifications and mixtures and existing
trees over 10 inches in diameter at breast height.
LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY
Areas of moderate to high susceptibility to landsliding produced
by the influence of natural and/or man-made activity.
LAUNDROMAT
A retail business equipped with a number of individual clothes-washing
machines and clothes dryers and that may include individual dry-cleaning
machines for use by the general public, excluding laundry facilities
provided as an accessory use in a multifamily residential building.
LIFE CARE COMMUNITY
A residential development that provides a continuum of care
for the elderly, including three or more of the following uses: independent
living facility, assisted living facility, personal care boarding
home or nursing home, and that may or may not include conventional
single-family dwellings and/or multifamily dwellings.
LIGHT MANUFACTURING FACILITY
A business establishment engaged in light manufacturing that
produces finished products or parts, predominantly from previously
prepared materials, including processing, fabrication, assembly, treatment,
packaging, incidental storage, sales, distribution of and office operations
associated with such products, but excluding heavy manufacturing.
[Added 4-14-2015 by Ord.
No. 2-2015]
LOADING SPACE
An area within a principal building or on the same lot with
the principal building designed in accordance with the requirements
of this chapter and used for the standing, loading or unloading of
tractor-trailer trucks and other vehicles.
LOT
A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by
a plat or otherwise as permitted by law to be used, developed or built
upon as a unit.
LOT AREA
The total area within the lot lines, excluding the area within
any street right-of-way.
LOT COVERAGE
That portion of the lot area covered by all principal and
accessory structures, expressed as a percentage.
LOT DEPTH
The mean horizontal distance between the front lot line and
the rear lot line.
LOT FRONTAGE
That portion of the lot that adjoins the street right-of-way
or through which access is provided to a public street.
LOT LINE
A line of record bounding a lot that divides one lot from
another lot or from a public or private street or other public space.
LOT LINE, FRONT
That lot line which is contiguous with the street center
line or the street right-of-way line. In the case of a lot that has
no frontage on a street, the front lot line shall be the lot line
through which vehicular access is provided, regardless of which way
the dwelling faces.
LOT LINE, REAR
That lot line that is generally opposite the front lot line.
LOT LINE, SIDE
Any lot line that is not a front lot line or rear lot line.
LOT OF RECORD
Any lot that, individually or as part of a subdivision, has
been recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of Washington
County.
LOT, THROUGH
A lot that fronts on two parallel streets or that fronts
on two streets that do not intersect at the boundaries of the lot.
LOT WIDTH
The straight-line distance between the point of intersection
of the front building line with the side lot lines.
MANUFACTURING
The mechanical or chemical transformation of raw materials
or substances into new products or other raw materials, including
the assembling of component parts, the manufacturing of products and
the blending of materials into finished or semifinished products.
MANUFACTURING, HEAVY
The mechanical or chemical transformation of raw materials
or substances into new products or other raw materials, or any manufacturing
process not included in the definition of "light manufacturing" or
"high-technology industries."
MANUFACTURING, LIGHT
The assembly, processing or fabrication of certain materials
and products where no process involved will produce noise, vibration,
water pollution, fire hazard or noxious emissions that will disturb
or endanger neighboring properties. Light manufacturing includes,
but is not limited to, the production of the following goods: home
appliances; electrical instruments; office machines; precision instruments;
electronic devices; timepieces; jewelry; optical goods; musical instruments;
novelties; wood products; printed material; lithographic plates; type
composition; machine tools; dies and gauges; ceramics; apparel; lightweight
nonferrous metal castings; film processing; light sheet metal products;
plastic goods; pharmaceutical goods; and food products, not including
animal slaughtering, curing or rendering of fats and similar activities.
MASSAGE PARLOR
Any establishment that provides services of massage or body
manipulation, including exercises, heat and light treatments of the
body, and all forms of physiotherapy, unless operated by a medical
practitioner, chiropractor or professional physical therapist licensed
by the commonwealth, not including any athletic club, health club,
school, gymnasium, reducing salon, spa or similar establishment where
massage or similar manipulation of the human body is offered as an
incidental or accessory service to the principal service.
MEDIATION
A voluntary negotiating process in which parties to a dispute
mutually select a neutral mediator to assist them in jointly exploring
and settling their differences, culminating in a written agreement
that the parties themselves create and consider acceptable.
MEDICAL CLINIC
Any establishment, including mobile diagnostic units, where
human patients receive medical, dental, chiropractic, psychological
and surgical diagnosis, treatment and counseling under the care of
a group of licensed medical doctors and dentists and their supporting
staff, where said patients are not provided with board or room or
kept overnight on the premises, including outpatient surgery.
MEDICAL OFFICES
One or more administrative offices of individual doctors,
dentists, chiropractors or other medical practitioners and their supporting
staffs where human patients receive diagnosis, treatment and counseling.
MID-RISE STRUCTURE
Any nonresidential structure having at least four, but no
more than six, stories.
MIDSTREAM FACILITY
An oil- and/or gas-related facility which typically hosts
activities such as compressing, processing, storage and transportation
of hydrocarbon liquids and/or natural gas where said activities are
typically classified based upon their relationship to upstream and/or
downstream facilities.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
MINE BORE HOLES
Facilities accessory to underground mining operations operating
under a valid permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) for exploratory drilling.
MINE DISPOSAL AREA
An area on the surface of the earth where refuse from mining
operations is stored under a valid permit from the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
MINE PORTAL
An accessory facility that provides a means of ingress and
egress to an underground coal mine operating under a valid permit
from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
MINERAL REMOVAL
Any extraction of any mineral for sale or other commercial
purpose that involves removal of the surface of the earth or exposure
of the mineral or subsurface of the earth to wind, rain, sun or other
elements of nature. The term "mineral" includes, but is not limited
to, anthracite and bituminous coal, lignite, limestone and dolomite,
sand, gravel, rock, stone, earth, slag, ore, vermiculite, clay and
other mineral resources, excluding mining activities carried out beneath
the surface of the earth by means of shafts, tunnels or other underground
mine openings.
MINE VENTILATING SHAFT
A facility accessory to underground mining operations operating
under a valid permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) that supplies air to the mine or exhausts air or
gas from the underground mine, including the use of fans and fan buildings.
MINI WAREHOUSE OR SELF-STORAGE FACILITY
A building or group of buildings in a controlled-access and
fenced compound that contains various sizes of individual, compartmentalized
and controlled-access stalls and/or lockers leased to the general
public for a specified period of time for the dead storage of personal
property.
MOBILE HOME
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.
MOBILE HOME LOT
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.
MOBILE HOME PARK
A parcel or contiguous parcels of land that has been so designated
and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the
placement of mobile homes.
MODEL HOME
The temporary use of a dwelling unit in an approved plan
that is under construction for the purpose of marketing dwelling units
to be constructed.
MOTEL or HOTEL
An establishment that offers transient overnight lodging
accommodations, including extended stays, to the general public and
that also may provide additional supporting services, such as restaurants,
meeting rooms, recreation, facilities and living quarters for a resident
manager or proprietor.
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING AND/OR TREATMENT PLANT
A facility designed and constructed to separate and/or remove
materials such as water, water vapor, ethane, propane, butane, and
other constituents or similar substances from natural gas to allow
such natural gas to be of such quality as is required or appropriate
for transmission or distribution to commercial markets.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
NIGHTCLUB
A restaurant, or portion thereof, or any other establishment serving food and/or drink, whether or not the consumption of alcoholic beverages is permitted or allowed on the premises, that offers, on a monthly or more frequent basis, live entertainment on a stage or bandstand and/or dancing to music, either live or recorded, and that has a maximum permitted occupancy authorized by the Uniform Construction Code (Ch.
95, Construction Codes, Uniform) of 50 or more persons.
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
NONCONFORMING LOT
Any lot, the area or dimension of which was lawful prior
to the adoption or amendment of this chapter, but which fails to conform
to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located
by reasons of such adoption or amendment.
NONCONFORMING SIGN
Any sign that was lawfully erected and maintained prior to
the adoption or amendment of this chapter that fails to conform to
all applicable regulations and restrictions of this chapter.
NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE
A structure or part of a structure that does not comply with
the applicable area and bulk provisions of this chapter or amendment
heretofore or hereafter enacted, where such structure lawfully existed
prior to the enactment of this chapter or an amendment thereto or
prior to the application of this chapter or amendment to its location
by reason of annexation. Nonconforming signs are included in this
definition.
NONCONFORMING USE
A use, whether of land or of a structure, that does not comply
with the applicable use provisions in this chapter or amendment heretofore
or hereafter enacted, where such use was lawfully in existence prior
to the enactment of this chapter or an amendment thereto or prior
to the application of this chapter or amendment to its location by
reason of annexation.
NUDITY
The showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area
or buttocks with less than a fully opaque covering, or the showing
of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any
portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered
male genitals in a discernible turgid state.
NUISANCE
Any activity or condition that unreasonably annoys and disturbs
a person, rendering the ordinary use of his/her property physically
uncomfortable, and/or anything that essentially interferes with enjoyment
of life and property or that may constitute a threat to the health,
safety and welfare of the citizens of the Township.
NURSING HOME
An institution licensed by the commonwealth for the care
of human patients requiring skilled nursing or intermediate nursing
care, but not including facilities for major surgery or care and treatment
of drug or alcohol addiction.
OFFICIAL DATE OF FILING
The date of the Planning Commission meeting at which an application
is first considered after filing of an application that is determined
to be complete and properly filed.
OIL AND GAS
Crude oil, condensate, natural gas liquids, drip gas, natural
gas, coal bed methane gas, propane, butane and/or any other constituents
or similar substances that are produced by drilling a well of any
depth into, through and below the surface of the earth.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
OIL AND GAS DRILLING AND PRODUCTION
The removal of oil and gas resources from the ground by means
of drilling, as defined herein, in accordance with a valid permit
issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
(PA DEP) under the provisions of the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act
(58 P.S. §§ 601.101 to § 602.605), as now or hereafter amended.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
OIL AND GAS DRILLING SUBSURFACE ACTIVITIES (FACILITIES)
Activities performed under the surface of the ground that
are part of the operation of oil and gas drilling and production,
as defined herein, whether or not located on properties within the
unit for a particular well site, but that are not included in the
well site, including, but not limited to: horizontal drilling and
hydraulic fracturing zones, underground production, gathering and
transmission pipelines established in accordance with Public Utility
Commission (PUC) and other applicable industry guidelines, water distribution
lines and similar underground facilities incidental to oil and gas
drilling.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
OIL AND GAS DRILLING, DEEP WELL
Oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, drilled to depths
deeper than the base of the Elk Sandstone or its stratigraphic equivalent.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
OIL AND GAS DRILLING, SHALLOW WELL
Oil and gas drilling, as defined herein, drilled to depths
shallower than the base of the Elk Sandstone or its stratigraphic
equivalent.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
OPERATOR
Any person, partnership, company or corporation and its subcontractors
and agents who have an interest in land for the purpose of exploring
or drilling for, producing or transporting oil or gas.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
PARKING AREA
A portion of a lot designated for the parking of motor vehicles
in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.
PARKING SPACE
A portion of a garage or parking area designated for the
parking of one motor vehicle in accordance with the requirements of
this chapter.
PERIMETER SETBACK
The distance specified by this chapter from the entire boundary
of a site proposed for a development, as required by this chapter.
PERSON
An individual, proprietorship, partnership, corporation,
association or other legal entity.
PERSONAL CARE BOARDING HOME
A dwelling or institution licensed by the commonwealth where
room and board is provided to more than three permanent residents
who are not relatives of the operator and who are mobile or semimobile
and require specialized services for a period exceeding 24 consecutive
hours in such matters as bathing, dressing, diet and medication prescribed
for self-administration, but who are not in need of hospitalization
or skilled nursing or intermediate nursing care.
PERSONAL SERVICES
Any enterprise providing services pertaining to the person,
their apparel, or personal effects commonly carried on or about the
person, including but not limited to shoe repair, tailoring, clothes
cleaning, watch repairing, barbershops, beauty parlors and related
activities, but not including any adult business, as defined herein.
PET GROOMING
A retail business that offers services for the bathing, trimming
and conditioning of domestic pets and that may offer the sale of pet
care products as an accessory use.
PET SERVICES
A business establishment that sells pet food and other pet
care products to the general public and that may offer pet grooming,
a kennel and/or limited veterinary services as accessory uses, or
a business establishment that offers care, during part of a twenty-four-hour
day, of domestic pets as a principal use and that may sell food or
other pet care products as an accessory use.
PILOT MANUFACTURING
An establishment or part thereof used to test concepts and
ideas, determine physical layouts, material flows and processes, types
of equipment required, costs and other information necessary prior
to undertaking full-scale production.
PLACE OF ASSEMBLY
An indoor or outdoor space without fixed seating used for
public gatherings for religious, recreational, educational, cultural,
political, social or entertainment purposes.
PLANNED INDUSTRIAL PARK
A development comprised of authorized industrial uses on
a site that is under single ownership and control at the time of application
for zoning approval and that is planned and developed as a single
unit wherein several buildings or lots utilize a common means of access
and may share other common facilities, such as parking and signs.
PLANNED OFFICE PARK
A site under single ownership and control at the time of
application for zoning approval that is developed as a unit for two
or more buildings containing medical offices or clinics or professional
or business offices in a campus environment, utilizing common means
of access, parking and loading facilities and uniform signage, and
that may include other shared features.
PLANNED RESEARCH OR TECHNOLOGY PARK
A site under single ownership and control at the time of
application for zoning approval that is developed as a unit for two
or more buildings containing high-technology industries and/or research
and development establishments in a campus environment, utilizing
common means of access, parking and loading facilities and uniform
signage, and may include other shared features.
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
An area of land under single ownership and control at the
time of application for zoning approval and developed as a single
entity for a number of dwellings, the plan for which does not necessarily
correspond in lot size, bulk, type of dwelling unit or use, density
or intensity, lot coverage or required open space to any one district
in this chapter.
PLANNED SHOPPING CENTER
A site of less than 100 acres under single ownership and
control at the time of application for zoning approval that is developed
as a unit for two or more retail businesses in one or more buildings
and designed with shared parking, loading and access facilities and
uniform signage.
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission of South Strabane Township, Washington
County, Pennsylvania.
PORCH
A roofed or uncovered accessory structure without enclosing
walls, having an area of more than 24 square feet, that is attached
to or part of the principal building and that has direct access to
and from the principal building. (See also "stoop.")
PRESCHOOL FACILITY
An establishment that offers private educational services
to children who are under the minimum age for education in public
schools.
PRINCIPAL USE
The primary or predominant use to which the property is or
may be devoted and to which all other uses on the premises are accessory.
PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT
An establishment engaged in commercial or job printing, including
offset printing, engraving, photolithographing, and publishing and
binding books, newspapers, pamphlets and other printed materials.
PRIVATE
Owned, operated or controlled by an individual, group of
individuals, association or corporation, not for profit, and restricted
to members and their guests.
PRIVATE CLUB
Any establishment other than a sportsmen's club, as defined
herein, operated by a private organization for social, recreational,
educational, fraternal or sororal purposes, that is open only to members
and their guests and not to the general public.
PRIVATE STABLE
The keeping of horses and/or ponies for personal use and
enjoyment of the residents of the lot, not involving any profit-making
activity.
PRIVATE-USE HELIPAD
A helicopter landing pad, licensed by the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation, Bureau of Aviation, and regulated by the Federal
Aviation Administration, that is owned by a private entity and restricted
to use by helicopters owned by such entity.
PROTECTED STRUCTURE
A dwelling intended for human occupancy. The term shall not
include any structure whose owner has signed a notarized waiver relieving
an operator from measures applicable to said dwelling as established
in this chapter or other applicable provisions of the Code of the
Township of South Strabane.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
PUBLIC
Owned, operated or controlled by a government agency, federal,
state, county or local.
PUBLIC BUILDING
A building operated by a government agency or a nonprofit
organization affiliated with government, the use of which provides
services to the public, such as municipal buildings, public works
buildings, administrative offices, public safety and emergency medical
services, libraries, museums, community centers, recreation centers,
senior centers and similar facilities.
PUBLIC MEETING
A forum held pursuant to notice under the Act of July 3,
1986 (P.L. 388, No. 84), known as the "Sunshine Act." (65 Pa.C.S.A.
§ 701 et seq.).
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice published once each week for two successive weeks
in a newspaper of general circulation in the Township. 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.
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE OPEN SPACE
The aggregate portion of those lots comprising a regional
commercial development which is not occupied by buildings, parking
areas, driveways, or street or loading areas, regardless of whether
such space is designated for public or private use.
PUBLIC PARKING GARAGE
A parking area that is located in a parking structure or
parking garage, that is the principal use on the lot and that may
be operated by either a public agency or private entity, whether for
profit or not, and that is available for use by the general public,
usually for a fee.
PUBLIC PARKING LOT
A parking area on the surface of the ground that is the principal
use on the lot, that may be operated by either a public agency or
private entity, whether for profit or not, and that is available for
use by the general public, usually for a fee.
PUBLIC UTILITY BUILDING OR STRUCTURE
Any administrative building, maintenance building, garage
or other building intended for human occupancy or storage of movable
equipment, owned or operated by a utility company regulated by the
Public Utilities Commission (PUC), or any building or structure owned
or operated by a utility company regulated by the Public Utility Commission
(PUC) or any governmental agency or municipal authority that is necessary
for the generation, treatment, regulation or intermunicipal distribution
of essential services, as defined herein, including, but not limited
to, long-distance transmission facilities, such as electrical power
lines or high-pressure natural gas or petroleum lines, switching facilities,
substations, treatment plants, reservoirs, water towers, transmission
towers and similar facilities.
QUADRAPLEX
See Subsection D under "dwelling types."
RADIO AND TELEVISION TRANSMITTER
The equipment necessary to send radio or television signals
to individual receivers located within a broadcast area as licensed
by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
RECREATION, ACTIVE, HIGH-IMPACT
Indoor or outdoor leisure-time pursuits that draw in excess
of 200 spectators and/or participants at any one time and any indoor
or outdoor leisure-time pursuits that draw fewer than 200 spectators
or participants that have operational characteristics that have a
significant impact on surrounding properties, including but not limited
to motocross or dirt bike trails, paintball facilities, arenas, amusement
parks, water parks, racetracks, betting parlors, gaming facilities,
casinos, ski resorts, campgrounds, fairs, truck and tractor pulls,
off-road vehicle courses and trails, amphitheaters and similar uses
that have significant environmental, noise, traffic or lighting impacts.
(See also "boarding stable," "golf course," "golf or country club,"
"health club," "indoor entertainment," "private stable," "riding academy,"
"shooting range" and "sportsmen's club," which are excluded from this
definition because they are separately defined and regulated by this
chapter.)
RECREATION, ACTIVE, LOW-IMPACT
Indoor or outdoor leisure-time pursuits that draw fewer than
200 spectators and/or participants at any one time, including activities
that involve individuals, groups of individuals or teams, usually
requiring the use of special equipment and/or a prescribed site, field
or facility, including but not limited to soccer fields; football,
baseball and softball fields; basketball courts, tennis courts, handball
or racquetball courts; driving ranges, putting courses or other golf
practice ranges or facilities; swimming pools, community centers and
similar facilities of a size and operational character that they have
a low impact on surrounding properties. (See also "boarding stable,"
"golf course," "golf or country club," "health club," "indoor entertainment,"
"private stable," "riding academy," "shooting range" and "sportsmen's
club," which are excluded from this definition because they are separately
defined and regulated by this chapter.)
RECREATIONAL EQUIPMENT CENTER OR FACILITY
One or more retail stores, including indoor and outdoor display
areas, primarily devoted to the sale of any of the following items:
equipment and supplies for boating, camping, hunting, fishing and
other outdoor recreational activities and recreational vehicles, as
defined herein, and which may include as accessory uses one or more
of the following: participation in activities utilizing any of the
items offered for sale, a nature center, a museum, a golf practice
range or facility, outdoor trap and skeet shooting and archery ranges,
indoor firing ranges, testing tracks for all-terrain and other recreational
vehicles and outdoor display of recreational vehicles offered for
sale.
RECREATIONAL FARMETTE
The raising of horses, livestock and/or poultry on property that does not meet the minimum lot area requirements for agriculture where said use is accessory to a single-family dwelling and is limited to the personal use and enjoyment by the residents, and further provided that the raising of animals is not the principal economic activity of the residents, and shall not include any exotic animals as defined in Chapter
59, Animals, Article
II, Exotic and Wild Animals, of the Code of the Township of South Strabane, as hereafter amended. The definition of "recreational farmette" may include a private stable, as defined herein, but shall not include a boarding stable, commercial greenhouse, kennel or riding academy, which are separately defined and regulated by this chapter.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A single-axle or multiple-axle structure mounted on wheels
or otherwise capable of being made mobile, either with its own motive
power or designed to be mounted on or drawn by an automotive vehicle,
for the purpose of travel, camping, vacation and recreational use,
including but not limited to travel trailers, mobile homes, motor
homes, tent trailers, boats, boat trailers, pickup campers, horse
trailers, snowmobiles, jet skis, wave runners, motorcycles and all-terrain
vehicles.
RECREATION, PASSIVE
Outdoor leisure-time pursuits involving activities that usually
involve individuals or small groups of individuals, rather than organized
teams, and that provide relaxation and refreshment through furnishing
a visual and/or psychological release from the pressure of everyday
life, including, but not limited to bridle trails, trails with exercise
stations, nordic ski trails, hiking, biking, walking, fishing, picnicking,
children's playgrounds, table games, observation areas, bird watching,
botanical gardens, historical or archaeological sites, scenic areas,
native preserves and similar facilities for relaxing in a natural
environment.
REGIONAL COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
A site of 100 acres or more, under single ownership and control
at the time of application for conditional use approval, that is to
be developed for a mix of commercial and/or entertainment uses, that,
because of its size and scope, draws visitors from outside the immediate
area and is designed to minimize the points of access to the regional
highway network and is designed with shared access, parking and loading
facilities.
REPAIR SHOP
A service establishment providing maintenance and repairs
of personal and household items that can be carried in by hand, including
personal effects (such as jewelry, watches, bicycles), small household
appliances, office equipment, small gasoline engines and similar items,
but not including repair of large appliances, motorized vehicles or
heavy equipment.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Any establishment, including laboratories, that carries on
investigation in the natural, physical or social sciences, or engineering
and development as an extension of such investigation, with the objective
of creating end products and that may include supporting storage and
transportation facilities, but not including the mass production of
such products.
RESTAURANT
An establishment that offers food and beverages for sale
and consumption either on or on and off the premises as the principal
use and may serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises
as an accessory use.
RESTAURANT, CARRY-OUT
A restaurant where refreshments, beverages, meals or frozen
desserts or the like are served for consumption primarily outside
of the premises and where no more than 12 permanent seats are provided.
RESTAURANT, FAST-FOOD
A restaurant principally devoted to the retail sale of prepared
or premeasured food items where such food items are ordered by the
customer at a window, counter or vehicle rather than from a table,
and that is designed to facilitate quick service and takeout orders.
RESTAURANT, SIT-DOWN
An establishment where orders are placed with waitpersons
by customers seated at tables and food and beverages are served at
the table by waitpersons and where the usual length of stay is one
hour or more. A sit-down restaurant may or may not serve alcoholic
beverages for consumption on the premises as an accessory use and
may or may not offer takeout service as an accessory use, but shall
not include a pickup window or drive-through window.
RETAIL BUSINESS
Any establishment not otherwise specifically defined in this
chapter that sells, on the premises, commodities and/or services directly
to consumers, but not including the manufacturing or processing of
any products.
RETENTION FACILITY, FRESHWATER
A temporary facility consisting of an aboveground certified
water storage tank(s) situated upon the ground used to store freshwater
for commercial or industrial use.
[Added 11-24-2020 by Ord. No. 7-2020]
RETENTION FACILITY, WASTEWATER
A facility, accessory to a principal commercial or industrial
use, consisting of aboveground certified water storage tank situated
upon the ground used to store wastewater created by an operation located
on the same lot.
[Added 11-24-2020 by Ord. No. 7-2020]
RIDING ACADEMY
An establishment where horses are boarded and cared for and
where instruction in riding, jumping and showing is offered for a
fee and where horses may be hired for riding.
SALES OFFICE
A temporary use for the purpose of marketing the dwelling
units in a residential development or the leasable space or other
occupancy in a nonresidential development.
SCHOOL, COMMERCIAL
A privately operated, for-profit establishment providing
technical or skilled training, vocational or trade educational courses
and programs.
SCHOOL, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE
An accredited institution of learning that offers elementary-
and secondary-level instruction or that offers associate, bachelor
or higher degrees in the several branches of learning required by
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
SEAT
The area required for one individual to sit on as regulated by the Township Building Code, Ch.
95, Construction Codes, Uniform.
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
SEXUAL CONDUCT
Patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate
sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, and patently
offensive representations, descriptions or acts of masturbation, excretory
functions, homosexuality, sodomy, sexual intercourse or physical contact
with a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks
or, if such person be female, breasts.
SIGN
Any structure or device used to attract attention by word
or graphic display.
SIGN, SURFACE AREA OF
The surface area of a sign shall be measured as described
below. For two-sided signs, only one sign face is counted in computing
the surface area.
A.
In the case of an advertising panel, the surface area of the
sign shall be the total area enclosed by one continuous line connecting
the extreme points or edges of the advertising panel containing the
writing, representation, character, emblem or other communication
material.
B.
In the case of freestanding letters, figures or characters mounted
on a wall or other surface, the surface area of the sign shall be
the entire area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the
extreme limits of the writing, representation, character, emblem or
other communication material.
C.
In the case of freestanding ground or pole signs or monument
signs, the area shall not include the main supporting structure; however,
logos, ornamental attachments and framework around or connections
between advertising panels shall be included.
D.
In the case of letters that are painted on or affixed to an
awning, canopy or marquee, the surface area of the sign shall be the
area of the geometric shape formed by outlining the height and width
of all the letters, including the space between the letters.
SINGLE OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL
One legal entity, including an individual, partnership, corporation,
incorporated association or similar legally constituted body, or joint
owners who enter into an agreement for development of a site, provided
that, in each case, such entity or owner has exclusive responsibility
for making decisions about the development of property for which each
is the landowner.
SITE
One or more contiguous lots, properties or parcels proposed
for development that, when combined for development, meet the minimum
area and bulk requirements of the zoning district in which they are
located for the intended use.
[Amended 6-28-2016 by Ord. No. 2-2016]
SITE AREA
The total area within the boundary lines of a site proposed
for development, expressed in acres or square feet.
SKILLS PRACTICE OR COMPETITION AREA
A recreational facility accessory to a recreational equipment
center or facility, as defined herein, designed primarily to instruct
the general public in the use of equipment offered for sale and to
promote interest in the use of products offered for sale by sponsoring
competitive events for various skill levels.
SLOPE
The degree of rise or descent of the land surface, calculated
by dividing the number of feet of vertical rise/descent in elevation
by the number of feet of horizontal distance, expressed as a percentage.
SPORTS COURT
A private outdoor recreational facility accessory to a dwelling
for personal use by the residents comprised of an all-weather surface
designed for regulation play of tennis, basketball, handball or similar
games.
SPORTSMEN'S CLUB
A legally chartered organization for the pursuit of hunting,
fishing, marksmanship and related activities, that may or may not
include a clubhouse, and that has a roster of membership and a regular
calendar of activities limited to members and their guests.
SPUD
The actual start of drilling of a gas well.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
STOOP
A covered or uncovered structure, without enclosing walls,
located at a front, side or rear door to a dwelling unit, not exceeding
24 square feet in area.
STORAGE BUILDING
An accessory structure, as defined herein, not intended for
human occupancy, used exclusively for storage of personal property
owned by the residents of the dwelling to which the structure is accessory.
STORE, CONVENIENCE
A retail establishment, with a gross floor area of 5,000
square feet or less, offering a limited selection of grocery, household
and personal items for quick purchase and that may include the dispensing
of gasoline.
STORE, FOOD
A retail establishment that has a gross floor area less than
10,000 square feet and that offers for sale specialty or gourmet food
items or meats or groceries that are packaged and are not available
for consumption on the premises.
STORE, GENERAL MERCHANDISE
A retail store selling a wide variety of products, including
but not limited to apparel, home furnishings, lawn and garden supplies,
outdoor equipment and supplies, automotive, hardware, home improvement,
beauty and health products, cards and gifts, office supplies, and
may offer limited quantities of food products.
STORE, GROCERY
A retail establishment that has a gross floor area of 10,000
square feet or more that primarily sells meat, food and household
products, but that may also include as accessory uses a pharmacy,
a florist, a travel agency, a video rental store (excluding an adult
video store), a coffee shop, a delicatessen, banking and copy/fax
services.
STORE, HARDWARE
A retail store that primarily sells tools and supplies for
plumbing, carpentry, electrical, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning
maintenance and repairs and that may also offer the sale of lawn and
garden maintenance and other household products.
STORE, HOME IMPROVEMENT
A retail store that maintains a large inventory of supplies
and tools for construction, remodeling, decorating and maintenance
of residences and small businesses and that sells directly to consumers
and contractors.
STORY
That portion of a building included between the surface of
any floor and the surface of the floor next above it, or, if there
is no floor above it, then the space between any floor and the ceiling
next above it, excluding cellars.
STREET
A public or private recorded right-of-way that affords primary
means of vehicular access to abutting property, but not including
alleys.
STREET, ARTERIAL
A public street that serves large volumes of high-speed and
long-distance traffic. Streets classified as "arterial" in the Township
include Interstate 70, Interstate 79, U.S. Route 19, U.S. Route 40
and Race Track Road.
STREET, COLLECTOR
A public street that, in addition to giving access to abutting
lots, intercepts local streets and provides a route for carrying considerable
volumes of local traffic to community facilities and arterial roads.
Streets classified as "collector" in the Township include Cameron
Road, Country Club Road, Davis School Road, East Beau Street, Floral
Hill Drive, Lakeview Drive, Locust Avenue Extension, Manifold Road,
North Main Street Extension, Oak Spring Road, Vance Station Road and
Zediker Station Road.
STREET LINE
The legal right-of-way line that forms the dividing line
between the street and the lot.
STREET, LOCAL
Any street in the Township not defined by this chapter as
an "arterial street" or a "collector street."
STREET, PRIVATE
A street, including the entire private right-of-way, that
is privately owned and maintained and that is intended for private,
rather than public, use.
STREET, PUBLIC
A public right-of-way dedicated and open for public use that
has been adopted by the Township, county, commonwealth or governmental
body.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATION
A change or rearrangement of the structural parts or in the
means of ingress and egress, or an enlargement or diminution of the
structure, whether by extending on the side or increasing the height
or depth, or the moving from one location or position to another.
STRUCTURE
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location
on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land.
SUBDIVISION
The division of a lot, tract or parcel of land by any means
into two or more lots, tracts or parcels or other division of land,
including any 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.
SUPPLY YARD
A commercial establishment engaged in storing and selling
building supplies, industrial supplies or feed and grain primarily
to businesses, rather than the general public.
SURVEYOR
A professional surveyor registered in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
SWIMMING POOL
Any body of water, excluding farm ponds, or any receptacle
for water having a depth at any point greater than 18 inches or that
has a height of three feet or more and, in either case, a surface
area greater than 100 square feet, used or intended to be used for
swimming or bathing and constructed, installed or maintained outside
any building, including aboveground and in-ground swimming pools.
TEMPORARY STORAGE TRAILER OR CONTAINER
A metal or fiberglass receptacle without wheels or, if with
wheels, rendered immobile, intended to be used for the seasonal storage
of materials, supplies or inventory accessory to an authorized principal
use conducted on the same lot.
TEMPORARY USE OR STRUCTURE
Any use or structure that is intended to be used either on
a seasonal basis, during the time of construction and completion of
an approved development or for any other period of time that is six
months or less.
TOWNHOUSE
See Subsection J under "dwelling types."
TOWNSHIP
The Township of South Strabane, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY
An analysis, prepared, signed and sealed by a qualified traffic engineer, undertaken in accordance with the requirements in Chapter
206, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of South Strabane, analyzing the expected trip generation expected to result from a proposed development and providing recommendations for improvements to streets and/or traffic control devices within the site or immediately adjacent to the boundaries of the site.
TRANSITIONAL DWELLING
A dwelling unit occupied on a short-term basis by persons
assigned by a court of law, or who are self-referred, or referred
by a public, semipublic or nonprofit agency, and managed by a public,
semipublic or nonprofit agency responsible for the occupants' care,
safety, conduct, counseling and supervision for a specified period
of time, including alcoholic recovery, shelters for battered persons
and their children, maternity homes, community reentry services following
incarceration, prison assignment, house arrest or other court-ordered
treatment, and other such short-term supervised assignments.
TRIPLEX
See Subsection C under "dwelling types."
TRUCK AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT RENTAL, SALES AND SERVICE
An establishment engaged in the rental, sale and/or service
of vehicles in excess of 26,000 pounds GVW and/or any other heavy
equipment, including, but not limited to, construction or farm equipment,
whether or not the equipment is classified as a "motor vehicle."
TRUCK TERMINAL
A facility to accommodate the fueling, routine maintenance
and storage of trucks and other motorized equipment and trailers and
that may provide warehousing and transfer facilities as accessory
uses.
USE
The purpose, business or activity for which any land or structure
is utilized.
USE BY SPECIAL EXCEPTION
A use authorized by this chapter that may be granted only
by the Zoning Hearing Board following a public hearing, subject to
express standards and criteria contained in this chapter.
VARIANCE
A departure from the specific regulations of this chapter
that may be granted by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with
the criteria established by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning
Code (Act 247, as amended, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.) for
a particular piece of property that, because of special circumstances
applicable to it, cannot be developed in compliance with the literal
terms of this chapter without undue physical hardship.
[Amended 7-23-2019 by Ord. No. 3-2019]
VEHICLE ACCESSORIES SALES AND INSTALLATION
An establishment engaged in the retail sales and installation
of accessories for trucks, automobiles and motorcycles, including
but not limited to such items as tires, hubcaps, mirrors, seat covers,
floor mats, tonneau covers, truck caps, windshield wipers, trim packages,
running boards and the like, but not including any mechanical parts.
VEHICLE RENTAL, SALES AND SERVICE
The rental, sales and service of automobiles, motorcycles
and trucks under 26,000 pounds GVW and that may include the sale of
trucks of 26,000 pounds GVW or greater as a minor percentage of total
inventory, but not including any heavy equipment or any other vehicle
or equipment that is not classified as a "motor vehicle" under the
Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code.
VEHICLE REPAIR GARAGE
A building, or part thereof, used for the servicing and repair
of motor vehicles, including engine overhaul, bodywork and recapping/retreading
of tires, and where all storage of parts and dismantled vehicles and
all repair work are conducted entirely inside a completely enclosed
building, as defined by this chapter.
VETERINARY CLINIC
An establishment for the medical or surgical treatment of
animals, including the boarding of hospitalized animals, excluding
outdoor kennels.
VIDEO STORE
A retail establishment offering videocassettes, DVDs, Blu-ray
Discs™ or other prerecorded movies or video games for sale or rent and
that may offer, as an accessory use, the sale of related snack items.
WAREHOUSE CLUB
A membership club that sells a variety of food, automotive
and household products in bulk to individual and business members.
WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION
A building used for the storage and handling of freight or
merchandise, but not including the maintenance or fueling of commercial
vehicles. Warehousing that is incidental to retail sales and that
does not constitute in excess of 30% of the total floor area of the
retail establishment shall be excluded from this definition.
WASTEWATER
Water which has been previously used for industrial, municipal,
domestic or other purposes including those associated with fracturing,
drilling flowback, and other drilling-related activities.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
WATER, FRESH
Water withdrawn from a surface water or groundwater source,
or from a public water supply system, located within this Commonwealth
other than wastewater or brackish water. The term does not include
water collected directly from precipitation in rain barrels, cisterns
or similar containers.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
WATER, GROUND
Water that is located within the saturated zone below the
water table and is available to supply wells and springs.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
WATER, SURFACE
Water open to the atmosphere or subject to surface runoff.
The term does not include "finished water," as defined by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
WELL HEAD LOCATION
The precise point of entry into the ground where spudding
takes place and is indicated by the casing head or the Christmas tree
for the well.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
WELL PAD
That area upon which the well heads are located. Said well
pad is intended to include the production facility pad area.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016]
WELL SITE
All of the area occupied by the drilling equipment, as defined
herein, and all surface facilities including roads, structures, water
and other retention facilities (freshwater and/or wastewater) and
associated equipment, including tanks, meters and other permanent
or temporary structures and equipment incidental to oil and gas drilling
and production, as defined herein, including facilities and equipment
necessary for site preparation, site construction, drilling, hydraulic
fracturing, site restoration, production and operation of the well
upon completion of drilling.
[Added 6-28-2016 by Ord.
No. 2-2016; amended 11-24-2020 by Ord. No. 7-2020]
WHOLESALE BUSINESS
An establishment engaged in selling merchandise to retailers,
institutional, commercial or professional business customers or other
wholesalers, rather than to the general public, or acting as a broker
for such merchandise sales.
WIND-ENERGY SYSTEM, HEIGHT OF THE
The distance measured from the natural grade or finished
grade at the base of the tower to the tip of the rotor blade at its
highest point.
WIND-ENERGY SYSTEM, PERSONAL
A wind-energy conversion system which has a rated capacity
of no more than 60 kw, consisting of a wind turbine, a tower, base
and associated control or conversion electronics, including collection,
distribution and storage equipment, intended for private use to reduce
on-site consumption of utility power, allowing for distribution of
excess energy into the public utility's electrical grid for credit.
WIND-ENERGY SYSTEM TOWER
The vertical structure that supports the rotor blades, electrical
generator or other components of a personal wind-energy system.
WIND FARM
An area of land containing a number of wind turbines used
for generating power for distribution to or by a public utility or
for private commercial or industrial purposes.
WIND TURBINE
A device consisting of a rotor with two or more blades that
converts kinetic wind energy into rotational energy that drives an
electrical generator.
WOODPILE
A stack of wood cut into length to burn and neatly stacked
and stored for fuel or recreational purposes.
[Added 7-27-2021 by Ord. No. 3-2021]
YARD
A required open space located on a lot that is unobstructed
by any portion of a principal structure, other than certain projections
expressly permitted by this chapter.
YARD, FRONT
A yard extending between side lot lines across the full lot
width from the street right-of-way line to a line parallel to the
front lot line known as the "front building line," the minimum horizontal
distance required by this chapter.
YARD, REAR
A yard extending across the rear of the lot between the required
side yard lines parallel to the rear lot line, the minimum horizontal
distance required by this chapter.
YARD, SIDE
A yard extending from the required front building line to
the rear lot line parallel to the side lot line, the minimum horizontal
distance required by this chapter.
ZONING AMENDMENT
A change to the text of this chapter or to the Zoning District
Map proposed for adoption by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to
the procedures specified in this chapter.
ZONING CERTIFICATE
A document issued by the Zoning Officer or his/her designated
agent indicating that approval of a conditional use has been granted
by the Board of Supervisors or approval of a use by special exception
has been granted by the Zoning Hearing Board or approval has been
granted by the Zoning Officer for a permitted use by right pursuant
to the procedures of this chapter, indicating compliance with all
applicable requirements of this chapter, which approval is prerequisite
to the issuance of a building permit and/or certificate of occupancy.
ZONING DISTRICT
An area accurately defined as to boundaries and location
on the Zoning District Map and within which area only certain types
of land uses are permitted and within which other types of land uses
are excluded, as set forth in this chapter.
ZONING DISTRICT MAP
The official map delineating the zoning districts of South
Strabane Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, together with
all amendments subsequently adopted, that is incorporated in and made
a part of this chapter by reference thereto.
ZONING HEARING BOARD
The Zoning Hearing Board of the Township of South Strabane,
Washington County, Pennsylvania.
ZONING OFFICER
That person appointed by the South Strabane Township Board
of Supervisors and charged with the responsibility of administering
and enforcing this chapter.