[Amended 9-26-1989 by Ord. No. 703]
Words and terms used in this chapter shall have the meanings given in this §
420-8. Unless expressly stated otherwise, any pertinent word or term not a part of this listing, but vital to the interpretation of this chapter, shall be construed to have its legal definition, or in absence of a legal definition, its meaning as commonly accepted by practitioners including civil engineers, surveyors, architects, landscape architects, and planners.
That which conforms to accepted principles, tests and standards of nationally recognized technical, scientific, and/or engineering authorities.
ALLEYA public or privately owned right-of-way, on which no new dwelling, stores, or other principle buildings are intended to front, serving as the secondary means of access to two or more properties.
APPLICANTA person who has filed an application for approval of subdivision or land development plans, including his/her heirs, successors, agents, and assigns. This term also includes landowner, developer, builder, and/or other persons responsible for the plans and construction of buildings and/or other improvements on any parcel of land.
BLOCKAn area bounded by streets or streets and natural or man-made features.
BOROUGH COUNCILThe elected governing body of the Borough of Royersford; also referred to as "Council."
BUFFERAn area designed to separate the uses of land which abut it and which functions to ease the transition between them. Unless otherwise specified, buffers may be included as part of the required setbacks and yard areas. Buffers may be divided into two or more types as explained in the design standards of this chapter.
BUILDINGAny structure, whether built conventionally or in a manner generally referred to as "mobile," "modular," or "manufactured," and having enclosing walls and roof, permanently located on the land, the ordinary use of which requires people to enter the structure.
CARTWAYThe portion of a street, alley, or driveway intended for vehicular use.
COMMON OPEN SPACEA parcel or parcels of land, or a combination of land and water, within a development site designed and intended for the use or enjoyment of residents of a development, not including streets, off-street parking areas and areas set aside for public facilities; also referred to as "open space."
COMPREHENSIVE PLANThe current, officially adopted Comprehensive Plan for the Borough of Royersford and all amendments thereto.
CONSTRUCTIONThe construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension, expansion, alteration, or relocation of a building or structure, including the placement of mobile homes.
CURBLINEThe outermost edge of a cartway.
CUTAn excavation; the difference between a point on the original ground and a designated point of lower elevation on the final grade; also, the material removed in an excavation.
DEVELOPMENTAny man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, the placement of mobile homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging, filling, grading, excavation, or drilling operations.
DEVELOPMENT PLANThe provisions for guiding development, including a plan of subdivision, all covenants relating to use, location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of use or density of development, streets, parking facilities, ways, common open space, and public facilities. The phrase "provisions of the development plan" shall mean the written and graphic materials referred to in this definition.
DRAINAGEThe natural or man-made features of the land that are specifically designed to store or carry surface water runoff.
DRIVEWAYA private way providing for vehicular and pedestrian access between a public street and a parking area within a lot or property.
EASEMENTA right-of-way or other right granted by a property owner for the use of a designated part of his/her property for public, quasi-public, or private purposes, including utilities, drainageways, and access.
ENGINEERA professional engineer licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
EXCAVATIONAny act by which natural materials are dug into, cut, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated or bulldozed, as well as the conditions resulting therefrom.
FILLAny act by which natural materials are placed pushed, dumped, pulled, transported, or moved to a new location above the natural surface of the ground or on top of the stripped surface, as well as the conditions resulting therefrom.
FLOODPLAIN-RELATED TERMSSee definitions in Chapter
248, Floodplain Management, of the Code of the Borough of Royersford.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The length of the lot line abutting a street right-of-way.
GRADEThe slope of a street, parcel of land, utility lines, drainageways, etc., specified in percent, and shown on plans as required herein.
GROUND COVERLow-growing plant materials planted in a manner to provide continuous plant cover of the ground surface; lawn, ivy, and other low plant materials are included. Nonplant ground cover may also include bark or wood chips, gravel, and stone, provided they are maintained as a continuous pervious cover.
HEIGHT OF BUILDINGThe vertical distance measured from the average elevation of the existing grade at the location of the building to the highest point of the roof, as further defined below:
A. Flat: highest point measurable.
Gable, hip, gambrel: height between the eaves and ridge.
For a building with two or more roof heights, to the higher roof.
Chimneys, spires, towers, mechanical penthouses, tanks, and similar projections not intended for human occupancy shall be excluded.
IMPROVEMENTThe physical additions, installations and changes required to render land suitable for the use proposed, including streets, curbs, sidewalks, utilities, and drainage facilities.
LAND DEVELOPMENTAny of the following activities:
A. The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts, or parcels of land for any purpose involving:
(1) A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings, whether proposed initially or cumulatively, or a single nonresidential building on a lot or lots, regardless of the number of occupants or tenure; or
The division or allocation of land or space, whether initially or cumulatively, between or among two or more existing or prospective occupants by means of, or for the purpose of, streets, common areas, leaseholds, condominiums, building groups, or other features.
The following are excluded from the "land development" definition:
(1) The conversion of an existing single-family detached dwelling or single-family semidetached dwelling into not more than three residential units, unless such units are intended to be a condominium; or
The addition of an accessory building, including farm buildings, on a lot or lots subordinate to an existing principal building.
LANDOWNERThe legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, or a building thereon, or a portion of either, 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 proprietary interest in land.
LOTA contiguous tract, parcel, or unit of land held by a landowner and/or intended for use, development, lease, or transfer of ownership, and for which a deed description is recorded or is intended to be recorded at the office of the Recorder of Deeds for Montgomery County.
LOT AREAThe horizontal land area of a lot, further defined as follows:
A. GROSS LOT AREAThe total horizontal land area lying within the lot or tract boundaries.
(1) The area lying between the street center line and the ultimate right-of-way line or equivalent right-of-way line.
The land of the access strip to rear, flag, or interior lots.
LOT, REARA lot which conforms in all respects to the dimensional requirements of the zoning district in which it is located, except that the only road frontage and access is limited to an access strip. This definition does not include the commonly used wedge-shaped lots located on a cul-de-sac turnaround. Also known as "flag or interior lot."
NARROW LOTAny lot abutting a street that shall have less than the required width at the street line or at any point between the street line and a point 25 feet beyond the proposed building.
[Added 11-8-2011 by Ord. No. 848]
A graphic representation of a proposal for subdivision and/or land development, including necessary written notes.
RESERVE STRIPA parcel of land separating a street from adjacent properties.
REVERSE FRONTAGE LOTTINGLotting which extends between two streets of differing classifications, with vehicular access provided from the lesser street, in order to promote traffic flow and safety on the greater street.
RIGHT-OF-WAYA strip of land over which are provided rights for various purposes, including vehicular access and travel, storm drainage, and utilities; also see "street rights-of-way."
SIGHT DISTANCEThe distance of unobstructed view along the center line of a street from the driver's eye height of 3.75 feet to the furthest visible point six inches above the street surface.
SOIL SURVEYThe Montgomery County Soil Survey of 1967, prepared by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.
STREET LINEThe dividing line between a lot and a street, identical to the ultimate right-of-way line.
STREET OR ROADA public or private right-of-way serving primarily as a means of vehicular and pedestrian travel, furnishing access to abutting properties, and which may also be used for utilities, shade trees, and stormwater control.
STREET RIGHTS-OF-WAYRights-of-way for street purposes are defined as follows:
A. LEGAL RIGHT-OF-WAYThe street right-of-way legally in the public domain at the time a plan is submitted.
ULTIMATE RIGHT-OF-WAYThe street right-of-way projected as necessary for adequate handling of anticipated maximum traffic volumes.
EQUIVALENT RIGHT-OF-WAYA street right-of-way required to be reserved where private streets are permitted. The width shall be determined by the street's function, in accordance with the street classifications contained in this chapter.
STRUCTUREAny form or arrangement of building material involving the necessity of providing proper support, bracing, tieing, anchoring, or other protection against the forces of the elements; also see "building" definition.
SUBDIVISIONThe division or redivision of a lot, tract, or parcel of land by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels, or other divisions of land, including changes in existing lot lines for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of lease, partition by the court for distribution to heirs or devisees, transfer of ownership or building or lot development. 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, is exempted from this definition.
VISUAL SCREENA barrier whose purpose is to obscure a view; generally comprised of plant materials suitable for the purpose.
WATERCOURSEA place intended or used for the directed surface flow of water, including permanent and intermittent streams, brooks, creeks, channels, ditches, swales, and rivers.
YARDAn open, generally unoccupied area of a lot which must remain free of buildings, but which may contain lawn or planted areas, parking and/or driveways, walks, walls, fences, and similar appurtenances.