As used in this chapter the following words shall have the meanings
indicated:
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE
A subordinate structure, located on the same lot as the main
structure or a portion of the main structure, the use of which is
clearly incidental to and customarily found in connection with the
main structure or principal use of the land.
ACCESSORY USE
A subordinate use, located on the same lot as the main structure
or use, which is clearly incidental and related to that of a main
structure or main use of land.
AGRICULTURAL BUILDING
A structure utilized to store farm implements, hay, feed,
grain or other agricultural or horticultural products, or to house
poultry, livestock or other farm animals, a milk house and a structure
used to grow mushrooms. The term includes a carriage house owned and
used by members of a recognized religious sect for the purposes of
housing horses and storing buggies. The term also includes habitable
space or spaces in which agricultural products are processed, treated
or packaged, but shall not be construed to mean a place of occupancy
by the general public.
[Added 3-12-2020 by Ord.
No. O-5-2020]
AGRICULTURAL CONVERSIONS
The conversion and/or use of existing buildings or structures
which are accessory to the agricultural use of property for the following
events and/or commercial purposes only:
[Added 5-11-2017 by Ord.
No. O-5-2017]
C.
Private reception events;
D.
Retail sales of produce, meat, poultry, vegetables, flowers,
jams, jellies or other products grown or otherwise produced on the
property.
AGRICULTURE
Any use of land or structures for farming, dairying, pasturage,
agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, arboriculture or animal or
poultry husbandry; together with structures accessory to such agricultural
use, including, but not limited to, barns, stables, corn cribs, silos
and any other use or structure that is clearly incidental and related
to an agricultural operation.
AIRCRAFT
Any contrivance, except an empowered hang-glider or parachute,
used for manned ascent into or flight through the air.
AIRPORT
The Westmoreland County Airport; any area of land, either
public or private, which is used or intended to be used for the landing
and takeoff of aircraft and any appurtenant areas which are used or
intended to be used for airport buildings or air navigation facilities
or rights-of-way, together with all airport buildings and facilities
thereon. "Airports" shall not include heliports.
AIRPORT HAZARD AREA
Any area of land or water upon which a hazard to air navigation
might be established.
ANCILLARY DWELLING
A dwelling unit accessory and subordinate to a principal
one-family house, installed and intended solely for the use of relatives
or domestic or farm employees.
ANCILLARY FARMING BUSINESS
A commercial use, accessory, incidental and subordinate to
an agricultural use, operated by and for the convenience of the family
residing on the same premises, where the land upon which the business
is located is not less than 40 acres and where such business utilizes
only existing structures that are customary and generally accepted
for agricultural operations.
ANCILLARY RESTAURANT
A restaurant which is located within a shopping center, industrial
park, office center, apartment complex or planned group unit, having
a floor area of not more than 3,000 square feet and intended primarily
to serve the employees, patrons or residents of the complex within
which it is located.
APARTMENT
A dwelling unit in a multiple-family residential structure
containing two or more dwelling units for lease to or occupancy by
tenants.
APPLICANT
A landowner, or holder of an agreement to purchase land,
lessee or other person having a proprietary interest in land or the
heir, successor or assign of such person, who has filed an application
for the use, improvement or development of any parcel or structure
or for subdivision of land or land development under the terms of
this chapter.
APPLICATION
An application, either preliminary or final, required to
be filed and approved prior to the use, improvement or development
of any parcel or structure or the start of land development or subdivision
and which is complete in all respects as required by this chapter.
APPROACH SURFACE
A surface longitudinally centered on the extended runway center line, extending outward and upward from the end of the primary surface and at the same slope as the approach zone height limitation slope set forth in this chapter or Chapter
104, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Unity. In plan, the perimeter of the "approach surface" coincides with the perimeter of the approach zone.
ASSISTED LIVING/PERSONAL CARE FACILITY
A home or residential facility for people needing assistance
with activities of daily living, but wishing to live as independently
as possible for as long as possible. Assisted living facilities are
characterized by the offering of help or assistance with activities
of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing, laundry, housekeeping,
and assistance with medications.
AVIATION SALES
The wholesale or retail sale of any product related to use
by the aviation industry.
AVIATION STORAGE FACILITIES
Any structure related to storing products, equipment and
other items related to the aviation industry or products, equipment
and other items either shipped in or shipped out by means of aircraft.
BANK
A commercial bank, savings and loan company, credit union,
or other closely related business.
BANQUET FACILITIES
A location serving food to persons attending private parties
or events that is not be part of a restaurant.
BANQUET ROOM
A room for the purpose of hosting a party, banquet, reception,
or other social event, operated within the buildings of clubs and
fraternal organizations or within a restaurant.
BAR
See "tavern (bar)" hereafter.
BASEMENT
Any area of the building having its floor below ground level
on all sides.
BASIC GRADE
A reference plane representing the average of the finished
ground level adjoining a structure at all its exterior walls.
BED-AND-BREAKFAST
A single-family dwelling, occupied by the owner in which
rooms and breakfast are provided as part of an agreed upon fee.
[Amended 5-14-2015 by Ord. No. O-2-2015]
BED-AND-BREAKFAST (WITH RECEPTION FACILITIES)
A "bed-and-breakfast" as herein defined which also accommodates
wedding receptions, birthday parties, reunions or other special occasion
events attended by third parties who are not registered guests at
the bed-and-breakfast during the event.
[Added 5-14-2015 by Ord.
No. O-2-2015]
BEDROCK
The natural rock layer, hard or soft, in place at ground
surface or beneath unconsolidated surface deposits.
BOARDINGHOUSE
An owner-occupied dwelling or other structure, designed principally
for single-family occupancy, but whose rooms are used as temporary
living quarters by transient individuals on a daily, weekly or monthly
basis, with or without consideration.
BUILDABLE AREA
That portion of a zoning lot bounded by the required front,
side and rear yards.
BUSINESS SERVICES
A business which provides services and/or sales of office
supplies and equipment either on site or off site, where the repair
and maintenance of equipment on site is limited and does not include
manufacturing or industrial operations.
CEMETERY
Land used or intended to be used solely for the interment
of human and/or animal remains and dedicated for cemetery purposes,
including mausoleums when operated in conjunction with and within
the boundary of such cemetery. A cemetery does not include an area
of property dedicated to the burial of family members, where members
of the deceased's immediate family (i.e., father, mother, sister,
brother or spouse) continue to own and reside on the property.
CHILD-CARE CENTER
Any place, home or institution which cares for children under
the age of 16 years apart from their parents, guardians or custodians
for regular periods of time for compensation; provided, however, that
the term "child-care center" shall not include bona fide schools or
churches and other religious or public institutions caring for children
within an institutional building or apply to a custodial relationship
fixed by a court.
CHURCH
A building whose principal use is for public worship by any
denomination or faith.
CLEAR SIGHT TRIANGLE
An area of unobstructed vision at street intersections, defined
by lines of sight between points at a given distance from the intersection
of street lines.
CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
The person or persons appointed by the Board of Supervisors
of Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, to enforce this
chapter.
COLLEGE or UNIVERSITY
A school or other institution providing post-secondary undergraduate
education or post-graduate education, offering associates, bachelor's,
master's or doctoral degrees. Technical schools offering supplemental
instruction to high school students, junior and community colleges,
or any branch campus thereof, may also be considered a college for
purposes of this chapter depending on their size and the intensity
of their use.
COMMERCIAL STORAGE
Ancillary to a principal use, the storage of inventory, stock,
supplies, materials or equipment used in, or as a part of, the operation
of the principal use on the property or site.
COMMON OPEN SPACE
An unimproved parcel of land integral to a planned residential
development and subject to provisions which assure the continued availability
and maintenance of such open space for the use and benefit of the
residents of the planned development.
COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNA
Any device used for the transmission or reception of radio,
television, wireless telephone, pager, commercial mobile radio service
or any other wireless communications signals, including, without limitation,
omnidirectional or whip antennas and directional or panel antennas,
owned or operated by any person or entity licensed by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) to operate such device. This definition
shall not include private-residence-mounted satellite dishes or television
antennas or amateur radio equipment, including, without limitation,
ham or citizen band radio antennas.
COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT BUILDING
An unmanned building or cabinet containing communications
equipment required for the operation of communications antennas and
covering an area on the ground not greater than 250 square feet.
COMMUNICATIONS TOWER
A structure, other than a building, such as a monopole, self-supporting
tower or guyed tower, designed and used to support communications
antennas.
COMPLETELY DRY SPACE
A space or area within a structure designed and constructed
to prevent the passage of water and water vapor which will remain
totally dry during flooding.
CONDITIONAL USE
A use permitted in a certain district, subject to conditions,
which requires approval by the Supervisors under terms and procedures
prescribed herein.
CONICAL SURFACE
A surface extending outward and upward from the horizontal
surface at a slope of 20:1 for a horizontal distance of 4,000 feet.
CONSTRUCTION
The construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension,
expansion, alteration or relocation of a building or structure, including
the placement of manufactured homes.
CONTRACTOR'S STORAGE YARD
An unenclosed portion of the lot or parcel upon which a construction
contractor maintains its principal office or a permanent business
office. Designation of the lot or parcel as a contractor's storage
yard allows this area to be used to store and maintain construction
equipment and other materials customarily used in the trade carried
on by the construction contractor.
CONVENIENCE STORE
A small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice
cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along
with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Toiletries
and other hygiene products may be stocked. Such store may also offer
money orders, wire transfer services and serve hot food or sandwiches
for consumption off the premises.
[Amended 5-14-2015 by Ord. No. O-2-2015]
CONVENIENCE STORE WITH GAS FUELING ISLANDS
A "convenience store" as defined herein with fueling islands
or pumps for the sale and distribution of gasoline for automobiles,
light trucks and other two-axel vehicles directly to the public. Convenience
stores with gas fueling islands may also sell motor oil, windshield
washer fluid, radiator fluid, other related automobile supplies or
products and maps. Toiletries and other hygiene products may be stocked.
Such store may also offer money orders, wire transfer services and
serve hot food or sandwiches for consumption off the premises.
[Added 5-14-2015 by Ord.
No. O-2-2015]
COUNTY
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
CUL-DE-SAC
A street having one end open to traffic and permanently terminated at the other, constructed consistent with the terms of Chapter
100, Streets and Sidewalks, of the Code of Unity Township.
DAY-CARE CENTER
Any place, home or institution which cares for preschool
children apart from their parents, guardians or custodians for regular
periods of time for compensation; provided, however, that the term
"day-care center" shall not include bona fide schools or churches
and other religious or public institutions caring for children within
an institutional building or apply to a custodial relationship fixed
by a court.
DEVELOPER
Any present or prospective landowner or agent of such landowner
who makes or causes to be made a development plan and an application
for a site development plan, subdivision, land development or planned
development.
DEVELOPER'S AGREEMENT
A written agreement entered into between the Township and
the developer detailing the manner in which a development is to be
constructed, ensuring acceptance of conditions of approval, guaranteeing
performance of all required improvements and amenities and which may
be recorded to run with the deed to the subject property.
DEVELOPMENT
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including, but not limited to, the construction of buildings or other
structures, streets and other paving, utilities, filling, grading,
excavation, mining, dredging or drilling operations, the subdivision
of land and the storage of materials and equipment.
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
A graphic and written presentation of any land development
proposal, including a site plan, a plat of subdivision, and all provisions
relating to use, location and bulk of structures, density of development,
streets, ways and parking facilities, common open space and public
facilities.
DISTRICT
A zoning district in which the use and development of property
is defined and/or regulated by this chapter.
DOMESTIC PETS
Animals or fowl customarily found in a residential dwelling
and kept for company or pleasure, including without limitation dogs,
cats, hamsters and similar rodents, parakeets or canaries and the
like. No regular size or miniature horse, pony, cattle, goat, sheep
or other grazing animal, pig, chicken or other farm animals, shall
be considered a domestic pet.
DRIVE-THROUGH FACILITY
A structure or portion of a building provided by a business
that allows customers to purchase products or obtain services associated
with such business without leaving their cars.
DUPLEX
A building designed or arranged to be occupied by two separate
families, containing two separate living units, each of which is designed
to be occupied as a separate permanent residence.
DWELLING
A building or structure to be used as living quarters for
one or more families, excluding a hotel, motel, rooming houses or
other tourist home.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
DWELLING UNIT
A structure or area within a structure containing one or
more living or sleeping rooms with cooking and bathroom facilities
for one person or one family.
[Amended 3-12-2020 by Ord. No. O-5-2020]
ELEVATION
The vertical distance above mean sea level elevation.
ENGINEER
A professional engineer who is licensed by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY
A theater, stadium, arena, amphitheater or related facility
for the presentation of musical, theatrical or sporting events, where
the number of spectators normally is greater than the number of players
and/or participants and where such use is not accessory to a school
or church.
EQUIPMENT REPAIR FACILITY (MAJOR)
A place where heavy equipment and/or machinery is received
for repair or service. Such facility may also be used for the storage
of materials or parts used for the repair or service of such equipment.
EQUIPMENT REPAIR FACILITY (MINOR)
A business establishment that repairs consumer electronics,
appliances and tools that can be carried into the establishment by
the customer, where all repairs are conducted inside the establishment
and remain indoors. Equipment repaired at this type of establishment
includes personal computers, cameras, small appliances, televisions,
power tools, lawn mowers and similar devices.
EROSION
The detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by
water, wind, ice or gravity, including such processes as gravitational
creep.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES
The erection, construction, alteration or maintenance, by
a public utility or municipal or other governmental agencies, of underground
or overhead gas, electrical, steam, water, or sewage transmission,
distribution or collection systems, communication, supply or disposal
systems and such essential buildings and facilities required for the
same, excluding communication towers or antennas defined herein.
ESSENTIALLY DRY SPACE
A space which will remain dry during flooding, except for
the passage of some water vapor or seepage; and which space is substantially
impermeable to the passage of water.
EXCAVATION
Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar
material is cut into, dug, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced,
relocated or bulldozed and shall include the conditions resulting
therefrom.
FA (GENERAL FLOODPLAIN AREA)
The areas identified as Zone A in the Flood Insurance Study
for which no one-hundred-year flood elevations have been provided.
When available, information from other federal, state and other acceptable
sources shall be used to determine the one-hundred-year elevation,
as well as a floodway area, if possible. When no other information
is available, the one-hundred-year elevation shall be determined by
using a point on the boundary of the identified floodplain area which
is nearest the construction site in question.
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States
Department of Transportation.
FAMILY
One or more persons occupying a dwelling unit, related by
blood, marriage, or adoption, living together as a single housekeeping
unit and using cooking facilities and certain rooms in common, as
distinguished from a group occupying a boardinghouse, lodging house,
bed-and-breakfast, short-term rental, club, fraternity, motel or hotel.
[Amended 3-12-2020 by Ord. No. O-5-2020]
FAMILY DAY CARE
The accessory use of a single-family dwelling for the care
of up to six children conducted as a home occupation pursuant to the
terms of this chapter.
FARM
A business that engages in the production and preparation
for market of crops, livestock or livestock products, or in the production
and harvesting of agricultural, floricultural, arboricultural, agronomic,
horticultural, silvicultural or aquacultural crops or commodities
or animal or poultry husbandry.
FE (SPECIAL FLOODPLAIN AREA)
The areas identified as Zone AE in the Flood Insurance Study,
where one-hundred-year flood elevations have been provided, but no
floodway has been delineated.
FILL
An act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material
is deposited, placed, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported or moved
to a new location, including the material being deposited and the
condition resulting from such act.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY
A study prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
for the Federal Insurance Administration, which includes a Flood Insurance
Rate Map.
FLOOD-FRINGE DISTRICT
That area of the one-hundred-year floodplain not included
in the Floodway District. The basis for the outermost boundary of
this district shall be the one-hundred-year-flood elevations contained
in the flood profiles of the Flood Insurance Study.
FLOODPLAIN
A relatively flat or low land area which is subject to inundation
from the rapid accumulation of surface waters, including Floodway
Districts, Flood-Fringe Districts and General Floodplain Districts.
FLOODPLAIN AREA
A relatively flat or low land area which is subject to partial
or complete inundation from an adjoining or nearby stream, river or
watercourse; and/or any area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation
of surface waters from any source.
FLOODPLAIN DISTRICT
A floodplain area for which no detailed flood profiles or
elevations are provided, but where a one-hundred-year floodplain boundary
has been approximated. Such areas are shown on the Flood Boundary
and Floodway Maps of the Flood Insurance Study.
FLOODPROOFING
Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions,
changes or adjustments to structures which reduces or eliminates flood
damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary
facilities, structures and their contents.
FLOODWAY DISTRICT
That portion of a floodplain delineated for regulation by
this chapter which must be reserved to discharge the waters of the
one-hundred-year flood without causing more than a one-foot rise in
flood heights. The areas included in this district are specifically
defined on Tables 1 through 6 of the Flood Insurance Study.
FLOOR AREA — FOR A COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENT
The sum of the horizontal areas of all space to which the
customers and employees have access, including storage, office or
other preparation or administrative spaces. "Gross floor area" is
the sum of the horizontal area (square footage) of all floors of a
structure as measured between the exterior faces of walls, including
any accessory buildings as measured between the exterior faces of
walls.
FLOOR AREA — FOR A DWELLING
The sum of the horizontal areas of all rooms used for habitation,
but not including cellars, attics, unheated rooms or rooms without
the benefit of natural light supplied by either a skylight or window.
"Gross floor area" is the sum of the horizontal area (square footage)
of all floors of a structure as measured between the exterior faces
of walls, including any accessory buildings as measured between the
exterior faces of walls.
FLOOR AREA RATIO
The ratio obtained when the gross floor area, minus unoccupied
basement area, is divided by the total lot area.
FORESTRY
The art and science of managing forests, tree plantations,
and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involving
the growing and tending of trees and forests shall be considered "forestry"
for purposes of this chapter. Any use which principally concerns itself
with: assisting forests to provide timber as raw material for wood
products; wildlife habitat; natural water quality management; recreation;
landscape and community protection; employment; aesthetically appealing
landscapes; biodiversity management; watershed management; erosion
control; and a "sink" for atmospheric carbon dioxide shall also be
considered "forestry" for purposes of this chapter.
FUNERAL HOME (MORTUARY)
A business that provides burial, viewing and funeral services
for the deceased and their families. This use may include rooms for
a prepared wake, a chapel for the funeral and an office or place for
carrying on the profession of funeral directing, but not cremation.
FW (FLOODWAY AREA)
The areas identified as "floodway" in the AE Zone in the
Flood Insurance Study prepared by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency. The term shall also include floodway areas which have been
identified in other available studies or sources of information for
those floodplain areas where no floodway has been identified in the
Flood Insurance Study.
GARAGE, PRIVATE
An accessory building designed or used for the storage of
motor-driven vehicles owned and used by the occupants of the dwelling
to which it is accessory.
GARAGE, PUBLIC PARKING
A building or structure, designed for and/or used by the
public, for the parking of motor vehicles.
GARAGE, REPAIR
A building or portion thereof, other than a private or storage
garage, designed or used for equipping, servicing, repairing, or storing
motor-driven vehicles.
GARDEN APARTMENT
A multiple-family residential structure, containing three
or more dwelling units, having a height no greater than three stories
and accessed through a common entrance.
GARDEN CENTER
A retail operation that grows, cultivates and/or sells plants
and products related to gardens as its primary business, with facilities
to care for and display plants.
GAS STATION
A retail establishment supplying gasoline for automobiles
and other vehicles directly to the public.
[Amended 5-14-2015 by Ord. No. O-2-2015]
GRADING
An excavation or fill or any combination thereof, including
the conditions resulting from any excavation or fill.
GRADING PERMIT
A permit required by this chapter before any grading, except
minor grading operations, may be initiated.
GREENHOUSE
A retail business whose principal activity is the selling
of plants grown on the site, having outside storage, growing and display
areas.
GROUP HOME
Any number of persons (1) unrelated by blood, marriage, or
adoption, (2) occupying or acting as occupants of a dwelling unit
and living together as a single housekeeping unit, (3) using cooking
facilities and certain rooms in common, (4) being sufficiently stable
and permanent so as not to be fairly characterized as purely transient,
and (5) who suffer from a mental or physical impairment which substantially
limits one or more of such person' s major life activities under the
Fair Housing Act. [NOTE: See 42 U.S.C. § 3602(h)(1)]. This
term excludes occupancies by persons actively addicted to drugs or
alcohol, but includes who are not actively addicted to or using drugs
or alcohol, but are in a state of recovery from same.) For purposes
of this definition, an "occupant" shall also mean any person or persons,
employed either by an occupant, owner or landlord, individually or
through a service, corporation, firm or other third-party business
entity, to provide services to another occupant on a 24 hour per day
basis, either as a full-time occupant or through rotating shifts.
[Amended 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
HALF-WAY HOUSE
A dwelling facility providing temporary living accommodations
for not more than six persons subject to and involved in a rehabilitation
program conducted on site.
HAZARD
A danger or potential danger to life, limb or health or a
condition having an adverse effect or potential adverse effect to
the safety, use or stability of property, waterways, public ways,
structures, utilities and storm sewers, including stream pollution,
or other condition which poses a threat to the public health, safety
or welfare.
HAZARD TO AIR NAVIGATION
Any structure or object, natural or man-made, or use of land
which obstructs the airspace required for flight or aircraft in landing
or taking off at an airport or is otherwise hazardous to air navigation.
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
Any material that, because of its quantity, concentration,
physical or chemical characteristics, may pose a real hazard to human
health and/or the environment. Hazardous materials include, but are
not limited to, the following categories: explosives, compressed gases,
flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizers and organic peroxides,
toxic materials, radioactive materials, corrosives and/or any material
listed with the Hazardous Material Information System (HMIS).
HAZARDOUS WASTE
A.
Any garbage, refuse, sludge from an industrial or other wastewater
treatment plant, sludge from a water supply treatment plant or air
pollution control facility and other discarded material, including
solid, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous material resulting from
municipal, commercial, industrial, institutional, mining or agriculture
operations or from community activities or any combination of the
above which, because of its quantity, concentration or physical, chemical
or infectious characteristics, may:
(1)
Cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality
or an increase in morbidity in either an individual or the total population;
or
(2)
Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health
or the environment when improperly treated, stored or transported,
disposed of or otherwise managed.
B.
The term "hazardous waste" shall not include coal refuse as
defined in the Act of September 24, 1968 (P. L. 1040, No. 318), 52
P.S. § 30.51 et seq., known as the "Coal Refuse Disposal
Control Act," and shall not include treatment sludge from coal mine
drainage treatment plants, disposal of which is being carried on pursuant
to the Clean Streams Law (P.L. 1987, No. 394), 35 P.S. § 691.1
et seq., and shall not include solid or dissolved material in domestic
sewage or solid or dissolved material in irrigation return flows or
industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under
Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended
(86 Stat. 880), 33 U.S.C. § 1342; and shall not include
source, special nuclear or by-product material as defined by the United
States Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (68 Stat. 923).
HEARING BOARD
The Zoning Hearing Board of the Township of Unity, Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania.
HEIGHT
The vertical distance from the basic grade at the front wall
of a structure to the highest point of:
A.
The coping or parapet of a flat roof; or
B.
To the deck-line of a mansard roof; or
C.
To the highest point of the ridge of a gable, hip, gambrel or
other similar roof.
HEIGHT OF A COMMUNICATIONS TOWER
The vertical distance measured from the ground level to the
highest point on a communications tower, including antennas mounted
on the tower.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
Any structure that is:
A.
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places
(a listing maintained by the Department of the Interior) or preliminarily
determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements
for individual listing on the National Register;
B.
Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the
Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered
historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary
to qualify as a registered historic district;
C.
Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places
in states with historic preservation programs which have been approved
by the Secretary of the Interior; or
D.
Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places
in communities with historic preservation programs that have been
certified either:
(1)
By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary
of the Interior; or
(2)
Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without
approved programs.
HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE
A retail location which stocks, sells and supplies lumber,
wood and other building products and/or materials used for construction
and/or home improvement projects.
HORIZONTAL SURFACE
A horizontal plane 150 feet above the established airport
elevation, the perimeter of which in plane coincides with the perimeter
of the horizontal zone.
HOSPITAL
An institution for health care providing patient treatment
by specialized staff and equipment, which often, but not always, provides
for longer-term patient stays.
HOTEL
A multi-story structure or structures designed or utilized
as temporary lodging for individuals where access to rooms is from
a common hallway accessible from a main lobby area. A hotel may include
meeting rooms, conference facilities, common dining facilities and
other amenities designed for use by the guests of same.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
JUNKYARD
A building, structure or property, or area within a building,
structure or property, used for the dismantling, wrecking or storage
of used motor vehicles, trucks, trailers, farm equipment, manufactured
homes or other machinery or material or the salvaging, storage, sale
or dumping of dismantled or partially dismantled, obsolete or wrecked
machinery or their parts.
KENNEL
A building or structure, cage or pen used for the purpose
of breeding, boarding or selling or raising animals as a hobby, or
for private, commercial or professional business.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
Any of the following activities:
A.
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts
or parcels of land for any purpose involving;
(1)
A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings,
whether proposed initially or cumulatively, or a single nonresidential
building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or
tenure; or
(2)
The division or allocation of land or space, whether initially
or cumulatively, between or among two or more existing or prospective
occupants by means of, or for the purpose of streets, common areas,
leaseholds, condominiums, building groups or other features.
LANDSCAPING BUSINESS
A business engaged in an activity that modifies the visible
features of an area of land, including, but not limited to: 1) living
elements, such as flora or fauna; 2) natural elements, such as landforms,
terrain shape and elevation, or bodies of water; 3) human elements
such as structures, buildings, fences or other material objects created
and/or installed by humans; and 4) abstract elements such as the weather
and lighting conditions. A landscaping business may include an office,
the storage of materials and equipment used in the operation of such
business and the direct sale of landscaping materials such as mulch,
stone, gravel or other similar products directly to the public.
[Amended 3-12-2020 by Ord. No. O-5-2020]
LARGER-THAN-UTILITY RUNWAY
A runway that is constructed for and intended to be used
by propeller-driven aircraft of greater than 12,500 pounds maximum
gross weight and jet-powered aircraft.
LEGALLY ENCROACHING STRUCTURE
A building or structure which was lawfully in existence prior
to the adoption of the presently existing or any preceding Zoning
Ordinance or amendments thereto, except for a nonconforming structure
as defined herein, which does not comply with the regulations of this
chapter with respect to required yards, height or building coverage
requirements.
LIBRARY
A collection of books, sources, resources, and services,
and the structure in which it is housed, organized for use and maintained
by a public body, an institution, or a private entity.
LIGHT MANUFACTURING
The processing, fabrication and assembly of certain materials
and products where no process involved will 1) produce noise, vibration,
air pollution, fire hazard or noxious emissions which can be detected
or measured off-site; or 2) will disturb or endanger neighboring properties.
"Light manufacturing" may include the production and/or assembly 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, food products
and pharmaceutical goods.
[Amended 3-12-2020 by Ord. No. O-5-2020]
LOADING SPACE
An off-street space or berth on the same lot with a building
or contiguous to a group of buildings, for the temporary parking of
commercial vehicles while loading or unloading merchandise or materials.
LOT OF RECORD
Any lot which individually or as a part of a subdivision
has been recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the county.
LOT, AREA OF
The total area within the boundary lines of a lot, not including
any part of a public street or width of the easement or right-of-way
for same.
LOT, BUILDING
A parcel of land occupied or capable of being occupied by
one or more structures.
LOT, DEPTH OF
A mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot
lines, measured midway between the side lot lines.
LOT, WIDTH OF
The distance between the side lot lines measured at the public
right-of-way line or along the front building line of the lot on culs-de-sac,
as determined by the prescribed front yard requirements.
LOWEST FLOOR
The lowest floor of the lowest fully enclosed area (including
basement). An unfinished, flood-resistant, partially enclosed area,
used solely for parking of vehicles, building access and incidental
storage, in an area other than a basement area, is not considered
the lowest floor of a building, provided that such space is not designed
and built so that the structure is in violation of the applicable
non-elevation design requirements of this chapter.
MANUFACTURED HOME
A structure, transportable in one or more sections, built
on a permanent chassis and designed to be occupied as a dwelling when
connected to the required utilities; such structure bearing a label
as required by and referenced in the Manufactured Housing Act (35
P.S. § 1656.1 et seq.), certifying that it conforms to federal
construction and safety standards adopted under the National Manufactured
Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. § 5401
et seq.). The term does not include park trailers, travel trailers,
recreational or other similar vehicles.
MANUFACTURED HOME PARK
A parcel of ground under single ownership, which has been
planned and approved for the placement of manufactured homes for nontransient
use consistent with the regulations set forth by the Township for
same.
MANUFACTURING
The processing and fabrication of any article, substance
or commodity other than light manufacturing as hereinabove defined.
MEDICAL CLINIC
Any establishment where human patients are not hospitalized
overnight but are examined and treated by doctors or others who are
duly licensed within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to administer
medical treatment.
MINI-STORAGE
A series of individual storage facilities, either in a permanent
or transportable structures, or a building or group of buildings containing
a series of indoor individual storage units, on a property in single
ownership, where such facilities are leased or rented to more than
one person, corporation or firm, designed and/or used for storage
of equipment, materials, furniture or other personal belongings. A
trailer, truck bed, motor home or other similar device or facility
shall not be considered a "storage facility" under this definition.
MINOR GRADING OPERATION
Grading where neither the cut or fill exceeds a vertical
change of five feet and the Township Engineer determines that there
is little possibility of erosion and sedimentation; or grading involved
in the reasonable, regular, normal maintenance and landscaping improvements
by individual homeowners where the standards of this chapter are not
violated; or the stockpiling of rock, sand and aggregate on an approved
site or earthmoving for the construction of a one-family house in
an approved plat where erosion and sedimentation control measures
are being employed in accordance with the approved grading plans and
specifications for the plat or temporary excavation below finished
grade for basements, additions to existing one-family houses, accessory
swimming pools or structures for which a building permit has been
issued and where the Township Engineer determines that the possibility
of erosion and sedimentation exists.
MINOR REPAIR
The replacement of existing work with equivalent materials
for the purpose of its routine maintenance and upkeep, but not including
the cutting away of any wall, partition or portion thereof, the removal
or cutting of any structural beam or bearing support or the removal
or change of any required means of egress or rearrangement of parts
of a structure affecting the exit way requirements; nor shall "minor
repairs" include any addition to, alteration of, replacement or relocation
of any standpipe, water supply, sewer, drainage, drain leader, gas,
soil, waste, vent or similar piping, electric wiring or mechanical
or other work affecting public health or general safety.
MIXED OCCUPANCY BUILDING
A building which combines more than one "occupancy" as defined
in the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
MIXED USE BUILDING
A building in which a variety of types of permitted business
uses occur within a single building.
MODIFICATION
An authorization to modify the terms of a subdivision application
or a land development plan when the literal terms of an ordinance
provision would result in an undue hardship because of peculiar conditions
pertaining to the land in question.
MODULAR HOME
A framed structure designed for occupancy as a single-family
dwelling whose primary components (i.e., walls, floors, ceilings and/or
roof) are manufactured separately off site and assembled on site.
MOTEL
A structure or structures designed or utilized as temporary
lodging for individuals, including auto courts, motor hotels, motor
lodges, tourist courts and the like, containing at least two sleeping
room units, having not more than two stories, where room are accessible
directly from the outside.
[Amended 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
MOTORIZED VEHICLE TRAILS OR TRAINING FACILITIES
A course, trail or any part thereof, constructed or used
for the off-road operation of motorcycles, dirt bikes, quads, automobiles
or other motorized vehicles either for commercial or private use or
purposes.
[Amended 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
MULTIFAMILY DWELLING
Two or more dwelling units, including townhouses, duplexes,
patio homes, triplexes, quadplexes and garden apartments, joined together
by one or more common walls.
[Amended 3-12-2020 by Ord. No. O-5-2020]
NATURAL RESOURCES RECOVERY
Any surface mining, subsurface mining, oil and/or gas well
drilling, logging or other extraction of minerals or other natural
resources, including but not limited to the removal of topsoil, shale
or other similar materials for transportation off the premises, or
other activity considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection or Municipalities Planning Code as natural resources recovery.
NO-IMPACT HOME-BASED BUSINESS
A business or commercial activity administered or conducted
as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the use as a residential
dwelling and which involves no customer, client or patient traffic,
whether vehicular or pedestrian, pickup, delivery or removal functions
to or from the premises in excess of those normally associated with
residential use. The business or commercial activity must satisfy
the following requirements:
A.
The business activity shall be compatible with the residential
use of the property and surrounding residential uses.
B.
The business shall employ no employees other than family members
residing in the dwelling.
C.
There shall be no display or sale of retail goods and no stockpiling
or inventory of a substantial nature.
D.
There shall be no outside appearance of a business use, including,
but not limited to, parking, signs or lights.
E.
The business activity may not use any equipment or process which
creates noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors or electrical or electronic
interference, including interference with radio or television reception,
which is detectable in the neighborhood.
F.
The business activity may not generate any solid waste or sewage
discharge in volume or type which is not normally associated with
residential use in the neighborhood.
G.
The business activity shall be conducted only within the dwelling
and may not occupy more than 25% of the habitable floor area.
H.
The business may not involve any illegal activity.
NON-PRECISION-INSTRUMENT RUNWAY
A runway having an existing instrument approach procedure
utilizing air navigation facilities with only horizontal guidance
or area-type navigation equipment for which a straight-in non-precision-instrument-approach
procedure has been approved or planned.
NONCONFORMING LOT
A lot whose width, area or other dimension does not conform
to the regulations of this chapter and which lawfully existed at the
time the regulations with which it does not conform became effective.
NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE
Any structure or part of a structure legally existing at
the time of enactment of a preceding zoning ordinance or this chapter
or any of its amendments, which does not conform to the provisions
of this chapter.
NONCONFORMING USE
Any use of land, or use of a structure, or use of land or
structures in combination, lawfully existing at the time the original
zoning ordinance of Unity Township was adopted (September 25, 1991),
which does not conform to the provisions of this chapter. Any use
existing or permitted to be constructed as a result of the grant of
a use variance, dimensional variance, conditional use, or special
exception may continue to exist subject to the terms and conditions
of its grant, if any, but shall not be considered as a nonconforming
use for purposes of change, expansion or enlargement under this chapter.
NURSERY
The growing, storage and sale of garden plants, trees, shrubs
and/or vines, conducted on a site of not less than 10 acres, for resale,
including minor incidental retail sales, conducted on site.
NURSING HOME
A convalescent home, skilled nursing unit (SNU), or rest
home, used as a place of residence for two or more people, unrelated
by blood or marriage, who require constant nursing care and have significant
deficiencies with activities of daily living. Residents may include
the elderly, younger adults with physical or mental disabilities and/or
other eligible adults 18 or older, who are required to stay in a skilled
nursing facility to receive physical, occupational, and other rehabilitative
therapies following an accident or illness.
OBSTRUCTION
Any wall, dam, wharf, embankment, levee, dike, pile, abutment,
projection, excavation, channel, rectification, culvert, building,
fence, stockpile, refuse, fill, structure or matter in, along, across
or projecting into any channel, watercourse or flood-prone area which
may impede, retard or change the direction of the flow of water, either
in itself or by catching or collecting debris carried by such water,
or which is placed where the flow of the water might carry the same
downstream to the damage of life and property; also, any structure,
growth or other object, including a mobile object, which exceeds a
limiting height in the Airport Overlay District.
OCCUPANT
An individual who occupies a rental unit, whether or not
he or she is the owner thereof, with whom a legal relationship with
the owner/landlord or another occupant is established by an employment
agreement, written lease, oral lease, installment land sale agreement,
agreement of sale, short-term rental agreement, placement agreement,
or any other form of written agreement or oral understanding of any
kind permitted by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For
purposes of this chapter, an "occupant" shall also mean any person
or persons, employed either by an occupant, owner or landlord, individually
or through a service, corporation, firm or other third-party business
entity, to provide services to another occupant on a 24 hour per day
basis, either as a full-time occupant or through rotating shifts.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
OFF SITE
The conduct of a business or use which is not on site.
OFFICE
A room or suite of rooms, or a portion of a building in which
a person transacts the affairs of a business, profession, service,
industry or government, which does not involve the accessory sale
of goods from the premises.
ON SITE
The premises where a residential, business, industrial or
other use is actually conducted.
ONE-HUNDRED-YEAR FLOOD
A flood of such magnitude that it has only a 1% chance of
occurring each year, although such flood may occur in any year.
OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES
An outdoor stage, deck or other designated area designed
and intended for seasonal use by bands, disc jockeys, singers or other
forms of entertainment which is not used as a part of the operations
of a restaurant, bar, nightclub or other similar commercial enterprise.
An outdoor stage, deck or other designated area designed and intended
for seasonal use by bands, disc jockeys, singers or other forms of
entertainment used or constructed as a part of the operations of a
restaurant, bar, nightclub or other commercial enterprise, shall be
considered an extension of such operations and not as an accessory
structure.
PENAL INSTITUTION
A prison, jail, penitentiary, or correctional facility in
which people are physically confined or interned, and usually deprived
of a range of personal freedoms as punishment for the commission of
a crime.
PERMIT
A document issued by a designated official of the Township
associated with the use or development of land, or a structure or
change in use of a structure or parcel of land, or a change of occupancy
of a structure, certifying that all conditions necessary for the issuance
of the permit have been met, and that the structure and land may be
used for the purposes set forth in this chapter.
PERSON
A person, partnership, corporation, trust, firm, organization
or association.
PERSONAL SERVICES
A commercial establishment providing such personal services
as hair dressing and cutting, manicures, pedicures, facials, clothes
cleaning, laundering, shoe repair, tailoring and similar services.
PLANNED GROUP UNIT
At least three acres of land, controlled by one landowner, to be developed as a single entity for more than one principal structure and built in accordance with a site development plan, which may provide for industrial and commercial uses, recreation and open space, subject to review and approval in accordance with provisions of this chapter and Chapter
104, Subdivision and Land Development, of the Code of the Township of Unity.
PLANNED INSTITUTIONAL GROUP (PIG)
A grouping of housing units, dormitories, educational, recreational
and other related accessory facilities, laid out in a campus-like
setting and used for the housing, education and betterment of its
residents. No single-family residential dwelling, single building
or structure shall be considered as a Planned Institutional Group
regardless of whether it is used for the housing, education and betterment
of its residents.
[Added 5-11-2017 by Ord.
No. O-5-2017]
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
At least 50 acres of land controlled by a single landowner,
to be developed as a single entity for a number of dwelling units,
the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk
or type of buildings, density, lot coverage and required open space
to the regulations established for any one residential district by
this chapter.
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission of the Township of Unity, Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania.
POWER GENERATION STATION
A site or structure housing equipment needed for the generation,
processing or distribution of power by a public utility.
PRECISION INSTRUMENT RUNWAY
A runway having an existing instrument approach procedure
utilizing an instrument landing system (ILS) or a precision approaching
radar (PAR). A Precision Instrument Runway also includes a runway
for which a precision approach system is planned and is so indicated
on an airport layout plan or any other planning document.
PRIMARY SURFACE
A surface longitudinally centered on a runway. When the runway
has a specially prepared hard surface, the "primary surface" extends
200 feet beyond each end of that runway; for military runways or,
when the runway has no specially prepared hard surface or planned
hard surface, the "primary surface" ends at each end of the runway.
PRINCIPAL STRUCTURE
The structure on a property in which the primary use of the
property is conducted.
PUBLIC UTILITY TRANSMISSION TOWER
A structure, owned and operated by a public utility electric
company regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, designed
and used to support overhead electricity transmission lines.
QUADPLEX
A multifamily dwelling containing four separate dwelling
units, each for the exclusive use of one family, where each unit has
a separate entrance and is attached to another along two common walls
in a cross-like fashion.
RECREATION
The expenditure of time in an active manner designed for
therapeutic refreshment of one's body or mind or as an activity designed
as a diversion from sedentary activities.
RECREATION — INDOOR COMMERCIAL
A building or other enclosed structure, whose principal function
is to provide active recreation to patrons for a fee. Indoor commercial
recreation shall include, but not be limited to, uses such as bowling
alleys, paint-ball courses, pool halls, arcades, batting cages, health
and fitness clubs or other similar facilities.
RECREATION — INDOOR PUBLIC
A building or other enclosed structure, whose principal function
is to provide active recreation to members of the general public on
a larger scale. Indoor public recreation shall include, but not be
limited to, uses such as hockey rinks, gymnasiums, public sports training
buildings, swimming pools or other similar facilities.
RECREATION — OUTDOOR COMMERCIAL
A facility providing for the conduct of recreational activity,
in the open air, for a fee, regardless of whether is paid in the form
of a charge per use or as a membership. Outdoor commercial recreation
shall include, but not be limited to, uses such as golf courses, mini-golf,
driving ranges, racing tracks where patrons operate vehicles, outdoor
paintball ranges, outdoor batting cages or other similar facilities.
RECREATION — OUTDOOR PUBLIC
An outdoor recreational facility used for the benefit of
the public. Outdoor public recreation shall include, but not be limited
to, uses such as parks, playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts,
baseball, soccer or football fields, horse-back riding, hiking or
non-motorized biking trails, outdoor swimming pools or other similar
facilities.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A vehicle which is built on a single chassis designed to
be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty truck; not
designed for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary off-site
living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal use.
REGULATED RENTAL UNIT
A dwelling unit occupied by four or more occupants, unrelated
by blood, marriage or adoption, under a rental agreement or other
agreement authorizing their occupancy. Regulated rental units shall
include, but not be limited to, all student homes, short-term rentals,
group homes, and all forms of bed-and-breakfasts.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
RENTAL AGREEMENT
A written or oral agreement, installment land sale contract,
agreement of sale, or other written or oral understanding or agreement
entered between an owner and an occupant/tenant, embodying the terms
and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of all or portions
of a property, together with and including any sublease or agreement
to sublet thereunder.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
RENTAL UNIT
All or portions of a single-family dwelling leased out, or
capable of being leased out, to a third party under a rental agreement,
regardless of the duration of the agreement.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
RESEARCH LABORATORY
A facility for applied research conducted within an enclosed
structure where no goods are produced in quantity.
RESIDENT
An occupant of a residential dwelling or a family member
residing in the dwelling.
RESTAURANT
A public eating place offering with sit-down counter and/or
table service and custom-prepared foods for on premises consumption
where alcohol sales are, or may be, only incidental or accessory to
the principal use of food preparation and consumption.
RESTAURANT, FAST-FOOD
A restaurant or eatery characterized by a limited menu of
prepared or premeasured food items, where such food items are ordered
by the customer at a counter or window or from a vehicle, rather than
from a table, and designed to facilitate quick service and takeout
orders.
RESTAURANT, TAKEOUT
A place in which food and drink is prepared solely for the
purpose of pickup by or delivery to customers for consumption off
the premises.
RETAIL BUSINESS STRUCTURE, LARGE
A structure having all the features and housing all of the
uses of the "retail business structure, small," except that it may
have more than 75,000 square feet of gross leasable floor area.
RETAIL BUSINESS STRUCTURE, MEDIUM
A structure having all the features and housing all of the
uses of the "retail business structure, small," except that such structure
may have more than 20,000 square feet of gross leasable floor area
but not more than 75,000 square feet of gross leasable floor area.
RETAIL BUSINESS STRUCTURE, SMALL
A structure housing retail sales establishments, containing
not more than 20,000 square feet of gross leasable floor area, which
may include a single retail use, or a combination of retail uses,
including, but not limited to, variety stores, apparel stores, florists,
drugstores, grocery and convenience stores, restaurants, taverns,
liquor stores, antique shops, music shops, sporting goods stores,
book, stationary, magazines, candy and tobacco shops, and other outlets
that sell merchandise on a retail basis, but not adult-oriented establishments
or businesses.
RETAIL SALES ESTABLISHMENT
A commercial enterprise that provides goods and/or services
directly to the consumer, where such goods are available for immediate
purchase and removal from the premises by the purchaser.
RUNWAY
A defined area on an airport prepared for landing and takeoff
of aircraft along its length.
SCREENING
A fence, evergreen hedge or wall at least six feet high measured
from ground level, and constructed or installed in such a way that
it will block a line of sight. The screening may consist either of
one or several rows of bushes or trees or of a constructed fence or
wall.
SEAT
A fixed seat in a theater, auditorium or meeting room or
24 linear inches of an installed bench or pew or, in the absence of
these, six square feet of floor space in the seating area.
SEDIMENT
Solid material, both mineral and organic, that:
C.
Has been moved from its site of origin by air, water, gravity
or ice and has come to rest on the earth's surface either above or
below water level.
SEDIMENTATION
The process by which sediment is deposited on stream bottoms.
SERVICE SHOPS
A shop providing business services and/or personal services
as herein defined.
SHOPPING CENTER
A group of commercial structures planned, developed, owned
and managed as a unit, related in its location, size and type of shops
to the trade area that the unit serves.
SHORT-TERM RENTAL
A dwelling unit, whether or not occupied by the owner, designed
principally for single-family occupancy, where all or portions of
same are leased out to and/or used as temporary living quarters by
transient individuals on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, with or
without consideration.
[Added 3-12-2020 by Ord.
No. O-5-2020]
SIGN
Any surface or structure exposed to public view and intended, used or designed to identify, advertise or promote any product, person, business, institution, organization or place with written, graphic or sculptured matter as more specifically and particularly defined in §
118-26 et seq. hereof.
SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING
A detached building having accommodations for, and occupied
by, not more than one family.
SINGLE HOUSEKEEPING UNIT
A person or persons residing in the home in such a manner
as to function as a family, being sufficiently stable and permanent
and not purely transient.
[Added 3-12-2020 by Ord.
No. O-5-2020]
SITE
The premises where a residential, business, industrial or
other use is physically located.
SOCIAL CLUB
A chartered, nonprofit organization for the advancement of
education, fraternal, cultural or civic pursuits and activities within
the community. A social club as set forth herein does not include
an adult- or sexually oriented business as defined hereafter.
SOCIAL CLUB WITH ALCOHOL SALES
A chartered, nonprofit organization for the advancement of
education, fraternal, cultural or civic pursuits and activities within
the community, where alcoholic beverages may be sold and/or consumed
on the premises. A social club with alcohol sales as set forth herein
does not include an adult- or sexually oriented business as defined
hereafter.
SOIL ENGINEER
A person registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as
a professional engineer and who has training and experience in soils
engineering.
SOIL SURVEY
The unpublished and operational soil survey for Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania, and the accompanying text Soil Survey Maps and
Interpretations for Developing Areas in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania,
as prepared by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services.
SOLAR FARM
An installation or area of land in which a large number of
photovoltaic solar panels are set up in order to generate electricity
for commercial utility-scale solar applications.
[Added 6-8-2023 by Ord. No. O-3-2023]
SOLID WASTE
All parts or combinations of ashes, garbage, refuse, radioactive
material, combustible demolition materials and industrial wastes such
as food-processing wastes, wood, plastic, metal scrap, etc.
SPECIAL EXCEPTION
A use permitted in a particular zoning district by approval
of the Zoning Hearing Board, in compliance with all ordinance provisions
and subject to other conditions imposed by the Board.
SPECIAL PERMIT
A special approval required for hospitals, nursing homes,
jails and new manufactured home parks, and subdivisions and substantial
improvements to such existing parks, when such developments are located,
in whole or in part, within a designated portion of a floodplain.
STORY
That portion of a building between the upper surface of a
floor and the upper surface of the floor or roof next above.
STREAM
Any river, run, creek or other drainage course draining surface
water, in which standing or flowing water is clearly visible throughout
most of the year.
STREET
A right-of-way intended primarily for vehicular traffic and
usually providing for utilities and pedestrian travel. A "street"
may be designated by other appropriate names such as "highway," "thoroughfare,"
"boulevard," "parkway," "road," "avenue," "drive," "lane" or "place."
A "street" may also be identified according to type of use as follows:
B.
COLLECTOR STREETSStreets providing connection primarily between regional streets or regional and local streets.
C.
LOCAL STREETSStreets serving primarily as access to abutting properties and not intended as major arteries carrying through traffic.
STRUCTURE
A.
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location
on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land, including,
but not limited to, an addition to buildings, billboards, carports,
porches, children's play equipment, above or below ground swimming
pools of any kind and other building features, but not including sidewalks,
drives, fences and patios. In the Airport Overlay District, a "structure"
also includes mobile objects constructed or installed by man, towers,
cranes, smokestacks, earth formations and overhead transmission lines.
B.
Anything built, constructed or erected which requires location
on the ground or attachment to something located on the ground.
STUDENT
Any individual who is enrolled or has made application and
been accepted at a university, college or trade school and is taking
at least six credit hours, or whose primary occupation is as a student,
or who is on a semester or summer break from studies at a college,
university or trade school. The term "student" shall apply to both
undergraduate and graduate students alike.
STUDENT HOME
A living arrangement for a maximum of four students, as herein
defined. Student homes shall not include dormitories.
A.
For purposes of this chapter, a room or portion of a single-family
dwelling, occupied by the owner or owners thereof, and leased to one
student shall not be deemed a "student home."
B.
For purposes of this chapter a single-family dwelling occupied
by the nonstudent owner or owners thereof whose child or children
are or become "students" and continue to reside in the dwelling with
the owner or owners, shall not be deemed a "student home."
C.
For purposes of this chapter, a single-family dwelling whose
owner or owners occupy the dwelling, return to school and become "students"
more than one year from the date of their initial occupancy, and continue
to occupy the dwelling thereafter, shall not be deemed a "student
home."
SUBDIVISION
The division or re-division of a lot, tract or parcel of
land by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other
division 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 land development; provided, however, that the division of land
for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres, not
involving any new street or easement of access, shall be exempted.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE
Damage from any cause sustained by a structure whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would
equal or exceed 50% or more of the market value of the structure before
the damage occurred.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement
of the structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market
value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement.
This term includes structures which have incurred substantial damage,
regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not,
however include either:
A.
Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing
violations of state or local health, sanitary or safety code specifications
which have been identified by the local code enforcement official
and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions;
or
B.
Any alteration of a historic structure provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a historic
structure.
SUPERVISORS
The Board of Supervisors, Township of Unity, Westmoreland
County, Pennsylvania.
SUPPLY YARD
A commercial establishment storing or offering for sale building
supplies, steel supplies, coal, heavy equipment, feed and grain and
similar goods, but not including the wrecking, salvaging, dismantling
or storage of junked automobiles and similar vehicles.
SWIMMING POOL
A structure containing water of any depth or size, either above ground or wholly or partially sunk beneath adjacent ground level, installed or located on either a permanent or temporary basis, and used for swimming. See §
118-16D(8) for additional definition.
TAVERN (BAR)
An establishment used primarily for the serving of alcoholic
beverages by the drink to the general public and where food or packaged
alcoholic beverages are or may be served or sold incidental or accessory
to the primary use for the service of alcoholic beverages.
TECHNOLOGICAL INDUSTRIES
Businesses that are predominantly associated with the branch
of knowledge dealing with the creation and use of technical means
and measures and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment,
drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied
science, and pure science.
TERMINAL
Any premises used for the transient housing, storing or parking
of motor-driven busses, trucks, trailers and/or similar vehicles.
TERMINAL (FREIGHT)
Any premises used by a motor freight company or other carrier
of goods, which is the origin or destination point of goods being
transported for the purpose of storing, transferring, loading, and
unloading goods.
THEATRE, DRIVE-IN
A form of cinema structure or property consisting of a large
outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and/or a large
parking area for automobiles where customers can view movies from
the privacy and comfort of their cars.
THEATRE, INDOOR
A movie theatre, picture theatre, or cinema used principally
as a commercial venue for viewing motion pictures, movies or films
by the general public through the purchase of a ticket.
TOWNHOUSE
A multifamily dwelling which contains at least three dwelling
units, having not less than two nor more than three stories each,
designed for the exclusive use by one family, where each unit has
a separate entrance and is attached to another by continuous vertical
walls, without opening, from basement to roof.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Unity, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
The person duly appointed as the Township Engineer by the
Board of Supervisors of the Township of Unity, Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania.
TOWNSHIP SOLICITOR
The person duly appointed as the Township Solicitor by the
Board of Supervisors of the Township of Unity, Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania.
TRANSITIONAL SURFACES
Surfaces extending outward at 90° angles to the runway
center line and the runway center line extended at a slope of seven
feet horizontally for each foot vertically from the sides of the primary
and approach surfaces to where they intersect the horizontal and conical
surfaces. "Transitional surfaces" for these portions of the precision
approach surfaces, which project through and beyond the limits of
the conical surface, extend a distance of 5,000 feet, measured horizontally
from the edge of the approach surface, and at 90° angles to the
extended runway center line.
TRIPLEX
A multifamily dwelling having a single story and containing
three separate dwelling units, each for the exclusive use by one family,
where each unit has a separate entrance and is attached to another
through a common floor or ceiling.
TWO-FAMILY DWELLING (DUPLEX)
A dwelling which contains two dwelling units, each for the
exclusive use by one family, where each unit has a separate entrance
and is attached to another by continuous vertical walls without opening
from basement to roof.
USE
The purpose for which land or a building is arranged, designed
or intended or for which land or a building is or may be occupied
or maintained.
UTILITY RUNWAY
A runway that is constructed for and intended to be used
by propeller-driven aircraft of 12,500 pounds maximum gross weight
and less.
UTILITY SUBSTATION
A structure housing equipment needed for the processing or
distribution of service by a public utility, but not including offices
or the overnight storage of maintenance vehicles.
VARIANCE
An authorization to vary from the terms or requirements of
this chapter which may be granted by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance
with law of Pennsylvania or by the Board of Supervisors of Unity Township
subject to the provisions of this chapter.
VEHICLE SALES
The sale or leasing of automobiles, manufactured homes, trucks,
recreational vehicles or farm equipment, which may also include the
servicing and maintenance of such vehicles when conducted within a
fully enclosed structure.
VEHICULAR WASH
A building or property used to wash cars, trucks, boats,
travel trailers or other vehicles operated or transported on public
highways.
VETERINARY CLINIC
A facility where animals are treated by a licensed veterinarian
but are not boarded except for treatment purposes.
VISUAL RUNWAY
A runway intended solely for the operation of aircraft using
visual approach procedures.
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
A commercial college, or related educational or training
facility, providing courses in business or technical fields conducted
entirely within an enclosed facility, and where no supplies, materials
or other training aids are stored or located outside.
WATERCOURSE
A natural drainage route or channel for the flow of water.
WINDMILL (PRIVATE)
A facility and/or structure using wind for the generation
of electricity or power for public or private use.
WINDMILL FARM
A site containing one windmill or a series of windmills in
combination used principally for the generation of power or electricity
for sale and/or consumption off site.
[Amended 3-12-2020 by Ord. No. O-5-2020]
YARD
An open space on a lot, other than a court, unoccupied and
unobstructed from the ground to the sky, not occupied by a structure
or used for parking or storage, except as otherwise provided, and
not including any portion of a public or private street, alley, road
or the designated area of the right-of-way or easement for same.
YARD, FRONT
A yard established by the front setback line, extending along
the full length of the front lot line between the side yards.
YARD, REAR
A yard established by the rear setback line extending along
the full length of the rear lot line between the side lot lines.
YARD, SIDE
A yard established by the side setback lines extending along
the side lot lines from the front yard to the rear yard.