The definitions set forth in Chapter
84, Zoning, of the Township of Pine Code shall also apply to this chapter, except when in conflict with the following definitions, which shall specifically apply to this chapter. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
Every application, whether preliminary or final, required to be filed and approved prior to the start of construction or development, including but not limited to an application for a building permit or for the approval of a subdivision plan or plot or development plan.
BUFFER YARDA portion of the site intended to provide a visual barrier and physical protection between adjacent land uses.
CLEAR SIGHT TRIANGLEAn area of unobstructed vision at street intersections defined by lines of sight between points at a given distance from the intersection of the street center lines.
COMMON OPEN SPACEA parcel or parcels of land or an area of water, or a combination of land and water, within a development site and designed and intended for preservation and for the use or enjoyment of residents of the development, but not including streets, off-street parking areas, crosswalks, setback distances or areas set aside for public facilities. Common open space shall be substantially free of structures but may contain such improvements as are in the subdivision or development plan as finally approved and as are required by applicable Township standards and appropriate for the recreation of residents. Common open space may be publicly dedicated or may be owned by a homeowners' association consisting of the landowners within a development or may be owned by a single landowner; provided, however, that in the event of ownership by a single landowner or homeowners' association, such parcel or parcels shall be subject to restrictive covenants acceptable to the Township and sufficient to satisfy its preservation against further development and to preserve its character.
COMPLETION AND MAINTENANCE GUARANTYFinancial security satisfactory to the governing body, in the percentage amounts of estimated construction costs specified by Section 509 (53 P.S. § 10509) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code as sufficient to construct the improvements and to guarantee their maintenance for a period of 1 1/2 years from the date of their acceptance by the Township, whichever is applicable, together with an agreement to the effect that the developer will install and/or maintain required improvements.
CRITICAL AREASAreas of a subdivision or land development particularly subject to erosion and sedimentation, such as areas not covered with vegetation due to grading, cutting or filling, which contain exposed subsoils or mixtures of soil horizons or excessively long slopes and steep grades.
CROSSWALKA publicly or privately owned delineated right-of-way for pedestrian use extending from one side of a street to the opposite side of the street.
DEVELOPERAny landowner, agent of such landowner, tenant or any other legal entity who makes or causes to be made, or takes any planning action to make, a subdivision of land or a land development.
DEVELOPMENT STANDARDSMinimum standards for the layout by which a subdivision or land development is developed.
EASEMENTA right-of-way granted, but not dedicated, for limited use of private land and within which the owner of the property shall not erect any permanent structures but shall have the right to make any other use of the land which is not inconsistent with the rights of the grantee.
ENGINEERA currently licensed professional engineer registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
FRINGE LOTSResidential lots, located along the perimeter of a planned residential development (PRD) parcel where property lines are adjacent to other land uses. Fringe lots within any proposed PRD must conform to the standards set forth and further defined in Chapter
84, Zoning, of the Township of Pine Code.
Minimum standards for the construction of the required public improvements, such as streets, guardrails, street signs, curbs, sidewalks, retaining walls, water mains, sewers, drainage facilities, public utilities and other items reasonably required to render the land suitable for the use proposed and in compliance with the purposes of this chapter.
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.
LANDOWNERThe legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any condition), a lessee if he is authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner or other person having a proprietary interest in land. The signature of any single landowner holding land in joint tenancy shall be considered as binding upon the others.
LOTA designated or engineered parcel, tract, or area of land, established by a plat or otherwise as permitted by law, and to be used, conveyed, sold, developed or built upon as a unit.
MONUMENTA concrete monument with a flat top at least four inches in diameter, at least 36 inches in length, containing a copper or brass dowel (plug).
PARK (or DEDICATED OPEN SPACE or RECREATION LAND)A parcel of land integrated within a subdivision, planned residential development, or land development that is dedicated, either publicly or privately, specifically for use as a park, open space and/or active or passive recreation area.
PERENNIAL STREAMSBlue-lined streams as designated on United States Geological Survey mapping and further defined as a nonintermittent flow of water that supports or is capable of supporting year-round aquatic fauna.
PINE CODEThe Code of the Township of Pine, which constitutes a codification of the complete body of the ordinances of the Township, as such is amended from time to time.
PLAN, CONSTRUCTION IMPROVEMENTA plan prepared by a registered engineer or surveyor, licensed in Pennsylvania, showing the construction details of streets, drains, sewers, bridges, culverts and other public improvements as required by this chapter.
PLAN, DEVELOPMENTThe provisions for development of a lot, parcel, tract, or area of land, including a plat of subdivision, all covenants relating to use, location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of use or density of development, streets, ways and parking facilities, common open space and public facilities. The phrase "provisions of the development plan," when used in this chapter, shall mean written and graphic materials referred to in this definition.
PLAN, FINALA complete and exact subdivision or development plan or plat, prepared for official recording as required by statute, which includes all information required by this chapter.
PLAN, OFFICIALThe Comprehensive Plan and/or Official Map or other such plans or portions thereof as may be adopted or followed pursuant to statute or ordinance, for the areas of the Township in which the subdivision or land development is located or proposed.
PLAN, PREAPPLICATIONA submittal prior to applications for preliminary plan and final plan approvals and required for all planned residential developments and for subdivisions and land developments greater than 10 acres in size; and requiring Resource Inventory Mapping and a sketch plan.
PLAN, PRELIMINARYA tentative subdivision or land development plan, in lesser detail than a final plan, which includes all information required by this chapter.
PLAN, RECORDEDThe copy of the final plan which contains the original endorsements of Allegheny County, the Township and any other endorsements required by any statute or ordinance and which is intended to be recorded with the County Recorder of Deeds.
PLAN, SKETCHAn informal plan, not necessarily to exact scale, indicating salient features of a tract and its surroundings and the general layout of a proposed subdivision or land development.
PLATThe map or plan of a subdivision or land development, whether preliminary or final.
PUBLIC NOTICENotice required by the Act of July 31, 1968, P.L. 805, Article
I, § 107, 53 P.S. § 10107, as amended, and as it may be amended in the future.
A parcel of ground in separate, sometimes public, ownership separating a street from other adjacent properties or from another street.
RESOURCE INVENTORYAn inventory of existing natural features of the site, submitted on a scaled drawing, that illustrates slopes; woodlands and other existing vegetative cover; streams, ponds and other watercourses; wetlands; and other significant historical and cultural features of the site. The Resource Inventory shall include the requirements set forth in the development standards of this chapter.
RESUBDIVISIONAny plat adjustment, replatting, redevelopment or resubdivision of land limited solely to changes in locations of lot lines (but with no change in the number of lots) on the approved final plan and recorded plan. Other replattings, redevelopments, and resubdivisions shall be considered as constituting a new subdivision or development of land.
REVERSE FRONTAGE LOTA lot extending between and having frontage on two generally parallel streets, excluding service streets, with vehicular access solely from one street.
REVIEWAn examination of the sketch plan, preliminary plan or final plan by the Environmental Advisory Council, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, or the governing body to determine compliance with this chapter and the administrative rules, regulations, design standards and improvements specifications enacted pursuant thereto.
ROADWAYThe portion of a street right-of-way, paved or unpaved, customarily used by vehicles in the regular course of travel over the street.
SANITARY SEWAGE DISPOSAL, PUBLICA sanitary sewage collection system in which sewage is carried from individual lots by a system of pipes to a publicly owned central treatment and disposal plant.
SEDIMENTThe resulting residue from erosion.
SEPTIC TANKA covered watertight settling tank in which raw sewage is changed into solid, liquid and gaseous states to facilitate further treatment and final disposal.
SIGHT DISTANCEThe required length of roadway visible to the driver of a passenger vehicle at any given point on the roadway when the view is unobstructed by traffic. "Sight distance" measurement shall be made from a point 4.5 feet above the center line of the road surface to a point 0.5 foot above the center line of the road surface.
SOIL PERCOLATION TESTA field test conducted to determine the suitability of the soil for on-site sanitary sewage disposal facilities by measuring the absorptive capacity of the soil at a given location and depth.
STEEP SLOPEAny land area with a grade that exceeds four horizontal to one vertical (4:1), or 25%.
STREAMA channel through which surface water is conveyed, meeting the Army Corps of Engineers' definition of either a perennial stream, intermittent stream, ephemeral stream, stable stream, channelized stream, or ditch acting as a stream.
STREET, ARTERIAL (PRINCIPAL OR MINOR)A street serving a large volume of comparatively high-speed and long-distance traffic, including all facilities classified as main and secondary highways by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; a highway on which preference is given to the through movement of traffic at the expense of cross traffic; and a street which meets the criteria for an arterial street as set forth in the Township's Comprehensive Plan.
STREET, COLLECTORA street which carries traffic from minor local streets to arterial streets, including the principal entrance streets of a subdivision or land development.
STREET, CUL-DE-SACA street which intersects another street with its access only at one end and terminates in a vehicular turnaround at its other end. The length of any cul-de-sac street shall be no longer than the length needed to accommodate a maximum of 50 dwelling units or a maximum of 4,000 feet, whichever shall be less. The length of a cul-de-sac street shall be measured from the nearest edge of the pavement of the nearest intersecting street (which is not itself a cul-de-sac street) to the center of the circle forming the cul-de-sac.
[Amended 11-16-2009 by Ord. No. 352]
A street which is not a cul-de-sac, but which is used primarily to provide direct access to abutting properties and which may also provide access to other streets of a higher classification.
STREET, PRIVATEA strip of land or roadway intended for use as a means of vehicular and pedestrian circulation to provide access to more than one lot. A private street is intended for use of only the lots served rather than the general public.
STREET, PUBLICA strip of land, including the entire right-of-way not limited to the roadway, intended for general public use as a means of vehicular and pedestrian circulation to provide access to more than one lot. The term "public street" includes any thoroughfare intended for public use. Public streets are further classified according to the functions they perform.
STREET, SERVICEA street, generally parallel and adjacent to a property line, having a lesser right-of-way width than normally required for improvement and use of the street and used primarily for vehicular service access to the back or the side of properties otherwise abutting on a street.
STREET WIDTHThe shortest distance between the lines delineating the right-of-way of a street.
SUBDIVIDERAny individual, copartnership or corporation or any other legal entity or agent of the same, which undertakes the subdivision of land, as defined by this chapter.
SUBDIVISIONThe division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land by any means into two or more lots, tracts or 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, improvement or building or lot development.
SUBDIVISION, SIMPLEAny single-dwelling-unit residential subdivision in which all lots meet all requirements of this chapter and all other ordinances, rules and regulations of the Township without a variance.
SURVEYORA currently licensed surveyor registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
TILE DISPOSAL FIELDA system of open-jointed or perforated pipe laid in the upper strata of the soil to distribute sewage effluent into the soil for absorption and evaporation.
TREE OF SIGNIFICANCEAny tree or group of trees with a minimum twelve-inch diameter at breast height (DBH).
WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, COMMUNITYA system for supplying and distributing water from a common source to dwellings and other buildings, but generally not confined to one neighborhood.
WETLANDSIn accordance with the definitions/regulations established by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, including swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas.
WOODLANDSA community of plants characterized by areas, groves, or stands of trees. Area measurements of woodlands shall be understood to include the canopy. It shall be further defined as an area or stand of trees whose combined canopy is 1/2 acre or more in extent and consists of at least 50% of canopy trees which have a diameter at breast height (DBH) of three inches or more.