For the purpose of this chapter, certain terms
and words used herein shall be interpreted or defined as follows:
A.
Words used in the present tense shall include the
future.
B.
Words used in the singular number shall include the
plural.
C.
Words used in the plural number shall include the
singular.
D.
The word "person" includes a corporation as well as
individual or an association of individuals.
E.
The words "shall" and "will" are always mandatory.
F.
The word "may" is permissive.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following
terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless otherwise specifically
stated. Words not defined herein shall be observed and applied according
to their generally acceptable dictionary definitions.
A minor right-of-way providing secondary vehicular access
to the side or rear of two or more properties.
An area bounded by streets, utility, railroads, public facility
or other rights-of-way or easements or other definite barriers.
The line of that face of the building nearest the front line
of the lot at the street right-of-way line. This face includes porches,
whether enclosed or not, patios and similar construction, but excludes
steps.
An independent and detached structure having a roof supported
by columns or walls or resting on its own foundation, including but
not limited to mobile homes, garages, greenhouses and other accessory
buildings and utilized for housing, shelter or enclosure of person,
animals, chattels or activity sites.
That portion of the total street right-of-way surfaced for
vehicular use. Width is determined from face of curb to face of curb,
or from one edge of driving surface to the other edge of driving surface.
A triangular area of unobstructed vision on corner lots formed
by a seventy-five-foot sight line along the center line of a local
street and by a line joining these two sight lines at the greatest
distance from their intersection. This entire area is to remain clear
of obstructions to sight above a plane established three feet in elevation
from grade level at the intersection of the street center line.
The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as it may
be amended from time to time.
[2]Engaging in a business, enterprise, public service, civic,
religious or other undertaking or activity related to or connected
with trade, commerce, services or traffic in general.[3]
An obligation defined by law or agreement, the violation
of which can be restrained by court actions.
A residential street open to traffic and pedestrian access
with one end permanently terminated by a vehicular turnaround.
Any person, individual, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
estate, trust or any other group acting as a unit, who makes or causes
to be made a subdivision of land or a land development.
The right to use the property of another for a particular
purpose.
The Engineer of the Township officially designated by the
governing body.
A flat or low land area subject to inundation from a stream,
river or watercourse; and/or any area subject to the rapid accumulation
of surface waters from any source.
A common unit of light intensity used in the United States
and stated in lumens per square foot. It is measurable with a light
meter. (Note: Lux is the metric equivalent. There are approximately
10.7 lux per footcandle.)
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
A lighting unit in its mounted form that allows no direct
light or reflected source image from the lighting unit above a ninety-degree
plane, and no more than 10% of rated lamp output on an eighty-degree
plane, at any lateral angle around the fixture.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
Providing internal and/or external shield and louvers to
prevent brightness from lamps, reflectors and lenses from causing
glare at normal viewing angles.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
The sensation produced by direct lighting that causes an
annoyance, discomfort or loss in visual performance and visibility
to the eye.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
The duly elected Board of Township Commissioners of the Township
of Rostraver, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
[Amended 2-23-2000 by Ord. No. 421]
The entire land area of a tract, as distinguished from net
acreage.
A strip of land equal to or less than 1/2 of the required
rights-of-way reserved or proposed for street purposes along the property
line. (Half streets are prohibited except to complete another half
street.)
The intensity of incident light at a point, measured in footcandles
or lux.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
Those physical changes to the land necessary to produce usable
and desirable lots from raw acreage, including but not limited to
grading, paving, curbs, gutters, storm sewers and drains, improvements
to existing watercourses, sidewalks, crosswalks, street signs, monuments,
water supply facilities, sewage disposal facilities and stormwater
control facilities.
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots,
tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving 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; or a
subdivision of land; excluding 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; and the addition of an accessory building, including
farm buildings, on a lot or lots subordinate to an existing principal
building.
[Added 9-3-1997 by Ord. No. 359]
The legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including
the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such
option or contract is subject to any condition); a lessee if he is
authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner;
or other persons having a proprietary interest in land.
Light emitted by a lighting installation which shines beyond
the boundaries of the property on which the installation is sited.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
A tract or parcel of land designated for conveyance or transfer
of ownership, improvement or sale, whether immediate or future.
A lot, abutting two or more streets at their intersection,
on which the building line for all streets must be observed.
The mean horizontal distance between the front lot line and
the rear lot line.
A lot that has access to a public right-of-way from both
the front yard and back yard. Double frontage lots may be permitted
only as a variance due to unnecessary hardship or unique physical
circumstances that are not created by an appellant.
The line contiguous with the street right-of-way line.
[Added 7-2-2003 by Ord. No. 494]
A lot abutting a public right-of-way along both the front
and rear yards, having access to only one of the public rights-of-way.
The total horizontal distance across the lot between the
side lot lines, measured at the building line and the front lot line.
[Amended 7-2-2003 by Ord. No. 494]
A unit of measurement of light. One lumen is equal to one
footcandle falling onto one square foot of area.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
A complete luminaire, including a lamp or lamps, together
with the parts designed to distribute the light, to position and protect
the lamps and to connect the lamps to the power supply.
[Added 4-7-2004 by Ord. No. 509]
An orderly representation of future development plans for
a parcel which will be developed by phases over a period of time.
This plan is not binding and may be revised periodically as development
plans change.
A transportable single-family dwelling, as defined, provided for and controlled by the Mobile Home Park Ordinance of the Township (see Article XVII of this chapter).
A parcel of land in a mobile home park, improved with the
necessary utility connections and other single mobile home, which
is developed and maintained consistent with the specific requirements
of the Mobile Home Park Ordinance of the Township.
[4]Any contiguous parcel or tract of land under single ownership,
used or intended to be used for the placement of two or more mobile
homes for nontransient use, developed and maintained consistent with
the specific requirements of the Mobile Home Park Ordinance of the
Township.
[5]The Township of Rostraver, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
The total acreage of a development site minus the areas utilized
for accessways, on-grade utilities and facilities, lakes, ponds or
similar water surfaces and parking facilities.
A sanitary sewage collection system in which sewage is carried
from an individual lot or dwelling unit by a system of pipes to a
central treatment and disposal plant which may be publicly or privately
owned and operated.
A potable water distribution system in which water is carried
to individual lots or dwelling units by a system of pipes from a central
water source located beyond the limits of the lot being served which
may be publicly or privately owned and operated.
A system of piping, tanks or other facilities serving only
a single lot disposing of sewage in whole or in part into the soil.
A single system of piping, tanks or other facilities serving
only a single lot and obtaining the water either in whole or in part
from a primary source located within the limits of the lot being served.
An unoccupied space open to the sky.
The duly authorized agent, attorney, purchaser, devisee,
fiduciary or any person having vested or equitable interest in the
lot in question.
For purposes of this chapter, "off-street parking and
loading areas" shall be defined as follows:
An outside surfaced courtyard or inner area having no roof.
The Comprehensive Plan - Rostraver Township 2000, and studies,
reviews and evaluations subsequent thereto.
[Amended 8-7-2002 by Ord. No. 467]
A complete and exact subdivision plan, prepared by a registered
professional engineer or registered professional land surveyor for
official recording as required by statute, to delineate boundaries,
define property rights, proposed streets and all other improvements.
The Rostraver Township Planning Agency as duly created by
the local governing body.
[Added 8-7-2002 by Ord. No. 467]
A tentative subdivision plan, in lesser detail than a final
plan, showing approximate street and lot layout, on a topographic
map, as a basis for consideration and review prior to preparation
of a final plan.
The map or plan of a subdivision or land development, whether
preliminary or final.
Within the terms of this chapter, "public utility" shall
be defined to include gas, electric, telephone, sewage, water and
communication cable services.
A parcel of land separating a street from adjacent properties
for the purpose of controlling access to the street from adjacent
property.
The modification of a recorded subdivision in whole or in
part, by a redesign of lots, by change of size, area or by street
layout.
Land reserved for use as street, alley, interior walk or
other public purpose and dedicated for public use; all must be recorded
in the County Recorder of Deeds office. For purposes of this chapter,
public right-of-way lines shall prevail over private parcel lines
that are designated as falling within the public right-of-way. When
a lot abuts a right-of-way for a public thoroughfare or alley, all
applicable lot area and front, side and rear lot requirements shall
be computed from the public right-of-way line.
The minimum distance that a structure can be located from
a right-of-way or property line or another structure, thereby creating
a required open space on a lot.
The designated official of the Township who issues and reviews
sewage permit applications and conducts such investigations and inspections
as are necessary to implement the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act,
as amended,[6] and the rules and regulations thereunder.
A plan to control the increase and concentration of runoff
of stormwater caused by land development or predeveloped conditions.
The following street classifications shall apply to all streets
in the Township:
EXPRESSWAYExpressways are limited access freeways that carry through traffic between major urban centers and to and from points outside of a region with no interference.
ARTERIALArterials carry major movements of traffic within or through the community.
COLLECTORCollectors carry the internal traffic movements within the Township and connect developed areas with the arterial system. The collector system simultaneously provides abutting property with road access and accommodates local internal traffic movements.
LOCALLocal streets provide access to immediately adjacent land but normally carry a small portion of the total vehicle miles traveled daily.
PRIVATE Any vehicular way that is not dedicated as a public street.
The procedure applied to new or existing streets or streets
under construction, including but not limited to resurfacing, regrading,
drainage improvement, pothole repair, dust prevention practices and
snow removal.
The owner, or authorized agent of the owner, of the subdivision.
The division or resudivision 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 sale, lease, partition by
the court for distribution to heirs or devisees or other transfer
of ownership or building or lot development; provided, however, that
the division by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels
of more than 10 acres not involving any new street or easement of
access or any residential dwelling shall be exempted.
A map showing ground elevations by contour lines, and the
location of important natural, man-made and other features.
A building or portion thereof providing complete housekeeping
facilities for one individual or one family.
The purpose or activity for which the land or building is
designed, arranged or intended; or for which it is occupied or maintained.
Within the terms of this chapter, a "utility" shall be defined
to include public utilities (see "public utility" above) and stormwater
facilities.
Relief from the restrictions set forth in this chapter granted
in accordance with the standards stated in the code.
[7]A yard extending across the full width of the lot, unoccupied
other than by steps, walks, terraces, driveways, lamp posts and similar
improvements, the depth of which is the least distance between the
front lot at the right-of-way line and the building line.
A yard extending across the full width of the lot between
the rear of the principal building and the rear lot line, unoccupied
other than by steps, walks, terraces, driveways, lamp posts and similar
improvements.
A yard between the principal structure and the side lot line,
extending from the front yard, or from the front line where no front
yard is required, to the rear yard. The width of the required side
yard is measured horizontally at 90º with the side lot line,
from the nearest part of the principal building.
