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Borough of Schwenksville, PA
Montgomery County
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A. 
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following words and phrases shall be construed throughout this chapter to have the meanings indicated in this article.
1. 
The present tense shall include the future.
2. 
The singular number includes the plural, and the plural the singular.
3. 
The word "person" shall include an individual as well as a corporation, partnership, association, or other legal entity.
4. 
The words "include" or "including" shall not limit the term to the specified examples, but are intended to extend the meaning to all other instances of like kind and character.
5. 
The word "building" shall be construed as if followed by the words "or part thereof."
6. 
The word "lot" shall be interchangeable with the words "plot," "parcel," "premises," "tract," or "site"
7. 
The word "occupy" includes the words "designed or intended to be occupied."
8. 
The word "use" includes the words "arranged, designed, intended or caused to be used." Such other words which denote an action or condition of use, property or a structure which is regulated under this Chapter attributable to human action or inaction, including but not limited to "place," "propose," "install," "affix," or "construct," shall also include the words "designed, intended or caused to be" that action or condition.
9. 
The word "shall" and "will" are always to be construed as mandatory; the words "may," "should," and "are encouraged" are always to be construed as optional.
10. 
Any word or term not specifically defined herein shall be construed with a meaning of standard usage.
B. 
If a word or term is not defined in this Chapter, but is defined in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, Building Code, or in any other applicable Code adopted by the Borough of Schwenksville, the definition in that ordinance shall apply.
C. 
All uses shall be construed in accordance with the Use Regulations set forth herein.
ACCESS DRIVEWAY
See accessway.
ACCESS, SHARED
A driveway or other accessway that provides access to more than one property.
ACCESSORY EQUIPMENT
Any equipment serving or being used in conjunction with a wireless communications facility or wireless support structure. The term "accessory equipment" includes but is not limited to utility or transmission equipment, power supplies, generators, batteries, cables, equipment buildings, cabinets and storage sheds, shelters or similar structures.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE
A structure subordinate to the principal building on the lot and used for purposes customarily incidental to those of the principal building.
ACCESSORY USE
A use subordinate to and on the same lot as the principal use of land or a building or other structure on a lot and customarily incidental to the principal use.
ACCESSORY-UTILITY BUILDING
A building subordinate to the principal building on the lot that is nonpermanent and does not have a poured foundation; it may not be greater than 15 feet in height or exceed one story.
ACCESSWAY
A point of access, such as a driveway, that can be used by either pedestrians or vehicles.
AGRICULTURE
The cultivating of the soil and the raising and harvesting of the products of the soil including, but not by way of limitation, nursery, horticulture and forestry, and animal husbandry.
ALLEY
A public or privately owned right-of-way, on which no new dwellings, stores, or other principal buildings are intended to front, serving as the secondary means of access to two or more properties.
ANTENNA
Any system of wires, rods, discs, panels, flat panels, dishes, whips, or other similar devices used for the transmission or reception of wireless signals. An antenna may include an omnidirectional antenna (rod), directional antenna (panel), parabolic antenna (disc) or any other wireless antenna. An antenna shall not include tower-based wireless communications facilities as defined below.
BASEMENT
Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides. A basement shall be counted in the floor area and living space of a building if it is finished or used for other than utility and storage purposes.
BEDROOM
A room located in a dwelling and usable, on a regular basis, for sleeping. Dens, family rooms, and other rooms, which are not suitable for regular use as sleeping rooms, shall not be counted as bedrooms.
BUFFER, SCREENING or OPAQUE
An area designed and functioning to separate the elements and uses of land which abut it and to ease the transition between them. Such areas shall be comprised of natural and/or man-made material arranged in a certain specified depth, height and density to effectively block the view from one side to another during all seasons of the year and to reduce the transmittal of noise and odors between the sides. Unless otherwise specified, buffers may be included as part of the required setbacks and yard areas. Buffers shall be 25 feet in width unless other specific dimensions are indicated for the particular application elsewhere in this Chapter
BUILDING
Any structure having enclosing walls and roof, permanently located on the land.
BUILDING COVERAGE
The horizontal cross-sectional area of a building on a lot above the ground level, measured at the greatest outside dimensions. This definition excludes:
A. 
Cornices.
B. 
Eaves.
C. 
Gutters or chimneys projecting not more than 18 inches.
D. 
Bay windows not extending through more than one story and not projecting more than five feet.
E. 
Steps.
BUILDING FOOTPRINT
See Building Coverage.
BUILDING LINE
The line which establishes the minimum depth of front yard for the particular district as measured from the street line.
BUILDING, PRINCIPAL
A building in which is conducted the principal use of the lot on which it is situated.
BUSINESS
A for-profit enterprise engaged in offering goods or services to the public where one or more people are employed.
CARTWAY
The portion of a street, alley, or driveway intended for vehicular use.
CO-LOCATION
The mounting of one or more WCFs, including antennas, on an existing tower-based WCF, or on any structure that already supports at least one non-tower WCF.
COMMON OPEN SPACE
A 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 the use or enjoyment of residents of a development, not including streets, off-street parking areas, and areas set aside for public facilities. Also referred to as open space, and may be public or private.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Specifically, the Central Perkiomen Valley Regional Comprehensive Plan as amended and adopted on February 2014, officially adopted by Schwenksville Borough's Planning Commission or Borough Council.
CONDOMINIUM
An ownership arrangement for a housing unit in which the unit is owned by the occupant but some or all of the exterior open space and any community interior spaces are owned and maintained in accordance with the Pennsylvania Unit Property Act, as most recently amended, and in accordance with the provisions for open space, roads or other development features.
CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION
The community association which administers and maintains the common property, common elements, and/or common open space of a condominium development.
CONSTRUCTION
The construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension, expansion, alteration, or relocation of a building or structure, including the placement of manufactured homes.
COURT
An open space that may or may not have street access, and around which is arranged a single building or group of related buildings.
COURTYARD
See court.
DBH
Diameter at breast height; a measure of trunk diameter in inches, taken at 4 1/2 feet above the ground. The measured section should be unbranched and representative of the typical age of the tree species. Dbh measurement is applied to existing trees (compared to caliper used for nursery stock).
DEMOLITION
Any of the following:
A. 
The razing, removal, or demolition of an entire structure, or
B. 
The razing, removal, or demolition of any of the following:
1. 
Fifty (50) percent or more of the roof area or exterior walls of a structure; or
2. 
Any portion of any exterior wall or facade substantially visible from a public street.
DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT
A. 
The absence of routine maintenance and repair which creates, in the opinion of the Zoning Officer, a reasonable possibility that the condition will lead to a building, structure, object or site's inability to be rehabilitated or reused due to structural weakness, decay, and/or deterioration. Such a condition, whether or not as a result of negligence or willful neglect, purpose or design, by the owner or any party in possession thereof, may be evidenced by one or more of the following conditions:
1. 
Facades which may fall and injure members of the public or property;
2. 
Deteriorated or inadequate foundation, defective or deteriorated flooring or floor supports, deteriorated walls or other vertical structural member supports;
3. 
Members of ceilings, roofs, ceiling and roof supports or other horizontal members which sag, split or buckle due to defective materials or deterioration;
4. 
Deteriorated or ineffective waterproofing of exterior walls, roofs, foundations or floors, including broken windows or doors;
5. 
Defective or insufficient water protection for exterior wall coverings, including lack of paint, or weathering due to lack of paint or other protective covering;
6. 
Any fault or defect in the building, structure, object or site which renders it not properly watertight or structurally unsafe;
7. 
Leaving a building, structure, object or site vulnerable to decay by the elements or vulnerable to actual or potential vandalism;
8. 
Appearance of graffiti or other signs of vandalism; or
9. 
Any other condition which the Township Zoning Officer determines as evidence that there is a reasonably significant possibility that the condition will lead to a building, structure, object or site's inability to be rehabilitated or reused.
B. 
Remedies under Subsection A1 through 9 above may be enforced hereunder and/or under all applicable property maintenance ordinances, including the International Property Maintenance Code, International Fire Code, and International Building Code.
DENSITY
A measure of the intensity of the use of the land expressed in terms of the number of dwelling units per developable acre.
DEVELOPABLE AREA/ACREAGE
All that land within the deeded lot lines of a parcel except for the following:
A. 
Areas set aside as the ultimate right-of-way for a public or private street, access easements, and access strips.
B. 
Areas with right-of-way and easements for aboveground and underground utilities.
C. 
Steep slopes.
D. 
Floodplains.
E. 
Wetlands.
F. 
Watercourses.
G. 
Water bodies.
H. 
Stormwater management facilities.
DEVELOPMENT
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, the placement of manufactured homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging, filling, grading, excavating, or drilling operations, the storage of equipment or materials, and the subdivision of land.
DISTRIBUTED ANTENNA SYSTEMS (DAS)
Network of spatially separated antenna sites connected to a common source that provides wireless service within a geographic area or structure.
DRIVE-THROUGH
A building, design, facility, or structure, or portion thereof, from which a business, product or service is transacted, or is capable of being transacted, directly with customers located in a motor vehicle during the transaction.
DRIVEWAY
A means of passage for vehicles upon a lot which must be of concrete or bituminous material.
DWELLING
A. 
SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED DWELLINGSA permanent dwelling unit within a building having only one unit from ground to roof and having not more than two more walls in common with another dwelling unit, but sharing no internal facilities, and having an individual yard area as well as separate exterior entrances for each unit; and is not a two-family dwelling. Also known as "townhomes" or "rowhouses."
B. 
SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED DWELLINGA building designed for and occupied exclusively as a dwelling for one family having no party or common wall and being completely surrounded by its own yard.
C. 
SINGLE-FAMILY SEMIDETACHED DWELLING (TWIN)A building having two separate dwelling units, one next to the other, in which one side wall is a party wall in common with a neighboring dwelling unit designed so that the vertical party wall separates two families. Both units that constitute a twin are separately lotted and are treated as two separate parcels.
D. 
TWO-FAMILY DETACHED DWELLING (DUPLEX)A building having two separate dwelling units, one over the other, and are not individually lotted. One of these two separate units constitutes a "duplex dwelling unit."
E. 
MULTIFAMILY DWELLING OR BUILDINGA detached residential building containing three or more dwelling units. Units may not be arranged entirely in horizontal rows (like townhouses or rowhouses) but can be located both beside and above and below each other. Units may share outside access and/or internal hallways, lobbies and similar facilities. The dwelling units cannot be individually lotted, but instead share the lot or tract on which the building containing them is located. The development is usually under one operating unit, as a rental or condominium development.
F. 
MULTIFAMILY CONVERSIONA multifamily dwelling that results from the conversion of a single-family or two-family dwelling or the adaptive reuse of a nonresidential use building.
G. 
MULTIFAMILY UNITA single dwelling unit in a multifamily dwelling or a mixed use building containing nonresidential uses.
DWELLING UNIT
One or more rooms designed, occupied, or intended for occupancy as a separate living quarter with cooking, sleeping, eating, and sanitary facilities for the exclusive use of a single family maintaining a household. The term "dwelling" or "dwelling unit" shall not be construed to include a hotel, motel, rooming house, or short-term rental.
EMERGENCY
A condition that:
A. 
Constitutes a clear and immediate danger to the health, welfare, or safety of the public; or
B. 
Has caused or is likely to cause facilities in the rights-of-way to be unusable and result in loss of the services provided.
EQUIPMENT COMPOUND
An area surrounding or adjacent to a wireless support structure within which base stations, power supplies, or accessory equipment are located.
FACADE, PRIMARY
A side of a building that has the primary customer or visitor entrance for nonresidential uses and the primary resident entrance for residential uses.
FAMILY
Any number of individuals living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit, provided that not more than two of such number are unrelated to all of the others by blood, marriage or legal adoption. As a special exception, the Zoning Hearing Board may interpret the term "family" to apply to a group of individuals, not exceeding four, not related to each other by blood, marriage or legal adoption, living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit. As a reasonable accommodation as set forth in the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act, 42 U.S.C.A. § 3601 et seq., and in order to enable persons with handicaps equal access to housing in residential districts, the Zoning Hearing Board may interpret the term "family" to apply to a group of more than two individuals, not related to each other by blood, marriage or legal adoption, qualified by their handicap as defined herein. Not included under this definition are those individuals in facilities that would qualify as "treatment centers" as defined herein. Domestic servants shall be considered an adjunct to the term "family."
FCC
Federal Communications Commission.
GARAGE
A. 
GARAGE, PRIVATEAn accessory building or a part of a principal building used for personal or commercial storage and the storage of motor vehicles owned and used by the owners or tenants of the premises, and for the storage of not more than two motor vehicles owned and used by persons other than the owner or tenant of the premises.
B. 
GARAGE, PUBLIC PARKINGAlso known as a "parking structure" or "parking deck," a building not a private or minor garage or carport, one or more stories in height used for the storage and/or parking of motor vehicles open to customers, patrons or tenants of a business or residence, and can be publicly or privately owned, and can be an accessory or principal use of the lot. Structured parking either above or below a principal building of a different use shall also be included in this definition.
GROSS LEASABLE FLOOR AREA (GLFA)
The sum of all floor area of a building capable of being used or devoted to a principal or accessory use of an occupant or tenant, minus floor areas of the building devoted to:
A. 
Basement and crawl space utilized strictly as storage use.
B. 
Mechanical and building utility spaces such as elevator shafts, water closets, and building equipment rooms.
C. 
Permanent common hallways and stairways.
D. 
Permanent, aesthetic lobbies used for architectural enhancement or the general public utilizing the building.
E. 
Mezzanines devoted exclusively for storage use.
F. 
Garage area, utilized in the required parking space count for the principal building use, and not devoted to storage use (in a single-family dwelling, the garage area shall always be excluded from the GFLA, no matter its use).
G. 
Design elements for handicapped accessibility.
HANDICAP
With respect to a person, a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities or having a record of such an impairment or being regarded as having such an impairment. The Borough Zoning Hearing Board shall interpret this term consistent with its meaning as provided in the Fair Housing Amendments Act and the applicable provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations set forth thereunder.
HEIGHT OF A TOWER-BASED WCF
The vertical distance measured from the ground level, including any base pad, to the highest point on a tower-based WCF, including antennas mounted on the tower and any other appurtenances.
HEIGHT OF BUILDING
A building's vertical measurement from the mean level of the ground surrounding the building to a point midway between the highest and lowest points of the roof. There shall be no structures or projects above the main roof, excepting chimneys, roof-mounted solar energy systems, agricultural features, stormwater management structures, and the height of spires or steeples, which are exempt from the height calculation, Housing for mechanical equipment may project beyond the maximum height permitted, but shall not exceed 12 feet in addition to the maximum permitted.
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 the Pennsylvania state inventory of historic places; or
D. 
Individually listed as locally significant on the 2011 Historic Resources Survey commissioned for Schwenksville Borough.
HOME OCCUPATION
An occupation for gain or support conducted only by members of a family residing on the premises and conducted entirely within the dwelling, providing that no article is sold or offered for sale except such as may be produced by members of the immediate family residing on the premises. This shall be distinguished from a "No-Impact Home Business," as described in Article III of this Chapter.
IMPERVIOUS
Surface which is covered by material which is impenetrable and unable to absorb water, including but not limited to buildings, structures, and paved areas.
LAND
The earth, water and air above, below, or on the surface, including any improvements or structures customarily regarded as the land.
LIGHTING FACILITY
Any fixed source of light emanating from a man-made device.
LIVING SPACE
That three dimensional area used within the interior or the "indoors" of a building by a family, excluding garage(s) and accessory building(s), but including the basement if that space is finished or is used for purposes other than utility or storage uses.
LOADING SPACE
A space, accessible from a street or way, in a building or on a lot, for the temporary use of vehicles, while loading or unloading merchandise or materials.
LOT
A parcel of land which is occupied, or is to be occupied by one principal building or other structure or use, together with any accessory buildings or structures or uses customarily incidental to such principal building or other structure or use, and any such open spaces as are arranged or designed to be used in connection with such principal buildings or other structure or use, such open spaces and the area and dimensions of such lot being not less than the minimum required by this chapter.
LOT AREA
The total horizontal area of the lot lying within the lot lines, provided that no area of land lying within any street line shall be deemed a portion of any lot area. The area of any lot abutting a street shall be measured to the street line only. In calculating the minimum lot area required in all zoning districts, the area located within the access strip to a flag (or rear) lot up to the point where the minimum lot width is achieved, shall be excluded.
LOT FRONTAGE
In residential districts, the minimum lot width at the right-of-way line along the turn around radius of a cul-de-sac shall be not less than 50 feet or the required lot width established at the building setback line, whichever is less.
LOT LINE
A property boundary line of any lot held in single or joint ownership, except that in the case of any lot abutting a street the lot line for such portion of the lot as abuts the street shall be deemed to be the same as the street line, and shall not be the center line of the street, or any other line within the street line of the street, or any other line within the street line even though such may be the property boundary line.
LOT WIDTH
The distance measured between lot lines, other than the front and rear lot lines, at the minimum front yard setback line.
LOT, CORNER
A lot situated at the intersection of two streets, the interior angle of such intersection not exceeding 135°.
LOT, FLAG (REAR LOT)
A lot that does not provide at least 50% of the required lot width as frontage along a public street or does not provide the required lot width at a point equal to the minimum required front yard established for the district in which located shall be considered a flag lot or rear lot. Such lots shall be connected to a public street by an access strip not less than 50 feet in width which shall be held in fee simple ownership as a part of the flag (or rear) lot. The area of the access strip (up to a point where the minimum lot width is achieved) shall not be included in calculating the minimum lot area required for the zoning district in which located.
LOT, REVERSE FRONTAGE
A lot extending between and having frontage on two generally parallel streets, with vehicular access only from one street, generally those having the least traffic flow.
MANUFACTURED HOME
A transportable, single-family detached dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, office or place of assembly contained in one unit, or in two units designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy and constructed so that it may be used with or without a permanent foundation, including any roofed addition such as covered patios and porches.
MANUFACTURING
The mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products, including assembly of component parts and the production or refining of goods, materials or substances into new products.
MODIFICATION or MODIFY
The improvement, upgrade or expansion of existing wireless communications facilities or base stations on an existing wireless support structure or the improvement, upgrade, or expansion of the wireless communications facilities located within an existing equipment compound, if the improvement, upgrade, expansion or replacement does not substantially change the physical dimensions of the wireless support structure.
MODULAR HOME
A single-family or multifamily dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, made by assembling one or more factory produced three dimensional sections into an integral living unit, whose construction materials and specifications conform to those of conventionally built units.
MONOPOLE
A WCF or site which consists of a single pole structure, designed and erected on the ground or on top of a structure, to support communications antennas and connecting appurtenances.
NO-IMPACT HOME OCCUPATION
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.
NON-TOWER WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY (NON-TOWER WCF)
Wireless communications facilities located on existing structures, such as, but not limited to, buildings, water towers, electrical transmission towers, utility poles, light poles, traffic signal poles, flagpoles and other similar structures that do not require the installation of a new tower. This term includes the replacement of an existing structure with a similar structure that is required to support the weight of the proposed WCF.
PARKING AISLE
The clear space within a parking area or parking garage that provides ingress and egress to parking spaces.
PARKING AREA
An area on a tract of land employed for the transient and open-air parking of automobiles or other motor vehicles.
PARKING SPACE
A reasonably level space of concrete or bituminous material available for the parking of one motor vehicle, not less than nine feet wide and 18 feet long and having an area of not less than 171 square feet exclusive of driveways, or other means of circulation or access.
PARTY WALL
A wall common to but dividing contiguous buildings; such a wall contains no openings and extends from its footing below the finished ground grade to the height of the exterior surface of the roof.
PATHWAY
A right-of-way across a block or within a block to be used by pedestrians.
PERSON
Individuals, corporations, companies, associations, joint stock companies, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations and other entities established pursuant to statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, provided that person does not include or apply to the Borough, or to any department or agency of the Borough.
PLACE OF WORSHIP
A building or buildings designed and constructed primarily for organized religious services and accessory uses associated therewith. Includes church, chapel, synagogue, temple and other forms of terminology.
[Added 1-6-2022 by Ord. No. 407]
PRINCIPAL USE
The main use of land or structures, as distinguished from a secondary or accessory use.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
A modification to the rules and regulations contained in this Chapter, as amended, that enables persons with handicaps to acquire equal access to housing in a residential district as provided in the Fair Housing Amendments Act.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A vehicle which is built on a single chassis; 400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection; designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck; and designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
REPLACEMENT
The replacement of existing wireless communications facilities on an existing wireless support structure or within an existing equipment compound due to maintenance, repair or technological advancement with equipment composed of the same wind loading and structural loading that is substantially similar in size, weight and height as the wireless communications facilities initially installed and that does not substantially change the physical dimensions of the existing wireless support structure.
RESTAURANT
A building or an area within a building where food and beverages are sold for direct consumption on the premises to persons seated within the building, excluding facilities with prepared food service within a grocery store or delicatessen, the specific regulations of which are located in Article III of this Chapter.
RETAIL TAKE-OUT FOOD
Such use shall include shops dedicated to the retail sale of foods which are assembled or dispensed on the premises, primarily for take-out, and which may customarily also provide a sit-down area, provided the sit-down area is incidental to the take-out function and does not occupy more than 20% of the gross leasable floor area of the use. Such a requirement is necessary to distinguish this use from restaurant service. The specific regulations of such use are located in Article III of this Chapter.
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
A multifamily dwelling for older retired persons with ancillary facilities for residents only, which can include meal services, passive recreation areas, general store, dry-cleaning service, pharmacy, laundromat, dining areas, craft room, library, music room, medical examination area, and a barber/beauty salon. The principal occupant of such a community shall not be less than 62 years of age and shall not be engaged in full time employment.
RIGHT OF WAY
The surface of and space above and below any real property in the Borough in which the Borough or other jurisdiction has regulatory interest, or interest as a trustee for the public, as such interests now or hereafter exist, including, but not limited to, all streets, highways, avenues, roads, alleys, sidewalks, tunnels, viaducts, bridges, skywalks, or any other public place, area, or property under the control of the Borough, and any unrestricted public or utility easements established, dedicated, platted, improved, or devoted for utility purposes, but excluding lands other than streets that are owned by the Borough The phrase "in the right(s)-of-way" means in, on, over, along, above and/or under the right(s)-of-way.
ROOFLINE
The juncture of the roof and the perimeter wall of the structure.
RUNOFF
Any part of precipitation that flows over the land.
SETBACK LINE
A line designating the distance which buildings or parking must be set back from an existing property line, within which no building or other structure shall be placed except as otherwise provided.
SPECIAL EXCEPTION
Permission or approval granted by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with Article XXII hereof, in situations where provision therefor is made by the terms of this chapter and pursuant to Article IX of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as amended.
STEALTH TECHNOLOGY
Camouflaging methods applied to wireless communications facilities and accessory equipment which render them more visually appealing or blend the proposed facility into the existing structure or visual backdrop in such a manner as to render it minimally visible to the casual observer. Such methods include, but are not limited to, architecturally screened roof-mounted antennas, building-mounted antennas painted to match the existing structure and facilities constructed to resemble trees, shrubs, and light poles.
STORY
That part of any building comprised between any floor and the floor or roof next above. The "first story" of a wall is the lowest story which is 75% or more above the average level of the ground adjacent to said wall.
STREAM
A natural watercourse.
STREET
A right-of-way municipally owned, serving as a means of vehicular and pedestrian travel, furnishing access to abutting properties, and space for sewers and public utilities. Unless otherwise indicated, usage of the term "street" or "public street" shall refer to streets in the public right-of-way.
STREET LINE
The dividing line between a lot and the outside boundary or ultimate right-of-way line of a public street, road or highway legally opened or officially plotted or between a lot and a privately owned street, road, or way over which the owners or tenants of two or more lots each held in single and separate ownership have the right-of-way.
STREET TREE
Trees, shrubs, bushes and all other woody vegetation on land lying between the property lines on either side of a street.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATION
Any change in or addition to the supporting or structural members of a building, such as the bearing walls, partitions, columns, beams or girders, or any change which would convert an existing building into a different structure, or adapt it to a different use, or which in the case of a nonconforming use, would prolong the life of such use.
STRUCTURE
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land.
SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGE or SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE
A. 
Any increase in the height of a wireless support structure by more than 10%, or by the height of one additional antenna array with separation from the nearest existing antenna not to exceed 20 feet, whichever is greater, except that the mounting of the proposed wireless communications facility may exceed the size limits set forth herein if necessary to avoid interference with existing antennas; or
B. 
Any further increase in the height of a wireless support structure which has already been extended by more than 10% of its originally approved height or by the height of one additional antenna array.
TAVERN/BAR
Any premises wherein alcoholic beverages are served or sold at retail for consumption on the premises, of which the principal business is the sale of such beverages, and where the sale of such beverages comprises at least 75% or more of gross receipts. The facility must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. No such use shall be within 250 feet of a church, school or child daycare center.
TOT LOT
An improved and equipped play area for small children.
TOWER-BASED WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY (TOWER-BASED WCF)
Any structure that is used for the primary purpose of supporting one or more antennas, including, but not limited to, self-supporting lattice towers, guy towers and monopoles.
TRACT AREA
The total acreage within the lot lines, excluding that area continuously covered by water and rights-of-way of existing public roads and overhead utility lines.
TRAILER (HOUSE or TRAVEL)
Any vehicle designed, intended, arranged or used as a temporary place for living, eating, sleeping or business, equipped for use as a conveyance on streets or highways, the dimensions of which are within the maximum size limitations for use without a special permit by the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code.[1]
TRAILER (TRACTOR, TRUCK, FLATBED or SEMI-)
Any trailer designed, intended, arranged or used for hauling or transporting goods, property or equipment, which is designed to be towed by a motor vehicle, and is generally so constructed that some parts of its weight rests upon or is carried by the towing motor vehicle. This includes trailers designed or intended for ATVs or other off-road vehicles which are not rated for on-road use.
USE
Any activity, alteration, addition, business, occupation, or operation carried on, or intended to be carried on in a building, structure, lot, parcel, or premises.
A. 
USE, ACCESSORYA minor use of a building, structure, lot, or premises; located on the same lot or premises with an established principal use; and clearly incidental or subordinate to, and operated in conjunction with, the principal use; and not to occupy more than 10% of the gross leasable floor area of the building, structure, or premises for commercial uses, and not more than 25% of the gross first floor area for residential uses.
B. 
USE, PRINCIPALA principal use is the main or primary use of a building, structure, lot or premises, for which a use code classification has been assigned, and which accounts for at least 90% of the gross leasable floor area of the building, structure, lot, or premises.
UTILITY POLE
Pole used to support services such as power, telephone, or cable television lines; or used to support street or pedestrian lighting, typically located in public-rights-of-way.
VARIANCE
Permission or approval granted by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with Article XXII hereof constituting a modification of, a deviation from the exact provisions of this chapter as applied to the use of a specific piece of property or portion of the same, pursuant to Article IX of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as amended.
WATERCOURSE
A place intended or used for the directed surface flow of water, including permanent and intermittent streams, brooks, creeks, channels, ditches, swales, and rivers.
WBCA
Pennsylvania Wireless Broadband Collocation Act (53 P.S. § 11702.1 et seq.).
WETLAND
Those 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. Wetlands are delineated in accordance to manuals and procedures adopted by the Department of Environmental Protection and United States Army Corps of Engineers, among others.
WIRELESS
Transmissions through the airwaves, including, but not limited to, infrared line of sight, cellular, PCS, microwave, satellite, or radio signals.
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY (WCF)
The antennas, nodes, control boxes, towers, poles, conduits, ducts, pedestals, electronics and other equipment used for the purpose of transmitting, receiving, distributing, providing, or accommodating wireless communications services.
WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY APPLICANT (WCF APPLICANT)
Any person that applies for a wireless communication facility building permit, zoning approval and/or permission to use the public right-of-way (ROW) or other Borough-owned land or property.
WIRELESS SUPPORT STRUCTURE
A freestanding structure, such as a tower-based wireless communications facility or any other support structure that could support the placement or installation of a wireless communications facility if approved by the Borough.
WOODLAND
A biological community dominated by trees and other woody plants covering a land area of 10,000 square feet or greater. Woodlands can be characterized as containing at least 100 trees with at least 50% of those trees having a two-inch dbh or greater.
YARD
The required open, unoccupied space of the same lot with a building or other structure or use, open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky.
A. 
FRONT YARDA yard extending the full width of the lot along the street ultimate right-of-way line and not less in depth, measured from the street ultimate right-of-way line, than the minimum required in each district. In the case of a corner lot, the yards extending along all streets are front yards and the remaining yards shall include a rear yard, opposite the street to which the principal building is generally faced, and a side yard, opposite the other street. In the case of a reverse frontage lot, the yard extending along the street to which access is provided is the front yard.
B. 
REAR YARDA yard extending the full width of the lot along the rear lot line and extending from the rear lot line to the nearest point of any structure on the lot. In the case of irregular lots, a lot which has more than four sides, or triangular lots, the rear lot line shall be measured from a line at least 20 feet in length within the lot which shall be parallel to and at the maximum distance from the front yard opposite the street to which the principal building is faced.
C. 
SIDE YARDA yard extending the full depth of the lot along a side lot line and extending in width from such lot line to the nearest point of any structure on the lot.
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Editor's Note: See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq. for the purposes of this chapter, now a dwelling unit, manufactured home or modular home.