[Ord. No. 1974-1, 2/18/1974]
1.
Unless a contrary intention clearly appears, the following words
and phrases shall have for the purpose of this chapter the meanings
in the following clauses.
2.
For the purpose of this chapter, words and terms used herein shall
be interpreted as follows:
A.
Words used in the present tense include the future.
B.
The singular includes the plural.
C.
The word "person" includes a corporation, partnership, and association
as well as the individual.
D.
The word "lot" includes the word "plot" or "parcel."
E.
The word "Commission" and the words "Planning Commission" always
mean the Doylestown Borough Planning Commission.
F.
The word "Council" and the words "Borough Council" always mean the
Doylestown Borough Council.
G.
The word "Secretary" shall include the Borough Manager, or any officer
or clerk appointed by the Borough Council or other administrative
officer.
[Ord. No. 1974-1, 2/18/1974]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A flood that, on the average, is likely to occur once every
100 years, (i.e., that has a 1% chance of occurring each year, although
the flood may occur in any year).
[Added by Ord. No. 1984-10, 5/17/1984]
A landowner or developer who has filed an application for
development, including his heirs, successors and assigns.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1983-3, 5/16/1983]
An area divided into lots, and usually bounded by streets.
A combination of materials to form a permanent structure
having walls and a roof. Included shall be all mobile homes and trailers
used for human habitation.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1984-10, 5/17/1984]
The rear line of the minimum required front yards. The building
setback line shall be measured from the street line.
The hard or paved surface portion of any street, or that
portion of a street customarily used by vehicles in the regular course
of travel over the street.
A means of ownership (not a type of dwelling) with all of
the following characteristics:
The interior of the unit is owned by the occupant.
The unit is part of a development consisting of one or more
of the following uses: multiple-family dwelling, townhouse, two-family
or duplex dwelling, single-family attached dwelling, and single-family
detached dwelling.
All or a portion of the exterior open space and communal interior
spaces are owned and maintained in accordance with the Pennsylvania
Unit Property Act of July 3, 1963, P.L. 196.[1]
A secondary street with one end open for vehicular and pedestrian
access and the other end terminating in vehicular turnaround.
Any landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant with the
permission of such landowner, who makes or causes to be made a subdivision
of land or a land development.
[Added by Ord. No. 1984-10, 5/17/1984]
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including but not limited to buildings or other structures, the placement
of mobile homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging,
filling, grading, excavation, or drilling operations and the subdivision
of land.
[Added by Ord. No. 1984-10, 5/17/1984]
The placement of improved surface, the exposure or movement
of soil or bedrock, or the clearing, cutting, or removing of vegetation.
[Added by Ord. No. 2023-07, 5/15/2023]
Any ditch, pipe, culvert, storm sewer, or structure designed,
intended, or constructed for the purpose of diverting surface water
from or carrying the surface waters off streets, public rights-of-way,
parks, recreational areas, or any part of any subdivision or land
development.
Any room or group of rooms located within a building and
a single habitable unit with facilities which are used or intended
to be used, for living, sleeping, cooking, and eating by one family.
A grant of the use of a parcel of land to the use of the
public, a corporation, or person, for a specific purpose.
For the purpose of clearly identifying the extent of the
Borough Engineer's responsibility in the review of subdivision
and land developments, the following engineering considerations are
defined. The Engineer shall make recommendations indicating approval
or disapproval of the proposed subdivision or land development based
solely upon the engineering considerations identified below as they
are reflected in the submitted plans:
Dimensions of lots or parcels.
Soil conditions.
Surface - subsurface drainage conditions and plans.
Light plans.
Utility plans; easement requirements.
Location and design of entrance and exit accessways.
Road specifications, cross-sections and profiles.
Erosion and sediment controls.
Sewage disposal.
Conformance of the plans in all respects with the performance
standards in the Doylestown Borough Zoning Ordinance.[2]
Improvement required: materials, construction methods, workmanship.
Those floodplain areas specifically designated in the Borough
Zoning Ordinance[3] or Floodplain Management Ordinance as being inundated
by the 100-year flood. Included would be areas identified as the Floodway
(FW), the Flood Fringe (FF), and General Floodplain (FA) District
[Added by Ord. No. 1984-10, 5/17/1984]
Any street for which the Borough, county, or commonwealth
has maintenance responsibility and which is paved with an approved
hard-top surface.
Any structure, surface, or improvement that reduces or prevents
absorption of stormwater into land, and includes porous paving, paver
blocks, gravel, crushed stone, decks, patios, elevated structures,
and other similar structures, surfaces, or improvements.
[Added by Ord. No. 2023-07, 5/15/2023]
Those physical additions, installations, and changes, such
as streets, curbs, sidewalks, water mains, sewers, drainage facilities,
public utilities, recreational areas, and other appropriate items
required to render land suitable for the use proposed.
[Amended by Ord. No.
1983-3, 5/16/1983; and by Ord. No. 1987-11, 10/19/1987]
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts
or parcels of land for any purpose involving a) a group of two or
more buildings, or b) the division or allocation of land or space
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; a subdivision of
land.
Minor Land Development. Any land development as defined in Subsection A above which: a) does not involve any exterior alterations to existing structures, and b) does not involve more than one building, and c) does not involve more than four units or separate occupants, and d) does not involve more than 2,400 square feet of usable floor space, and e) does not involve any expansion of existing structures or external new construction.
For purposes of this chapter, all references to "minor subdivisions"
shall include and be fully applicable to minor land developments as
herein defined.
A parcel of land used or set aside and available for use
as the site of one or more buildings and buildings accessory thereto
for any other purpose, having frontage upon a street, in one ownership
and not divided by a street not including any kind within the limits
of a public or private street right-of-way upon which said lots abuts,
even if fee to such way is in the owner of the lot. A lot for the
purpose of this chapter may or may not coincide with a lot on record.
The area contained within the property lines of the individual
parcels of land as shown on a subdivision. The lots shall be measured
to the street and shall not include the area of any right-of-way.
For single-family detached clusters only, lot area shall not include
any area meeting the definition of "steep slopes."
[Amended by Ord. No. 2023-07, 5/15/2023]
Any boundary line of a lot.
A lot which has an interior angle of less than 135° at
the intersection of two street lines. A lot abutting upon a curved
street or streets shall be considered a corner lot of the tangents
to the curve at the points beginning with the lot or at the points
of intersection of the side lot lines with the street right-of-way
lines intersect at an interior angle of less than 135°.
A building providing separate living quarters for two or
more families.
A development of land providing two or more single-family
dwellings, including detached, semidetached or attached dwellings
(townhouses or any combination thereof, or one or more multiple-dwelling
buildings).
The owner of record of the parcel of land.
The construction of structures or improvements on areas which
previously contained structures or other improvements.
[Added by Ord. No. 2023-07, 5/15/2023]
The 100-year flood elevation plus a freeboard safety factor
of 1 1/2 feet.
[Added by Ord. No. 1984-10, 5/17/1984]
A lot extending between and having frontage on an arterial
street and a minor street, and with vehicular access solely from the
latter.
A strip of land occupied or intended to be occupied by a
street, alley, crosswalk, sanitary or storm sewer, stream, drainage
ditch, or for another special use. The usage of the term "right-of-way"
for land plotting purposes in the Borough shall mean that every right-of-way
hereafter established and shown on a final record plan is to be separate
and distinct from lots or parcels joining such right-of-way and not
included with the dimensions of areas of such lots or parcels.
Any slope equal to or greater than 10%, as measured over
any minimum run of 30 feet; or any slope equal to or greater than
10% that is contiguous with any slope equal to or greater than 10%,
as measured over any minimum run of 30 feet. Steep slopes are determined
based upon contour intervals of two feet or less.
[Added by Ord. No. 2023-07, 5/15/2023]
Any street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, freeway, parkway,
lane, alley, viaduct and any other ways used or intended to be used
by vehicular traffic or pedestrians, whether public or private.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1983-3, 5/16/1983]
Streets are further defined and classified as follows:
Thoroughfares.
Expressways: Designed for large volumes and high-speed traffic
with access limited to grade separated intersections.
Arterial Street: Designed for large volumes and high-speed traffic
with access to abutting properties controlled.
Collector Street: Designed for a moderate volume of fast-moving
traffic from primary and secondary streets to arterial streets, with
access to abutting properties controlled.
Local Streets.
Primary Residential Street: Designed to carry a moderate volume
of traffic, to intercept secondary (residential) streets, to provide
collector streets and community facilities, and to provide access
to the abutting properties.
Secondary Residential Street: Designed to provide access to
the abutting properties and a route to primary residential streets.
Marginal Access Street: A secondary street which is parallel
to and adjacent to an expressway, arterial or collector street; and
which provides access to abutting properties and protection from through
traffic.
Alley: A minor way which is used primarily for vehicular service
access to the back or the side of properties otherwise abutting on
a street.
Driveway: Generally, a private way for the use of vehicles and
pedestrians providing access between a public street and a parking
area within a lot or property.
The dividing line between the street and the lot. The street
line shall be the same as the legal right-of-way line, provided that:
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location
on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1983-3, 5/16/1983]
The division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land
by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions
of land, including changes in existing lot lines for the purpose,
whether immediate or future, of lease, transfer of ownership or building
or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision by lease
of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres
not involving any new street or easement of access or residential
dwelling shall be exempted.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1983-3, 5/16/1983]
MAJOR SUBDIVISIONAny subdivision other than a minor subdivision.
MINOR SUBDIVISIONA subdivision involving the division or redivision of a lot, tract, or parcel of land into not more than two lots, tracts, parcels, or other divisions of land with frontage on an improved public street or streets; provided, however, that there is not created by the subdivision any new street or streets, the need for required improvements, easements of access or the need thereof.
Any activity, occupation, business or operation carried on,
or intended to be carried on, in a building or other structure or
on a tract of land.
An open space unobstructed from the ground up on the same
lot with a structure, extending along a lot line or street line and
onward to the structure. The dimension of a required yard shall be
measured as the shortest distance between the structure and a lot
line or street line.
A yard between a structure and a street line and extending
the entire length of the street line. In the case of a corner lot,
the yards extending along all streets are front yards. In the case
of a lot other than a corner lot that fronts on more than one street,
the yards extending along all streets are front yards.
