Words used in the singular include the plural, and words in the plural include the singular The word "person" indicates a corporation, an incorporated association and a partnership as well as an individual The word "building" indicates "structure" and shall be construed as if followed by the words "or part thereof" The word "street" indicates "road" and "land," and "watercourse" includes "dram," "ditch" and "stream " The word "may" is permissive, the words "shall" and "will" are mandatory subject to the provisions of § 130-6 of these regulations
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following terms shall, for the purpose of these regulations, have the meanings indicated
ALLEY - A strip of land over which there is a right-of-way, municipally or privately owned, on which no dwellings or stores front, serving as the secondary means of access to two or more properties
APPLICANT - A landowner or developer, as hereinafter defined, who has filed an application for development, including his heirs, successors and assigns
APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT - Every application, whether preliminary, tentative 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, for the approval of a subdivision plot or plan or for the approval of a development plan 1
BIOTECHNICAL SLOPE PROTECTION - Stabilization of slopes by mechanical elements and structures in combination with plant material to arrest and prevent slope failures, movement of soil and erosion [Added 8-19-1998 by Ord. No. 1661
BLOCK - An area usually bounded by streets or streets and natural or man-made features
BUILDER - A person who is not necessarily the owner of the land or agent of the same, who by contract or other agreement is charged with the responsibility of construction of buildings or other structures or of making any construction improvements on any parcel of land
BUILDING SETBACK LINE - A line within a lot, so designated on a subdivision plan, between which line and the ultimate right-of-way line of the street on which the lot abuts a building may not be erected
CARTWAY - The portion of a street or alley intended for vehicular use
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - The official public document of current adoption consisting of maps, charts and textual matter that constitutes a policy guide to decisions about the physical and social development of the township
CONDOMINIUM - Real estate, portions of which are designed for separate ownership and the remainder of which is designated for common ownership solely by the owners of those portions Real estate is not a "condominium" unless the undivided interests in the common elements are vested in the unit owners This form of ownership may be applied in residential, professional office, limited industrial and commercial land usage [Amended 8-21-1996 by Ord. No. 1501
CROSSWALK - A right-of-way for pedestrian travel across a block connecting two of the bounding streets
CUL-DE-SAC - A street with access at one end and terminated at the other by a paved vehicular turnaround
CUT .
A. An excavation
B. The difference between a point on the original ground and a designated point of lower elevation on the final grade
C. Also, the material removed in excavation
DEVELOPER - Any landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant with the permission of such landowner who makes or causes to be made a subdivision or land development
DEVELOPMENT PLAN - The provisions for development of a residential development, 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 the written and graphic materials referred to in this definition
DRIVEWAY - A private street providing for vehicular and pedestrian access between a public street and a parking area within a lot or property
EASEMENT - A right-of-way or other right granted for the use of private land for certain public or quasi-public purposes
ENDORSEMENT - Review stamp of the Montgomery County Planning Commission
ENGINEER - A professional engineer licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, duly appointed as the Engineer for a municipality, planning agency or joint planning commission
EROSION - The removal of surface materials by the action of natural elements
EXCAVATION - Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar material is dug into, cut, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated or bulldozed, and shall include the conditions resulting therefrom
FILL
A. Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material is placed, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported or moved to a new location above the natural surface of the ground or on top of the stripped surface, and shall include the conditions resulting therefrom
B. The difference in elevation between a point on the original ground and a designated point of higher elevation on the final grade
C. The material used to make a fill
FLOODPLAIN - As defined in Chapter 150, Zoning s
GRADE - A slope of a street or other public way specified in percent (%) and shown on plans as specified herein
IMPROVEMENT - Grading, paving, curbing, streetlights and signs, fire hydrants, wells, water mains, sanitary sewers, storm drams, sidewalks, parking areas, crosswalks and street shade trees
LAND DEVELOPMENT - Any of the following activities
A. The improvement of one (1) lot or two (2) or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving
(1) A group of two (2) 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 (2) or more existing or prospective occupants by means of or for the purpose of streets, common areas, leaseholds, condominiums, building groups or other features
B. A subdivision of land
C. Development in accordance with 53 P S § 10503(1 1)
LANDOWNER - 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 having a remaining term of not less than forty (40) years or other person having a proprietary interest in land
LOT - A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by a plat or otherwise as permitted by law and to be used, developed or built upon as a unit s
LOT AREA - The area contained within the property lines of the individual parcels of land as shown on a subdivision plan, excluding any area within any right-of-way, but including the area of any easement
OFFICIAL MAP SUMMARY - The map of current adoption showing the location of the lines of existing and proposed public streets, including the ultimate width of the corridor for such streets, watercourses and public grounds for the whole of the Municipality of Worcester Township, provided that proposed streets, watercourses or public grounds shall not, in and of themselves, constitute a taking or acceptance of any land by the Municipality of Worcester Township
PLAN
A. PLAN, IMPROVEMENT CONSTRUCTION - A plan prepared by a registered engineer or surveyor showing the construction details of streets, drains, sewers, bridges, culverts and other improvements as required by these regulations, showing the horizontal details, profile and typical cross section to be constructed or installed
B. PLAN, LAND DEVELOPMENT - A tentative, preliminary or final plan, including written and graphic material, showing the provision for development of a subject tract when plans of subdivision would not be applicable
C. PLAN, PRELIMINARY - A plan in compliance with the requirements of § 130-33 of this chapter A "preliminary plan" shall also meet all other applicable requirements of this chapter and shall propose development for only those uses permitted by Chapter 150, Zoning, and be in compliance therewith [Amended 10-10-1988 by Ord. No. 101]
D. PLAN, RECORD - A plan prepared for recording by a registered engineer or surveyor, showing the ultimate width of streets, the lot lines, easements and any other relevant information pertaining to the subdivision.
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT - An area of land, controlled by a landowner, to be developed as a single -entity for a number of dwelling units or combination of residential and nonresidential uses, the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk, type of dwelling or use, density or intensity, lot coverage and required open space to the regulations established in any one (1) district created, from time to time, under the provisions of Chapter 150, Zoning I
PLAT - The map or plan of a subdivision or land development, whether preliminary or final
PUBLIC NOTICE - Notice published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the township Such notice shall state the time and place of the hearing and the particular nature of the matter to be considered at the hearing The first publication shall not be more than 30 days and the second publication shall not be less than seven days from the date of the hearing [Amended 8-21-1996 by Ord. No. 150)
RESERVE STRIP - A parcel of land separating a street from adjacent properties
RIGHT-OF-WAY LINE - Ultimate right-of-way line as defined below
RUNOFF - The surface water discharge or rate of discharge of a given watershed after a fall of ram or snow that does not enter the soil but runs off the surface of the land
RUNOFF FROM A FULLY DEVELOPED AREA UPSTREAM - The surface water runoff that can be reasonably anticipated upon maximum development of that area of the watershed located upstream from the subject tract, as permitted by prevailing zoning or the Township Comprehensive Plan
SEDIMENTATION - The process by which mineral or organic matter is accumulated or deposited by moving wind, water or gravity Once this matter is deposited (or remains suspended in water), it is usually referred to as "sediment "
SIGHT DISTANCE - The distance of unobstructed view along the center line of a street from the driver's sight height of five feet to the farthest visible point four inches above the street surface
SLOPE - The face of an embankment or cut section, any ground whose surface makes an angle with the plane of the horizon "Slopes" are usually expressed in a percentage based upon vertical difference in feet per hundred (100) feet of horizontal distance
SOIL STABILIZATION - Chemical or structural treatment of a mass of soil to increase or maintain its stability or otherwise improve its engineering properties
SOIL SURVEY - A report entitled "Soil Survey of Montgomery County Pennsylvania," published April 1967 by the Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, and which is available in the township or through the Extension Service, Agricultural Agent, the Pennsylvania State University in Norristown
STEEP SLOPE AREA - An area with slopes of 10% or greater [Added 8-19-1998 by Ord. No. 1661
STREET - A strip of land, including the entire ultimate right-of-way, publicly or privately owned, serving primarily as means of vehicular and pedestrian travel, furnishing access to abutting properties which may also be used to provide space for sewers, public utilities, shade trees and sidewalks (When designations conflict with those given in updated § 130-16C, the latter shall prevail )
A. RESIDENTIAL - A street used primarily as the principal means of access to adjacent residential properties
B. SECONDARY
(1) A street connecting local residential streets to each other or community facilities and to the major streets, serving only neighborhood traffic
(2) Secondary feeder roads serve to connect residential streets to collector roads and community facilities with light traffic volumes
(3) Secondary collector roads serve to connect feeder roads and residential streets to other feeder roads, community facilities and major highways with medium traffic volumes
C. MAJOR - A street connecting district centers or communities, serving large volumes of fast-moving through traffic, preferably located outside or bounding the residential neighborhood
D. HALF-STREET - A street of less than required right-of-way and cartway width
E. MARGINAL ACCESS STREET - A street parallel and adjacent to a major street providing access to abutting properties by a cartway separated from the major streets by a reserve strip.
STREET LINE -- Ultimate right-of-way line as defined below
STRUCTURE -- Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location on or in land or water whether or not affixed to the land
SUBDIVISION - 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, partition by the court the distribution to heirs or devisees, 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 any residential dwelling, shall be exempted (Amended 8-21-1996 by Ord. No. 1501
SWALE - A low-lying stretch of land which gathers or carries surface water runoff
TOPSOIL - Surface soils and subsurface soils which presumably are fertile soils and soil material ordinarily rich in organic matter or humus debris `Topsoil" is usually found in the uppermost soil layer called the "A horizon."
ULTIMATE RIGHT-OF-WAY - The expected future right-of-way width computed from the center line of an established right-of-way, as shown on the ultimate Right-of-Way Map of the township adopted by the governing body as part of the Official Map Summary of Worcester Township
ULTIMATE RIGHT-OF-WAY LINE - The line parallel to the center line of any public street which defines the boundary of the ultimate right-of-way as defined above
WATERCOURSE - A permanent stream, intermittent stream, river, brook, creek or a channel or ditch for water, whether natural or man-made.
WETLANDS -- Those areas that are mandated 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 [Added 8-9-1998 by Ord. No. 166]
