ACTIVE RECREATION Any activity that requires some physical exertion on the part of the participant, such as athletics.

ACTIVE RECREATION AREA. Any land which is set aside for use as active recreational, such as playfield playgrounds, skating rinks, swimming pools and tennis courts.

AGENT Any person, other than the developer, who, acting for the developer, submits to the -Township subdivision' or land development plans for the purpose of obtaining approval thereof.

AGRICULTURAL PURPOSE Those land uses which are devoted to the production of agricultural, horticultural viticultural and dairy products, livestock, ranch raised fur bearing animals, poultry and bee raising, forestry, sod crops, and any and all products raised on farms intended for human consumption or other uses. Residence shall not be considered an "agricultural purpose" for reasons of exemption from subdivision procedures of this Ordinance.

AGRICULTURAL SOILS Soils classified in the Soil Survey of Bucks and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, July, 1975, or current edition. The term, unless otherwise specified, refers to land capacity units I, II, and III, those soils which may be considered prime agricultural soils.

APPLICANT Person or developer requesting the approval of a proposed subdivision or land development plan under this Ordinance.

ARCHITECT A professional architect registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

BLOCK An area bounded by two (2) or more streets.

       

BUFFER A strip of land established to protect adjacent land uses. Buffer yards are intended to visually soften the outline of buildings, to screen glare and noise and to create a visual barrier between adjacent land uses.

BUILDINGS (ALSO SEE STRUCTURE) Any structure having a roof supported by columns, piers, or walls, including tents, lunch wagons, trailers, dining cars, or other structures on wheels, or having other supports, and any unroofed platform, terrace or porch. This shall not include an underground air raid shelter.

DETACHED : A building which has no party wall,

       

SEMI--DETACHED : A building which has only one (1) party wall in common with an adjacent building.

ATTACHED : A building which has two (2) or more party walls in common with adjacent buildings.

BUILDING AREA The aggregate of the maximum horizontal cross section are a, excluding cornices, unroofed porches, paved terraces, steps, eaves and gutters of all buildings on a-lot. It shall not include parking lots, sidewalks, or other non-building areas.

BUILDING LINE A distance equal to the front yard requirements for the district in which the lot is located and shall be measured from the point where the lot first obtains the minimum lot width.

BUILDING SETBACK LINE The line within a lot which defines the building envelope.

CALIPER Caliper is the maximum thickness or diameter of a tree at a specified point. For measuring street and trees for buffering and landscaping purposes, caliper measurements shall be taken at a point on the trunk six (6) inches above natural ground line for trees up to four (4) inches in caliper and at a point twelve (12) inches above the natural ground for trees over four (4) inches in caliper. For measuring existing trees to determine whether they are a forest resource, caliper measurements shall be taken at a point on the trunk four and one half (4 ) feet above natural ground line.

CARTWAY (ROADWAY) The portion of a street right--of-way, paved or unpaved, intended for vehicular use.

CENTER LINE OF STREET OR ROAD A line in the center of a street which is equidistant from and parallel to the street lines.

CLEAR SIGHT TRIANGLE See Section 3.76.a of this Ordinance.

       

CONDOMINIUM A condominium is an ownership arrangement and not a land use. A condominium is a unit-which has all of the following characteristics:

       A. The units (the interior and associated exterior areas designated for private use in the development plan) are individually owned.

       B. The unit is any permitted use in the district.

       C. All or a portion of the exterior open space and any community interior spaces are owned and maintained in accordance with the Pennsylvania Unit Property Act of July 3, 1963, P.L. 196 and in accordance with the provisions for open space, roads, or other development features in the zoning ordinance and subdivision and land development ordinance.

CROSSWALK A publicly or privately owned right-of-way for pedestrian use, which crosses a cartway or driveway.

CUL-DE-SAC A local street intersecting another street at one end and terminating in a vehicular turn-around at the other end.

DENSITY OF DWELLING UNITS Density is a measure of the number of dwelling units per unit of area. It shall be expressed in dwelling units per acre (43,560 square feet).

DESIGN FLOW RATE The design flow rate for the public water distribution system shall include the fire flow rate plus the maximum anticipated flow rate for all other purposes.

DESIGN STANDARDS Regulations adopted pursuant to this Ordinance imposing standards by which a subdivision or land development is developed.

DEVELOPER Any individual, partnership or corporation (or agent authorized thereby) who undertakes the development or subdivision of land, as defined by these. regulations, as the owner-(or agent authorized thereby) of the land being developed or subdivided.

DEVELOPMENT See Land Development Section 3.41.

       

DWELLING, CONDOMINIUM A property owned and maintained in accordance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act 68 of 1980, as amended, and in accordance with the provisions for open space, roads, or other development features in the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY A building designed for and occupied exclusively as a residence for three (3) or more families living independently of one another.

DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY-APARTMENT A multi-family dwelling, where individual dwelling units share a common outside access and share a common yard area. Such dwellings contain three (3) or more dwelling units in a single structure separated by party walls.

DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY-RETIREMENT RESIDENCE A dwelling or group of dwellings specifically designed for retired or elderly persons.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED A dwelling with party walls separating two (2) or more dwelling units and having independent and separate exterior access such as duplex, quadruplex, multiplex, townhouse, patio house, atrium house, and/or other like units.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED-DUPLEX OR TWIN HOUSE A single-family, semi-attached dwelling having two (2) individual dwelling units: either from ground to roof separated by one (1) unpierced party wall in common with the other dwelling unit; or, on two horizontal planes, over and under.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED-TOWNHOUSE A single-family attached dwelling within a building with more than one (1) other single-family attached dwelling units separated by one (1) or two (2) unpierced party walls from ground to roof.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED A building designed for and occupied exclusively as a residence for only one (1) family and having no party wall in common with an adjacent dwelling unit. Where a private garage is structurally attached to such building, it shall be considered a part of the dwelling.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED-MOBILE HOME A transportable, single-family detached dwelling unit intended for permanent occupancy contained in one (1) unit, or in two (2) or more units designed to be joined into one (1) integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations; and is constructed as permitted in Article 7 so that it may be used without a permanent foundation, but with the same, or equivalent, electrical, plumbing and sanitary facilities as for a conventional single-family detached dwelling. A mobile home shall include any addition or accessory structure such as porches, sheds, decks or additional rooms, which is attached to it. A mobile home does not include recreational vehicles or travel trailers.

DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY A building designed for and occupied exclusively as a dwelling for two (2) families.

DWELLING UNIT A building or portion thereof, forming a single habitable unit with facilities which are used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking and eating exclusively by one (1) family.

EASEMENT A non-possessory interest without profit which the owner of one piece of land has in the land of another.

ENGINEER professional engineer registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

EROSION The process by which soil and bedrock are worn away by the action of wind, water, climate, or chemical action.

EXISTING GRADE The vertical elevation of ground surface, above or below sea level, prior to earthmoving or filling.

       

FARM BUILDING Any building used for the storage of agricultural equipment or farm produce, or housing livestock or poultry. The term "farm building" shall not include the following: dwellings, kennels, stables or other shelters for animals not used for agricultural purposes.

FINISHED GRADE The final vertical elevation above or below sea level of the ground surface after development.

FIRE FLOW RATE The design fire flow rate shall be determined using the Guide for Determination of Required Fire Flow, or this Ordinance, whichever is greater. See Section 5.26 F.

FLOODPLAIN

       

       A. A relatively flat or low area adjoining a river, stream or watercourse, which is subject to partial or complete inundation;

       B. An area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation or run-off of surface waters from any source.

FLOODPLAIN DISTRICT The District specifically designated in the Solebury Township Zoning Ordinance as being subjected to inundation by waters of the one hundred (100) year flood as defined by the Flood Insurance Study, or floodplain soils in the absence of a completed flood insurance study.

FLOODPLAIN SOILS Areas subject to periodic flooding and listed in the Soil Survey of Bucks and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, July, 1975, or current edition, as being "on the floodplain" or subject to "flooding".

       The following soil types are floodplain soils:

       Alluvial land

       Alton gravelly loam, flooded Bowmansville silt loam Hatboro silt loam

       Marsh

       Pope loam

       Rowland silt loam

FOREST Those areas of extensive vegetation in which the dominant plants are trees that are indigenous to the area.

       

GARAGE

       

MINOR : A building or group of buildings, one story in height, used exclusively for the storage of motor vehicles not for compensation.

PRIVATE : An accessory building used for the storage of any number of motor vehicles, which may include commercial vehicles owned and used by the owner or tenant of the premises, and for the storage of not more than (2) private, non-commercial vehicles owned and used by persons other than the owner or tenant of the premises.

PUBLIC : A building, not a private or minor garage, used for the storage or repair of motor vehicles for compensation

HYDROGEOLOGIST A person trained and having experience in the areas of hydrology and geology that deal with groundwater, its occurrence and movements, its replenishment and depletion, the properties of rocks that control groundwater movement and storage, and the methods of investigation and utilization of groundwater.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE Impervious surfaces are those surfaces which do not absorb rain. All buildings, including roof overhangs, parking areas. driveways, roads, sidewalks, and such areas as those in concrete and asphalt shall be considered impervious surfaces within this definition. In addition, other areas determined by the Township Engineer to be impervious within the meaning of this definition will also be classed as impervious surfaces-

       (See Figure A) III - 5

        FIGURE A IMPERVIOUS SURFACES

       **Webmaster's Note: Graphics are not displayed in the glossary frame. The graphic associated with this definition can be found in the ordinance body.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE RATIO The impervious surface ratio is measured by dividing the total areas of all impervious surfaces within the site by the base site area. (See Figure A)

LAKES AND PONDS Natural or artificial bodies of water which retain water, exclusive of detention or retention basins. Artificial ponds may be created by-dams, or result from excavation. The shoreline of such waterbodies shall be measured from the spillway crest elevation rather than permanent pool if there is any difference. Lakes are bodies of water two (2) or more acres in extent. Ponds are any waterbody less than two (2) acres in extent.

LAND DEVELOPMENT

       

       Land Development shall include any 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 non-residential 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 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. The following shall not be considered a land development:

       1. the conversion of an existing single-family detached dwelling or single-family semi-detached dwelling into not more than three residential units, unless such units are intended to be a condominium;

       2. the addition of an accessory building, including farm buildings, on a lot or lots subordinate to an existing principal building; or

       3. the addition or conversion of buildings or rides within the confines of an enterprise which would be considered an amusement park. For purposes of this exemption, an amusement park is defined as a tract or area used principally as a location for permanent amusement structures or rides. This exclusion shall not apply to newly acquired acreage by an amusement park until the initial plans for the expanded area have been approved by the Township.

LAND DEVELOPMENT : Multi-family Residential A type of land development in which the developer may choose to develop one or more housing types subject to the regulations of Article 9 of the Solebury Township Zoning Ordinance in order to encourage better more flexible designs.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT A professional landscape architect registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

LOOP STREET A loop Street is a street which has two points of intersection with the same road. In its simplest form a loop street enters a tract, follows a course through it and returns to the Same road at some distance from the other intersection.

LOT A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by a plat or as permitted by law and to be used, developed or built upon as a unit.

LOT AREA The area of land contained within the property lines of a lot excluding the following: the area of any existing and proposed utility rights-of-way and/or easement; the area within an existing street right-of-way; and the area within the future right-of-way for streets as required by this Ordinance. -If a lot is crossed by a street, only that portion of the lot lying on one side of the street (the side to be chosen at the discretion of the landowner) shall be included in the lot area.

CORNER LOT A lot abutting upon two (2) or more streets or upon two (2) or more parts of the same street, forming an interior angle at the corner of less than one hundred thirty-five (135) degrees.

REVERSE FRONTAGE LOT (A THROUGH LOT) A lot extending between and having frontage on a major street and a minor street with vehicular access solely from the minor street.

THROUGH LOT A lot which fronts upon two (2) parallel streets, or which fronts upon two (2) streets which do not intersect at the boundaries of the lot.

LOT WIDTH The distance measured between the side lot lines at the required building line. Mien there is only one (1) side lot line, as in the case of single-family attached dwellings or at a corner lot, the lot shall be measured between such lot line and the opposite lot line.

        FIGURE B

       **Webmaster's Note: Graphics are not displayed in the glossary frame. The graphic associated with this definition can be found in the ordinance body.

        FIGURE C

       **Webmaster's Note: Graphics are not displayed in the glossary frame. The graphic associated with this definition can be found in the ordinance body.

       

LOT LINE A property boundary line shown on a recorded plan or described in a recorded deed. In the case of any lot abutting a street, the lot line for such portion of the lot as abuts such street shall be deemed to be the same as the street line, and shall not be the centerline of the street, or any other line within the street right-of -way.

LOT LINE, FRONT The street line. In the case of a corner lot, both street lines shall be deemed the front lot line. The front lot line shall be that boundary line of, the lot most nearly parallel to the street line which has no other portion of the lot between it and the street, provided that any portion of the lot which crosses the street line will have the street line as its front lot line.

LOT LINE, REAR A lot line opposite and most distant from the front lot line. If the rear lot line is less than ten (10) feet in length, or if the lot form-. a point at the rear, the rear lot line shall be deemed to be a line ten (10) feet in length within the lot, between the side lot lines, parallel to and at the maximum distance from the front lot line. For a corner lot, of the two (2) lot lines opposite the front lot lines, that which is most distant will be the rear lot line.

LOT LINE, SIDE Any lot line which is not a street line or a rear lot line.

       

MOBILE HOME A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one unit, or in two or more 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 except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation.

MOBILE HOW PARK A parcel or contiguous parcels of land which has been so designated and im proved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes

MONUMENT A stone or concrete monument with a flat top at least four (4) inches square, containing a copper or brass dowel scored with an "X" to mark the reference point, and at least twenty-four (24) inches in length. It is recommended that the bottom sides be at least two (2) inches greater than the top, to minimize movements caused by frost,.

NARROW LOTS A narrow lot, including, but not limited to a flag or lane lot, is a parcel of land which does not have the required minimum lot width at the minimum front yard line(measured from the street from which access will be gained) but has direct access to a public street. (9/16-86)

OPEN SPACE Natural or landscaped areas restricted in perpetuity to natural resource protection, conservation or recreation, or used for noise and/or visual buffers or for other purposes as described in the Open Space Provisions of Article 20 of the Solebury Township Zoning Ordinance.

OTHER FLOW RATES (WATER) Flow rates which have not been established in this ordinance will be determined by the Township Engineer for similar water users and approved by the Township Board of Supervisors.

PARKING SPACE An area on a lot used for parking a vehicle. to which there is access from a street.

PARKING SPACE ACCESS The drives or roadways and the maneuvering space required to service the parking space

PASSIVE RECREATION Any leisure time activity not considered active (e.g. walking, picnicking, bird watching, fishing).

PASSIVE RECREATION AREA Any area developed in such a manner as to be conducive of those activities that fall within the range of passive recreation, such as nature areas, craft areas, meeting areas, sitting areas, walk-ways, sunbathing areas, ponds and lakes, and picnicking areas.

PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY A continuous way designated for pedestrians and separated from the through lanes for bicycles or motor vehicles by space or other barrier.

PLAN, FINAL A complete and exact subdivision or land development plan, including all required supplementary data, prepared for- official recording as required by statute, to define property rights and proposed streets and other improvements.

PLAN, PRELIMINARY A formal subdivision or land development plan (and including all required supplementary data), showing proposed street and lot layout as a basis for consideration prior to preparation of a Final Plan.

PLAN, RECORD The copy of the Final Plan which bears the signed and dated approval of the Township Engineer, Township Planning Commission and Township Board of Supervisors.

PLAN, SKETCH An informal plan, indicating salient existing features of a tract and its surroundings and the general layout of a proposed subdivision or land development.

PLANNING COMMISSION The Planning Commission of Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM A public water system -is defined as a single source of water serving more than one user unit (residence, business, church, school or combination thereof). All public water systems shall be designed and constructed as dual-purpose systems able to supply enough water for fire protection while at the same time meeting the anticipated consumption for other purposes.

REAR BUILDING LINE The line parallel to the rear property line at the closest point to the rear property line at which a structure or any part thereof is permitted to be erected.

RECREATION Any activity, whether structured or not, in which individuals voluntarily engage in during their leisure.

RECREATION AREA An area which is provided for public or common recreational use within a residential development.

RESERVE STRIP (PROHIBITED) A reserve strip is a parcel of land which is parallel to and between a street right-of-way and a tract of land. (See Figure D)

RESIDENTIAL FLOW RATE (WATER) The design residential flow rate shall be 100 gallons per day per capita.

RETENTION/DETENTION BASINS An impoundment for stormwater run-off, made by constructing a dam or embankment or by excavating a pit, for the purpose of retaining run-off water and releasing it slowly into the ground or into a natural water course at a controlled rate.

RESUBDIVISION Any change of lot lines within a previously approved subdivision. See also Subdivision Section 3.88.

        FIGURE D RESERVE STRIP

       **Webmaster's Note: Graphics are not displayed in the glossary frame. The graphic associated with this definition can be found in the ordinance body.

REVIEW An examination of the Preliminary Plan, or the Final Plan by the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors.

RIGHT-OF-WAY Land set aside for use as a street, or other means of access.

EXISTING STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY : The legal right-of-way as established by the Commonwealth or Solebury Township.

FUTURE STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY : The right-of-way deemed appropriate to provide adequate width for future street improvements. Future rights-of-way are identified by the Solebury Township Comprehensive Plan, and standards are established by Section 5.09 of this Ordinance.

ROADWAY SEE CARTWAY, Section 3.13.

       

RUNOFF The surface water discharge or-rate of discharge of a given watershed after a fall of rain or snow that does not enter the soil but runs off the surface of the land.

SEDIMENTATION The process by which mineral or organic matter is accumulated or deposited by wind, water, or gravity. Once this matter is deposited (or remains suspended in water), it is usually referred to as "sediment".

SETBACK See Building Setback Line, Section 3.11.

       

SEWER

       

PUBLIC SEWER : A "Public sewer" is any municipally or privately owned sewer system in which sewage is collected from buildings from more than one lot and/or dwelling unit and piped to an approved sewage disposal system. It may also be referred to as "off-lot" or "off-site" sewer. This shall include capped sewers.

PRIVATE SEWER : An "on-lot" approved disposal system generally providing for disposal of effluent for only one building or a group of buildings on a single lot.

SIDE BUILDING LINE A yard extending the full depth of the lot along the side lot line and extending in width from such side lot to the building setback line.

SIGHT DISTANCE The 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 TRIANGLE Clear An area of unobstructed vision at street intersections defined by lines of sight between points at a given distance from the intersection of the street

SITE The site shall be defined as the total land area to be proposed for subdivision or land development.

SITE AREA All land area within the site as defined in the deed or deeds; and as corroborated by a current site survey.

SOIL PERCOLATION TEST A field test conducted by a person qualified according to the rules and regulations of the Bucks County Department of Health to determine the suitability of the soil for sanitary sewage disposal facilities by measuring the absorptive capacity of the soil at a given location and depth.

STEEP SLOPE The area of land which is characterized by a change in elevation of twenty percent (20%) or more but not exceeding twenty-five percent (25%) over a distance or contour specified in Article 15 of the Solebury Township Zoning Ordinance.

STABILIZATION The proper placing, grading and/or covering of soil, rock, or earth to insure their resistance to erosion, sliding or other movement.

STREET A public or privately owned right-of-way, serving as a means of vehicular travel, furnishing access to abutting lots also used to provide space for installation of improvements such as sewers, other utilities, street trees and sidewalks.

STREET LINE The right-of-way line of a. street where it crosses a lot.

STRUCTURE Any man made object or improvement having an ascertainable stationary location on land or in the water, whether or not affixed to the land.

SUBDIVIDER See Developer Section 3.22.

       

SUBDIVISION The division or redivision of a lot , tract or parcel of land by any means into two (2) 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, conveyance or other 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 ten (10) acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or residential dwellings, shall be exempted.

SUBDIVISION, AGRICULTURAL A subdivision of land in which all of the proposed lots are ten (10) acres or more in size, all of which are to be used exclusively for agricultural purposes as defined in Section 3.03. This type of subdivision is exempt from the review procedures of Article IV, except for Section 4.09.

SUBDIVISION, MAJOR Any subdivision not classified as a Minor Subdivision.

SUBDIVISION, MINOR A minor subdivision is a subdivision that divides land from one parcel and adds it to an adjacent parcel as an addition thereto without creating a greater number of lots nor a new building lot

SUPERVISORS The Board of Township Supervisors of Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

SURVEYOR A professional land surveyor registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

TOWNSHIP ENGINEER A professional engineer designated by the Supervisors to perform the duties of a Township Engineer.

USER UNIT A user unit is defined as a single user of water such as a family, a business, a church or a school.

UTILITIES Those services customarily rendered by public utility corporations, municipalities, or municipal authorities, in the nature of electricity, gas, telephone, water and sewerage, including the appurtenances used in connection with the supplying of such services (buildings, wires, pipes, poles, transformers, and the like). For purposes of this Ordinance cable television transmission equipment shall be included.

WATERCOURSE Any natural or artificial stream, river, creek, ditch, channel, canal, waterway, gully or ravine in which water flows in a definite direction of course either continuously or intermittently, and has a definite channel.

WATER FACILITY Any water works, water supply works, water distribution system or part thereof designed, intended or constructed to provide or distribute potable water.

       

ON-LOT WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM A system for supplying and distributing water to a single dwelling or other building from a source located on the same lot.

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM A single source of water serving more than one user unit (residence, business, church, school or combination thereof).

WETLANDS Areas that are inundated and saturated by surface of 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.

YARD

       

YARD : An open area. on a lot -extending along a lot line and inward from such line. The minimum, dimension of a required yard shall be as provided for each district and shall be measured as the shortest distance between the lot line and a line parallel -to such line.

YARD, FRONT : A yard extending the full width of the lot along the front lot line and extending in depth from the front lot line to the building setback line. In the case of corner lots or reverse frontage lots, front yards of the required depth shall be provided along all streets.

YARD, REAR : A yard extending the full width of the lot along the rear lot line and extending in depth from the rear lot line to the building setback line.

YARD, SIDE : A yard extending the full depth of the lot along the side lot line and extending in width from such side lot to the building setback line.

CAVERNS : A subterranean cavity or cave produced by dissolution of limestone or dolomite.

CLOSED DEPRESSION .: Remnants of sinkholes that have partially filled with soil by erosion and settlement of the sinkhole walls. Generally, they are found as shallow, dishshaped depressions on the land surface in areas of carbonate geologic formations.

DETENTION BASIN : An impoundment for stormwater run-off made by constructing a dam or embankment or by excavating a pit for the purpose of detaining run-off water and releasing it at a controlled rate.

DISAPPEARING STREAMS : Streams that empty completely into a sinkhole or cavern.

FRACTURE TRACES : Linear topographic depressions or lines of depression less than one mile in length revealing faults, joints, or fissures in the bedrock. These linear features are characterized by increased permeability, along which the solution of carbonate rocks is intensified and hence along which groundwater movement is concentrated.

GHOST LAKES : Small bodies of water which occur in and occasionally around closed depressions or sinkholes after periods of heavy precipitation. They may form from slow permeability of soils, rises in the groundwater table, or from the creation of a natural liner of impermeable or slowly permeable clays or soils in the depression.

       

LIMESTONE (CARBONATE) GEOLOGY : The carbonate geologic formations consisting of both limestone and dolomite bedrock. The specific carbonate geologic formations within Solebury consist Of the Allentown Dolomite, Beekmantown Group, and Leithsville Formations as identified in Conservation and Management Practices for Buckingham and Durham Carbonate Valleys, February, 1985, prepared by the Bucks County Planning Commission and International Explorations, Inc.

LINEAMENTS : Linear topographic depressions or lines of depression longer than one mile in length revealing faults, joints or fissures in the bedrock. These linear features are characterized by increased permeability, along which the solution of carbonate rock is intensified and hence along which groundwater movement is concentrated.

PINNACLES : Tall, slender spires of carbonate bedrock. Pinnacles are formed from the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks along planes of weakness (joints, fractures).

SURFACE PINNACLES. Such formations that protrude above the natural grade.

SUBSURFACE PINNACLES. Such formations that exist below the surface of the ground.

RETENTION BASIN : An impoundment for stormwater run-off made by constructing a dam or embankment or by excavating a pit, for the purpose of retaining run-off water and percolating it slowly into the ground. Also referred to as a seepage pit.

SINKHOLES : Funnel-shaped or steep sided depressions in the land surface that are caused by the dissolution and collapse or subsidence of the roofs of subterranean caverns in carbonate geologic formations.

SOLUTION CHANNELS : Solution-widened joints or fractures occurring in carbonate bedrock. They can vary from less than one inch to several feet in width and often form a network of channels through the carbonate bedrock.

STRATUM : A single sedimentary bed or layer of a formation that consists of approximately the same kind of rock material.

STRIKE OF BEDROCK : The direction or bearing of a surface or subsurface stratum of the inclined bedrock in relation to the horizontal surface. The strike is perpendicular to the dip or slope of the stratum.

ABANDONMENT - The cessation of a use of a property (land and/or structures) by the landowner, with the intention of not resuming the use of the property.

ABUTTING OWNER - The owner of record of a parcel of land which is contiguous at any point to the parcel in question or which is on the other side of a section of street (public or private) on which the subject parcel has frontage i.e., a lot across from the subject parcel.

ACCESSORY BUILDING - A building subordinate to the principal permitted building on a lot, designed and used for purposes which are customarily accessory to the principal use of the lot.

ACCESSORY DWELLING - a second or third dwelling unit located on a single lot which meets the following criteria:

       a. It is owned by the owner of the lot on which the accessory dwellings are situated.

       b. At least one (1) dwelling on the lot is owner occupied.

       c. Access for each Accessory Dwelling shall be restricted to the existing access to the lot; there shall be no multiple driveways.'

ACCESSORY USE - A use conducted on the same lot as a principal permitted use to which it is related. A use which is clearly incidental to, and customarily found in connection with, a particular principal permitted use of a lot.

ACCESSORY USE STRUCTURE - Any structure that is related to an accessory use and is located on the same lot as a principal permitted use, such as parking areas, driveways, signs, barns, garages, sheds, fencing, walls, tennis courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, pavements, and the like.

ACCESSWAY - A strip of land which provides access, such as a street, an easement or a driveway.

ACRE - An area of land and/or water which equals forty three thousand, five hundred sixty (43,560) square feet, measured on horizontal plans.

ACTIVE RECREATIONAL USE - Use involving leisure time activities and/or areas, typically involving sports, requiring equipment, or occurring at prescribed sites or fields, (e.g. soccer, football, baseball, tennis, swimming, fitness trails, and the like).

ADULT COMMERCIAL USE - A retail store or stores commonly known as Adult Book Store, or Adult Store being an establishment with more than fifteen (15) square feet of floor area devoted to the display and sale of books, magazines, cassettes, periodicals, or similar items, which is distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on pornographic material, or obscene material as defined by the Consolidated Pennsylvania Statutes, Act 1972, December 6, No. 334 (18 P.C.P.S.A. 5903).

ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS - Results contributing to a harmful or degraded condition and/or producing environmental harm or degradation. Adverse environmental impacts may include: a negative impact on surrounding land uses; negative impacts which are contrary to the Comprehensive Plan and the intent of this Ordinance; negative impacts which may create a threat to the public health, safety and general welfare; and negative impacts on naturally occuring physical and biological resources and systems.

AGRICULTURAL USE; AGRICULTURE - A principal use involving: the cultivating of the soil, the raising, keeping and/or training of livestock and poultry and the harvesting of the products of the soil. The term Agricultural Use shall include farming, animal husbandry, riding academy, horticulture and forestry.

ALTERATION - Any change in the exterior or structural portion of a building; any change to or in a building which would alter its use classification; or any change which would alter the type or method of sewage disposal system.

ALTERATION OF BUILDING OR STRUCTURE - See Structural Alteration

       

ALTERNATIVES - Choices between or among two (2) or more plans, layouts, approaches, solutions and/or results.

AMBIENT NOISE - The all encompassing noise associated with a given environment, being usually a composite of sounds from many sources near and far.

AMUSEMENT HALL AND ARCADE - An entertainment facility operated as a business within a building or structure providing four (4) or more automatic amusement devices or games, such facility also includes pool or billiard rooms and similar facilities.

ANTIQUES - Goods and objects (such as furniture, textiles, silverware, glass, jewelry and baskets) made in a former period and considered to be of value due to their quality, style, appearance or age.

APARTMENT - A dwelling unit in a building which contains one or more other similar units; another residence as a primary use; or another allowable use.

APPLICANT - A landowner or developer, including heirs, successors, assigns and grantees, who has filed a complete application for subdivision and/or land development, as hereinafter defined, or a complete application for a special exception, variance, conditional use, or permits.

APPLICANT - Applicant includes a landowner or developer, including heirs, successors, assigns and grantees, who has filed a complete application for subdivision and/or land development, as hereinafter defined, or a complete application for a special exception, variance, conditional use, or permits. A person who applies for a telecommunications facility siting may be the landowner of record, or the telecommunications service provider or agent of record, with the written permission of landowner.2

AREAS OF HIGHEST ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN/CONSTRAINT - Areas shown on the Zoning Map on tracts of 20 acres or larger that are eligible for the Open Space Option in the RB Districts, which are composed of Class III Steep Slopes , areas in the flood plain conservation district, areas of carbonate geology, and/or areas with severe limitations for septic tank filter fields.

ATHLETIC FACILITY - An indoor or outdoor facility offering court or field games, exercise equipment, swimming, skating and/or bowling.

AUTOMOBILE - Cars, trucks, vans, and like modes of transportation.

       

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORIES - Parts, tires, batteries, and other supplies which are used for automobiles.

A-WEIGHTED SOUND LEVEL - The sound pressure level in decibels as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighting network. The level so read is designated dB(A).

BASE STATION - The primary sending and receiving site in a telecommunications facility. More than one base station and/or more than one variety of telecommunications provider can be located on a single tower or structure.3

BASEMENT - An enclosed area of a building partly or completely below grade. A basement shall be considered as a floor for the purpose of gross floor area measurement if the basement ceiling is five (5) feet or more above the average ground level around the building. Earth may not be piled against a building above ground to create a basement.

BED AND BREAKFAST INN - A building containing six (6) or fewer guest rooms, converted or designed for the temporary lodging of transient guests, provided that no room shall have cooking facilities of any kind. Such establishments shall furnish to the occupants, lodging services such as maid service and the furnishing and laundering of linen, and typically do provide accessory eating facilities for serving morning breakfast and/or afternoon tea. Such establishments are typically converted from single-family residences, schools, churches and the like, and are occupied by resident innkeepers. A Bed and Breakfast shall be considered a "Dwelling Unit" as that term is defined in this Ordinance.4

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS - Results contributing to an improvement in condition and/or producing a favorable result such as making a use more compatible with the intent of this Ordinance and the goals of the Comprehensive Plan and promoting the public health, safety and general welfare.

BERM - A mound of earth which serves purposes such as: directing the flow of surface water runoff, preventing soil erosion or supporting plant materials and/or fencing to aid in screening.

BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES - Characteristics of the natural environment manifest in its flora and fauna. The disposition of these characteristics is typically expressed in vegetation and/or wildlife units such as: Field and meadow; tree, woodland or forest stands and related understory and groundcover growth; and aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and/or their habitats.

BUFFER AREA - An area which is a landscaped area adjacent to a property boundary which does not contain any structures, except for those permitted in Section 1907, and which is landscaped and maintained as required in Section 1908.

BUFFER PLANTING STRIP OR AREA - A strip or area of land within the required Buffer Area which is landscaped with trees and shrubs maintained as required by this Ordinance, in a manner as required in Article 19 and the applicable district regulations.

BUILDING - Any structure having a roof supported by enclosing walls or columns.

       

BUILDING AND STRUCTURE HEIGHT - See Height

       

BUILDING AREA - The aggregate of the ground level floor areas of the principal building and all accessory buildings. Such areas shall be computed by using outside building dimensions measured on a horizontal plane at ground level.

BUILDING COVERAGE - The amount of the lot area covered by buildings.

       

BUILDING ENVELOPE - The area within a lot within which a building may be placed, as defined by the minimum yard setbacks, and the setbacks from the flood plain conservation district.

BUILDING LINE - A distance equal to the front yard requirements for the district in which the lot is located and shall be measured from the point where the lot first obtains the minimum lot width.

BUILDING SETBACK LINE - The line within a lot which defines the building envelope.

       

BULK - The term used to describe the size of buildings or other structures and their relationship to each other and to yards and lots. The term may include: the size, height and floor area of buildings or other structures; and, all open areas in yard space relating to buildings and other structures.

CALIPER - The diameter of a tree trunk measured at a point f our and one-half (4-1/2) feet from the ground surface at the center of the base of the tree for all existing trees. For all trees to be planted in accordance with the requirements of this Ordinance, such as street trees or trees in parking areas, the tree trunk shall be measured at a point six (6) inches from the ground surface at the center of the base of the tree.

CARTWAY - The portion of a street right-of-way, paved or unpaved, intended for vehicular use.

CELLULAR TELECOMMUNICATIONS - A commercial Low Power Mobile Radio Service bandwidth licensed by the FCC to providers in a specific geographical area in which the radio frequency spectrum is divided into discrete channels which are assigned in groups to geographic cells within a service area and which are capable of being reused in different cells within the service area.

CENTERLINE OF STREET - A line in the center of a street which is equidistant from and parallel to the street lines.

CHANNEL - The segment of the radiation spectrum to or from an antenna which carries one signal. An antenna may radWate on many channels simultaneously.

CHARITABLE USE - A use conducted by an organization which is classified as a charity by the Internal Revenue Service.

CHURCH - A building or group of buildings including customary accessory buildings designed or intended for organized religious services. The word church shall include chapels, cathedrals and temples.

CLUB OR LODGE - A non-profit social, professional or philanthropic organization characterized by the payment of dues, regular meetings and a constitution and by-laws. A building is used for club or lodge purposes when it serves as a meeting place for such organization and is not an adjunct to or operated by or in connection with a public tavern, cafÍ or other public place, although it may be used for recreational and/or dining facilities for the membership and their guests.

CO-LOCATION - Locating wireless telecommunications equipment from more than one provider at a single site or structure.

COMMERCIAL SCHOOL - A trade or professional school licensed by the State, other than institutions included under the definition of school.

COMMON DRIVEWAY - A driveway which is shared in accordance with the provisions of Article 19.

COMMON OPEN SPACE - See "OPEN SPACE, COMMON".

       

COMMUNITY CENTER - A facility operated by an educational, philanthropic, or religious institution for adult education, civic activities and assembly.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES - The services which provide for various community health, education, safety, leisure, and like needs and the locations at which these services am provided. Typical community facilities include: schools, parks and recreation areas, libraries, hospitals and other health-care facilities, fire protection, police, ambulance and rescue services and postal services.

COMMUNITY SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM - A system of piping, septic tanks or other treatment facilities serving more than one (1) lot, or more than one (1) building, collecting and disposing of sewage which is administered and maintained by such organizations as a homeowners association, community association, or other like organization of the people using the system.

COMMUNITY WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM - An individual well or series thereof serving more than one (1) lot or more than one (1) building which along with its appurtenant facilities is administered and maintained by such organizations as a homeowners association, community association, or other like organization of the people using the system, as well as those of any water company or any other entity which may have a permitted franchise the Township.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN - The Solebury Township Comprehensive Plan, as may be amended from time to time, including maps, tables and text that constitute a policy guide for decisions regarding land use, circulation, community facilities and utilities within the Township.

CONDITIONAL USE - A use permitted in a particular zoning district pursuant to the provisions of Article 21.

CONDOMINIUM - A building or group of buildings, in which units are owned individually, and the common areas and facilities are owned by all the owners on a proportional, undivided basis. Also see Dwelling, Condominium

CONSERVATION EASEMENT - Any easement, including but not limited to a conservation easement, agricultural preservation easement, facade easement or any other easement which places restrictions on the ability of a landowner to use his or her land.

CONSTRUCTION; CONSTRUCTION OPERATION OR ACTIVITY - Any activity which may Involve construction, reconstruction, interior renovation, repair, extension, expansion, alteration, or relocation of a building or structure, including the placement of mobile homes and the excavation, cutting, filling, and grading of lots in connection therewith or in preparation thereof

CONTINUOUS VISUAL BUFFER - A visually impenetrable screen from the ground to a height of at least six (6) feet created through the effective use of plant materials, fencing, walls and/or berms.

CUL-DE-SAC - A local street intersecting another street at one end and terminating in a circular vehicular turn-around at the other end.

CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT - A representation of man's influence on land and/or water through the use, organization, adornment and maintenance of property and structures.

CULTURAL USE - A use which promotes art, drama, music, science and/or history such as a museum, theatre, botanical garden or like facility.

CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS OR CHARITABLE USE - See Cultural Use, Religious Use and/or Charitable Use

CUT - A portion of land or other area from which earth has been removed or will be removed by excavation; or, the depth below the original ground surface of excavated surface.

DAY CARE CENTER - Any premises in which child day care is provided for a group of seven (7) or more children simultaneously, who are not relatives of the operator, including nursery schools, and is licensed by the State.

DECIBEL (DB) - A unit for measuring the sound pressure level, equal to twenty (20) times the logarithm to the base ten (10) of the ratio of the pressure of the sound measured to the reference pressure.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS - Characteristics related to the distribution, density and vital statistics of populations.

DENSITY - A measure of the number of dwelling units per acre calculated by dividing the total number of dwelling units on a lot by the lot area.

DESIGNATED OPEN SPACE - Areas allocated to meet the requirements for open space in the RB Residential/Agricultural District through the Open Space Option, as well as the Residential Development District.

DEVELOPER - Any landowner, equitable owner or authorized agent of such landowner, or tenant with permission of the landowner, who formally proposes or makes, or causes to be made, a subdivision, land development or any other development.

DEVELOPMENT - 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 or other paving, utilities, filling, grading, regrading, excavation, mining, dredging or drilling operations. Routine maintenance, incidental grading or gardening, cultivation and the like, and minor structural alterations, such as replacements to damaged or destroyed parts of structures, shall be exempted.

DORMITORY - A building occupied by and maintained exclusively for faculty, students or other such persons affiliated with a school, church, recreational or educational facility or other recognized institution regulated by such institution.

DRIVEWAY - A private accessway for vehicles which connects a street to a parking space, garage, dwelling, other structure or use.

DULY FILED - An application for approval by the Township which is complete in terms of plans, reports, studies, maps, investigations, analyses, exhibits, fees, and the like. Applications for permits, variances, special exceptions, conditional uses, subdivision, land development and the like shall not be considered as being duly filed unless all plans and papers are submitted as required by the Township.

DWELLING - A building designed or modified for and occupied exclusively for residential purposes, including a mobile home, but excluding hotel, motel, rooming house, tourist home, residential club, and the like.

DWELLING, AGE-QUALIFIED DETACHED - A building designed for and occupied by: a) an individual or individuals who have attained the age of at least fifty-five (55) years, or b) families whose heads or their spouses are at least fifty-five (55) years of age or are under a disability as defined in Section 223 of the Social Security Act or in Section 1025 of the Development Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Amendment of 1970). No person under the age of nineteen (19) years old shall occupy an Age-Qualified Detached Dwelling for more than three (3) months per calendar year. Residences shall have no party wall in common with an adjacent dwelling unit.9

DWELLING IN COMBINATION WITH BUSINESS - A dwelling in combination may be used as an accessory use with an institutional, commercial, consumer service, or office use that is permitted within the district. The dwelling unit can be located above the office or commercial establishments or in a separate building(s) provided that the lot area, setbacks, and parking requirements for each use are satisfied.

DWELLING, CONDOMINIUM - A property owned and maintained in accordance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act 68 of 1980, as amended, and in accordance with the provisions for open space, roads, or other development features in the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY - A building designed for and occupied exclusively as a residence for three (3) or more families living independently of one another.

DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY -- APARTMENT - A multi-family dwelling, where individual dwelling units share a common outside access and share a common yard area. Such dwellings contain three (3) or more dwelling units in a single structure separated by party-walls.

DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY -- RETIREMENT RESIDENCE - A dwelling or group of dwellings specifically designed for retired or elderly persons.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED - A dwelling with party walls separating two (2) or more dwelling units and having independent and separate exterior access such as duplex, quadruplex, multiplex, townhouse, patio house, atrium house, and/or other like units.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED -- DUPLEX OR TWIN HOUSE - A single-family, semi-attached dwelling having two (2) individual dwelling units: either from ground to roof separated by one (1) unpierced party wall in common with the other dwelling unit; or on two horizontal planes, over and under.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED -- MULTIPLEX - An attached dwelling where all dwelling units typically have independent outside access and may be arranged in a variety of configurations such as side by side, back to back or vertically. Such dwellings may involve a quadraplex configuration, where four (4) dwelling units are attached in a structure of group.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY ATTACHED TOWNHOUSE - A single-family, attached dwelling within a building with more than one (1) other single-family attached dwelling units separated by one (1) or two (2) unpierced party walls from ground to roof.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED - A building designed for and occupied exclusively as a residence for only one (1) family and having no party wall in common with an adjacent dwelling unit. Where a private garage is structurally attached to such building, it shall be considered a part of the dwelling.

DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY DETACHED MOBILE HOME - A transportable single-family dwelling unit intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one (1) unit, or in two (2) or more units designed to be joined into one (1) integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations; and constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation.

DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY - A building designed for and occupied exclusively as a dwelling for two (2) families.

DWELLING UNIT - A building or portion thereof, forming a single habitable unit with facilities which are used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking and eating exclusively by one (1) family. A Bed and Breakfast Inn shall be considered a Dwelling Unit and shall meet the requirements of Section 1902.L of this Ordinance.

EASEMENT - A non-possessory interest without profit which the owner of one piece of land has in the land of another.

ECONOMIC AND FISCAL CHARACTERISTICS - Characteristics related to the expenditures and revenues in conjunction with the management of income of a household, private business, community, association and/or government.

EDUCATIONAL USE - A use whereby instruction is offered by a public or private institution which is licensed by the State or a use and a use of land or structures by a public or nonprofit group or agency, which is not conducted as a commercial enterprise, for the assemblage, storage, archiving and generation of academic or educational materials for the education and information of the public, which shall include, but is not necessarily limited to, matters of environmental, historic and other public interest, as determined by the Board of Supervisors.

EMERGENCY - Any occurrence or set of circumstances involving actual or imminent physical or mental trauma to persons or significant property damage, typically sudden in nature.

EMERGENCY SERVICE - Fire, ambulance, rescue and other like services of municipal or volunteer nature.

EMERGENCY WORK - Any work performed for the purpose of preventing or mitigating the physical or mental trauma or property damage threatened or caused by an emergency.

ENGINEER - A person duly registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to practice professional engineering.

ENLARGEMENT - An addition to the floor area or the increase in size or volume of an existing structure, an increase in the area of a parcel which is occupied by an existing use, or an increase in the intensity of a use as a result of increased parking, traffic generation, sewage disposal system or other impacts on surrounding land uses, existing or zoned.

ENVIRONMENT - The conditions, resources and/or characteristics which exist within and surround the area to be affected by a project, including but not limited to: natural elements such as land, water, air, minerals, natural flora and fauna; and manmade components such as objects of historic or aesthetic significance, infrastructure, and man-related attributes of a social and economic nature.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS - The performance standards set forth in Article 18 pertaining to environmental quality and environmental degradation.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION USE - A use conducted by an environmental agency or institution, which is comprised of outdoor and indoor educational facilities and buildings for classrooms, libraries, offices, museums, storage of equipment and supplies, sales of environmental education related items, and laboratories.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT - An assessment which objectively describes, analyzes and documents both the beneficial and adverse environmental and cultural effects of a proposed project and the measures to be undertaken to mitigate adverse effects in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Ordinance and the Solebury Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES - The erection, construction, alteration or maintenance, by public utilities or municipal or other governmental agencies of underground or overhead gas, electrical, steam or water transmission or distribution systems, collection, communication, supply or disposal systems and essential buildings, excluding telecommunications facility, as defined herein.

FAMILY - One or more individuals living together in a dwelling unit as a single, non-profit housekeeping unit, and doing their cooking on the premises, when said individuals am related by blood, marriage or adoption; or no more than four (4) unrelated individuals living together as a single non-profit housekeeping unit. This definition excludes occupants of a club, fraternity house, lodge, or rooming house, or group quarters not owned or leased by the individuals.

FARM BUILDING - Any building used for the storage of agricultural equipment or farm produce, or housing livestock or poultry. The term "farm building" shall not include the following: dwellings, kennels, stables or other shelters for animals not used for agricultural purposes.

FCC - Federal Communications Commission. The government agency responsible for regulating telecommunications in the United States.

FILL - Material, exclusive of structures, placed or deposited so as to form an embankment or raise the surface elevation of any portion of the land.

FINISHED GRADE - The final vertical elevation above or below sea level of the ground surface after development.

FLEA MARKET - Market held in an open area, building or other structure where goods are offered for sale to the public by transient retail merchants.

FLOOD - A temporary inundation of normally dry areas by water.

       

FLOOD, ONE HUNDRED YEAR - A flood that, on the average, is likely to occur once every one hundred (100) years, that is, one that has a one (1 %) percent likelihood of occurring each year, but may occur more than once in any one hundred (100) year period.

FLOOD PLAIN - A relatively flat or low land area, adjoining a creek, stream, pond, lake, watercourse or other natural body of water, which is subject to partial or complete inundation; an area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

FLOOD PLAIN SOILS - The following soil types as mapped in the Soil Survey of Bucks and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, July, 1975, as being "on the flood plain" or "subject to flooding":

       Alluvial land

       Alton gravelly loam, flooded

       Bowmansville silt loam

       

       Hatboro silt loam

       Marsh

       Popeloam

       Rowland silt loam

FLOOD-PROOFING - Any combination of structural and non-structural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents by creating watertight walls impermeable to the passage of water, and by resisting hydraulic loads and effects of buoyancy.

FLOODWAY - That portion of the flood plain including the watercourse channel and adjacent land areas which must be reserved to carry the 100-year-recurrence interval flood without cumulatively increasing that flood elevation more than one (1) foot.

FLOOR AREA - See Gross Floor Area and Net Floor Area

       

FOREST - See Woodland

       

FORESTRY - The systematic management and maintenance of forests and woodlands for purposes such as: the production of timber and other forest products, watershed protection, recreation and open space preservation and conservation.

FULL CARE FACILITY - A form of residential use designed and operated exclusively for individuals requiring skilled full-time nursing care. Educational facilities may be an accessory use to a full care facility.

FUNERAL HOME - A building used for the preparation of the deceased for burial or cremation and the display of the deceased and ceremonies connected therewith before burial or cremation.

GARAGE, PRIVATE - An accessory building or part of a principal permitted building used for the storage of motor vehicles owned and used by the owner or tenant of such principal permitted building.

GARAGE, PUBLIC - A building not a private or minor garage, used for the storage or repair of motor vehicles for compensation.

GROSS DENSITY - See Density

       

GROSS FLOOR AREA - The sum of the horizontal areas of all floors of a building measured from the exterior face of exterior walls, or from the centerline of a wall separating two (2) buildings, but not including interior parking spaces, loading space for motor vehicles, or any space where the average floor-to-ceiling height is less than six (6) feet.

GROUP HOME - A use which provides living arrangements for a group of persons who confronted with institutionalization, are given an alternative whereby they can be placed in a family type setting. Groups contemplated by this use include, but are not limited to, the mentally handicapped, physically handicapped, emotionally handicapped and elderly. Group home structures have the appearance of a single-family detached dwelling.

HEIGHT OF BUILDING OR STRUCTURE - The vertical distance of a building or structure measured from the lowest elevation of the finished grade to the mean elevation of the highest roof.

HISTORIC RESOURCES - Sites, areas, structures, trails and/or routes which are valued due to their significance as examples and/or locations of events customs, skills and/or arts of the past.

HOME OCCUPATION - An activity for financial gain customarily carried on in, a dwelling, or in a building or structure accessory to an accessory use of the dwelling, in accordance with Section 1902.

HORTICULTURE - The art and practice of propagating and cultivating plants for their produce or for ornament.

HOSPITAL - An establishment, licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which provides health services primarily for inpatient medical or surgical care of the sick or injured, including such related facilities as laboratories, outpatient departments, training facilities, central services facilities and staff offices as an integral part of the establishment.

HOTEL, MOTEL OR INN - A building or group of buildings containing seven (7) or more rooms without cooking facilities of any kind, especially designed for the temporary lodging of transient persons. Such establishment shall provide customary hotel services such as maid service and the furnishing and laundering of linen, and may include a restaurant.

IMPACT - The power of an event or condition to produce changes in other conditions. In the context of impact exerted on the environment, changes which effect existing conditions and/or quality are of greatest concern.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE - Impervious surfaces are those surfaces which do not absorb rain. All buildings, including roof overhangs, parking areas, driveways, roads, sidewalks, and such areas as those in concrete and asphalt shall be considered impervious surfaces within this definition. In addition, other areas determined by the Township Engineer to be impervious within the meaning of this definition will also be classed as impervious surfaces.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE RATIO - A ratio which is measured by dividing the total areas of all impervious surfaces within the site by the site area.

IMPROVEMENTS - Physical addition and changes to land such as grading, paving, curbing, fire hydrants, water mains, sanitary sewers, capped sewers, storm sewers, storm drains, catch basins, culverts, sidewalks, monuments, crosswalks, bridges, earthworks, street lights, wells, sewage disposal systems, street trees and other plantings, and other structures that may be necessary to produce usable and desirable land development.

INCINERATOR - An enclosed device using controlled combustion for the primary purpose of thermally breaking down solid waste, and which is equipped with a flue.

INFRASTRUCTURE - The basic installations and facilities on which the continuance and growth of a community depend such as roads, schools, electrical transmission facilities, transportation and communication systems, and sewer and water systems.

INN - See Hotel, Motel or Inn

       

INTERIOR LOT - See Lot, Interior

       

KENNEL - An establishment where six (6) or more dogs, cats or like domesticated animals more than one (1) year old are kept, boarded, groomed, trained, raised or bred for compensation.

LAKES AND PONDS - Natural or artificial bodies of water that retain water year-round. Artificial ponds may be created by dams, or may result from excavation. The shoreline of such water bodies shall be measured from the spillway crest elevation rather than permanent pool if there is any difference. Lakes are bodies of water two (2) or more acres in extent. Ponds are any water body less than two (2) acres in extent.

LAND DEVELOPMENT - Any one of the following activities:

       

       1. The improvement of one (1) lot or two (2) or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving:

       a. 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

       b. 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.

       2. The subdivision of land.

       3. The following shall not be considered a land development:

       a. the conversion of an existing single-family detached or single-family semidetached dwelling into not more than three (3) residential units, unless such units are intended to be a condominium;

       b. the addition of an accessory building, including farm buildings, on a lot or lots subordinate to an existing principal building; or

       c. The addition or conversion of buildings or rides, within the confines of an enterprise which would be considered an amusement park. For purposes of this exemption, an amusement park is defined as a tract or area used principally as a location for permanent amusement structures or rides. This exclusion shall not apply to newly acquired acreage by an amusement park until the initial plans for the expanded area have been approved by the Township.

LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN - A sketch, preliminary or final plan, submitted in compliance with the requirements of the Solebury Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, showing the provision for development of a tract of land. See, also, Subdivision Plan.

LANDOWNER - The legal or equitable owner or owners of land.

       

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT - A professional landscape architect registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

LANDSCAPED AREA - That portion of a tract ' or lot in which plantings have been installed in accordance with the provisions for landscaping in Article 19. The landscaped area includes: the buffer planting strip; those plantings which serve a functional and/or aesthetic purpose and are located around and between buildings, roads, parking areas, sidewalks, walkways, sitting areas, service or maintenance structures, courtyards and the like; and plantings within a buffer area.

LANDSCAPING PLAN - A plan for the installation and maintenance of plantings, prepared according to the provisions of Article 19.

LIFE CARE FACILITY - A residential use designed and operated exclusively for adults, containing certain support facilities designed for those individuals and related to a Full Care Facility.

LIVESTOCK - Animals of any kind, raised and/or maintained for sale, resale, or agricultural field production. The keeping of one (1) or more horses or ponies for noncommercial recreational purposes, or the keeping of common household pets such as dogs, cats, and the like for noncommercial purposes, shall not be considered as the keeping of livestock.

LOADING SPACE, OFF-STREET - A space in a building or on a lot which is accessible from the public street system for the temporary use of vehicles while loading or unloading merchandise, materials or passengers.

LOCATION - References to site location shall be the exact longitude and latitude, to the nearest tenth of a second. Bearing or orientation should be referenced to true north.16

LONGTERM EFFECTS - Results which are manifest for, or extending over a period of greater than two (2) years.

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.

LOT AREA - The area of land contained within the property lines of a lot excluding the following: the area of any existing and proposed utility rights-of-way and/or easements; the area within an existing street right-of-way; and the area within the future right-of-way for streets as required in the Solebury Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

LOT, CORNER - A lot abutting upon two (2) or more streets or upon two (2) parts of the same street, forming an interior angle at the corner of less than one hundred thirty-five (135) degrees.

LOT, INTERIOR - Any lot which has limited frontage to a street by virtue of being a narrow lot; or an existing lot which may have access through an easement.

LOT LINE - A property boundary line shown on a recorded plan or described in a recorded deed. In the case of any lot abutting a street, the lot line for such portion of the lot as abuts such street shall be deemed to be the same as the street line, and shall not be the centerline of the street, or any other line within the street right-of-way.

LOT LINE, FRONT - The street line. In the case of a corner lot, both street lines shall be deemed the front lot line. The front lot line shall be that boundary line of the lot most nearly parallel to the street line which has no other portion of the lot between it and the street; provided that any portion of the lot which crosses the street line will have the street line as its front lot line.

LOT LINE -- REAR - A lot line opposite and most distant from the front lot line. If the rear lot fine is less than ten (10) feet in length, or if the lot forms a point at the rear, the rear lot line shall be deemed to be a line ten (10) feet in length within the lot, between the side lot lines, parallel to and at the maximum distance from the front lot line. For a comer lot, of the two (2) lot lines opposite the front lot lines, that which is most distant will be the rear lot line.

LOT LINE -- SIDE - Any lot line which is not a street line or a rear lot line.

       

LOT, REVERSE FRONTAGE - A lot extending between and having frontage on a major street and a minor street with vehicular access solely from the minor street.

LOT, THROUGH - A lot which fronts upon two (2).parallel streets, or which fronts upon two (2) streets which do not intersect at the boundaries of the lot.

LOT WIDTH - The distance measured between the side lot lines at the required building line. When there is only one (1) side lot line, as in the case of single-family attached dwellings or at a comer lot, the lot width shall be measured between such lot line and the opposite lot line.

       

MANUFACTURED HOME - See Dwelling Single-Family detached Mobile home.

       

MANUFACTURED HOME PARK - See Mobile Home Park

       

MEDICAL OFFICE/WELLNESS CENTER - Office or clinic for medical or dental examination or treatment of persons as out-patients, including laboratories incidental thereto. A fitness center and cafeteria within the same building are permitted as accessory uses; however, the cafeteria shall be limited to a maximum of 10 percent of the total building area.18

MINI-WAREHOUSE - A warehouse or storage unit available for lease for the purpose of storage of personal property and dry goods.

MITIGATION - The act of precluding a potentially adverse effect and/or making a potentially adverse effect less severe through measures which will improve a condition and/or lessen the impact.

MOBILE HOME - See Dwelling, Single-Family Detached Mobile Home

       

MOBILE HOME LOT - A parcel of land in a mobilehome park, improved with the necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for the erection thereon of a single or double mobilehome.

MOBILE HOME PAD - That part of an individual lot which has been reserved for the placement of the mobilehome, appurtenant structures or additions.

MOBILE HOME PARK - A parcel of land that has been planned and improved for the placement of mobile homes for non-transient use.

MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - Any change, or proposed change, in power input or output, number of antennas, change in antenna type(s) or model(s), repositioning of antenna(s), or change in number of channels per antenna above the maximum number approved under an existing permit.

MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING TOWER OR STRUCTURE - Any change, or proposed change, in dimensions of an existing and permitted tower or other structure designed to support telecommunications transmission, receiving and/or relaying antennas and/or equipment.

MONITORING - The measurement, by the use of instruments in the field, of non-ionizing radiation exposure at a telecommunications facility site as a whole, or from the towers, antennas or repeaters.

MONITORING PROTOCOL - The testing protocol, such as the Cobbs Protocol or the FCC Regulations (Title 47, Part 1, Section 1.1307 referenced as IEEE C95.3 1991), or one substantially similar, including compliance determined in accordance with the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, which is to be used to monitor the emissions and determine exposure risk from existing and new telecommunications facilities.22

MONOPOLE - A single self-supporting vertical pole with no guy wire anchors, usually consisting of a galvanized or other unpainted metal or a wooden pole with below-grade foundations.23

MOTEL - See Hotel, Motel or Inn.

       

MUFFLER OR SOUND DISSIPATIVE DEVICE - A device designed or used for decreasing or abating the level of sound escaping from an engine, machinery or like system.

MUNICIPAL USE - A use conducted by Solebury Township such as, but not limited to: parks, playgrounds and other public recreational, cultural and conservation areas and facilities; sites for sewage treatment, solid waste and refuse disposal; municipal buildings; public works facilities; emergency services facilities; municipal garages; communications towers located on Township owned property; and other public facilities operated for the good and well-being of the Township including activities regularly conducted by the Township at such sites and/or facilities. The area and bulk requirements for Municipal Uses shall he the minimum requirements set forth in the applicable district. Multiple Municipal Uses may occupy the same lot. The Township may lease portions of a lot for individual uses without the necessity of a subdivision and the creation of individual lots.

NARROW LOT - A narrow lot, including, but not limited to a f lag or lane lot, is a parcel of land which does not have the required minimum lot width at the minimum front yard line (measured from the street from which access will be gained) but has direct access to a public street.

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT - A composition of land, water and/or air represented by its inherent physical and biological resources.

NET FLOOR AREA - The total of all floor areas of a building measured from the interior surface of the walls, excluding stairwells and elevator shafts, equipment rooms, interior vehicular parking or loading; and all floors below the first or ground floor that are used only for storage or mechanical systems serving the building.

NO-IMPACT HOME-BASED BUSINESS - This use is limited to 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, pick-up, delivery or removal functions to or from the premises, in excess of those normally associated with residential use. The business or commercial activity must satisfy the criteria set forth in Section 1902.M of this ordinance.25

NONCONFORMING LOT - A lot, the area or dimension of which was lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of this Ordinance, but which fails to conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located by reason of such adoption or amendment.

NONCONFORMING USE - A use, whether of land or of structure, which does not comply with the applicable use provisions in this Ordinance, or amendment heretofore or hereinafter enacted, where such use was lawfully in existence prior to the enactment of this Ordinance or amendment, or prior to the application of this Ordinance or amendment to its location by reason of annexation.

NONTRANSIENT USE - A use which manifests itself for a period of not less than six (6) consecutive months.

OBSTRUCTION, WATER - Any wall, darn, wharf, embankment, levee, dike, pile, abutment, projection, excavation, channel, culvert, building, fence, stockpile, refuse, fill, structure, or matter in, along, across, or projecting into any channel, watercourse, or flood-prone area, which may impede, retard, or change the direction of the flow of water either in itself or by catching or collecting debris carried by such water or is placed where the flow of the water might carry the same downstream.

OFFICE PARK - An office community consisting of a total of five (5) or more new or converted buildings dedicated exclusively to offices and accessory uses thereto, of which buildings or unit thereof may be owned individually or in total by one or more office owners or users and the common areas and facilities owned by the owners or users on a designated pad basis or on a proportional undivided basis.

ON-LOT SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM - A system serving a single lot, collecting and disposing of sewage on the lot where such system is used.

ON-LOT WATER SUPPLY - An individual well on the lot where the well services one (1) lot and/or a water supply on a lot occupied or to be occupied serving a permitted building.

OPEN SPACE - Natural or landscaped areas restricted in perpetuity to natural resource protection, conservation or recreation, or used for noise and/or visual buffers or for other purposes as described in the Open Space Provisions of Article 20.

OPEN SPACE, COMMON - 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 the residential development not including streets, off-street parking areas and areas set aside for public facilities. Common open space includes both developed (active) and undeveloped (passive) open space.

OPEN SPACE OPTION - The choice which may be exercised in the Residential Districts, on tracts greater than twenty (20) acres, to arrange lots with particular consideration of and sensitivity toward environmental resources, the minimum net size requirement for which would be less than would otherwise be required in the Districts, and the relative density of which may be greater than would otherwise be permitted in the Districts, in exchange for allocating open space for various conservation and recreation purposes.

       

OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY - An outdoor recreation facility operated as a business, not a private recreation facility, athletic club, or an outdoor motion picture facility.

OUTDOOR MOTION PICTURE ESTABLISHMENT - An establishment which features outdoor movies, not including the showing of obscene material as defined by Pennsylvania Statute. The motion picture screen of such establishment shall not be oriented towards the arterial or collector highway, and neither a public address system nor a general speaker system is included.

OVERLAY DISTRICTS - Areas described in Articles 14, 15, and 19 related to Flood Plain, Steep Slopes and Carbonate Geology conditions.

PARKING SPACE - A space, available for the parking of one (1) motor vehicle, exclusive of passageways, driveways or other means of circulation or access. A parking space shall include either covered garage spaces or uncovered parking lot space located off the street right-of-way. The size, surfacing, gradient and other requirement for a parking space shall be as required in the Solebury Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and this Ordinance.

PASSIVE RECREATIONAL USE - Any leisure time activity not considered active (e.g. walking, picnicking, bird watching, fishing).

PERMIT - An official action which sets forth the rights and obligations extended by the Township to an operator to own, construct, maintain, and operate its telecommunications facility within the boundaries of the township.

PERMITTEE - An applicant who is granted a permit for a telecommunications facility by the Township.

PERSON - Any individual, association, trust, partnership or corporation, including any members, directors, officers, employees, partners or principals thereof. Whenever used in any clause prescribing and imposing a penalty, person includes the members, trustees, partners, directors, officers, managers and supervisors, or any of them, of partnerships, associations, corporations or other form of entity.

PHYSICAL RESOURCES - Characteristics of the natural environment manifest in its: land forms, soils, geological structure of surface and/or subsurface rock, minerals, natural bodies of water and/or man-made impoundments, watercourses, groundwater and the like. The disposition of these characteristics is typically expressed in physiographic, topographic and/or hydrologic units such as: rock formations, slopes, elevations, soil types, watersheds, surface water types, wetlands, floor plains, aquifers or aquifer recharge areas and the like.

PRIMARY DISTRICTS - Areas shown on the Zoning map for various uses and described more fully in Articles 4 through 13.

PRIMARY EFFECTS - Results of a direct nature that have a principal influence on a particular condition.

PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND - Land which consists of soils considered to be most suitable for cultivation, including "important farmlands" and it additional farmlands of statewide importance" as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service.

PRINCIPAL BUILDING - A building in which is conducted, or in intended to be conducted, the primary use of the lot on which it is located.

PRIVATE CLUB - See Club or Lodge

       

PRIVATE RECREATIONAL FACILITY - A family-oriented, indoor recreational facility owned or operated by a non-governmental agency and entirely enclosed within a structure. The use may include by way of example arcades, batting cages, indoor golf facilities, skating rinks or skate parks. This use is permitted by conditional use only.

PROFESSIONAL OFFICE - An office which is used and occupied by a professional practitioner, such as a doctor, lawyer, architect or accountant.

PROJECT - A subdivision; a land development; or any development involving the construction or alteration of buildings or other structures, or the grading of land to accommodate a building, structure of use.

PUBLIC NOTICE - Notice published once each week for two (2) 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 be not more than thirty (30) days and the second publication shall not be less than (7) days from the date of the hearing.

PUBLIC RECREATIONAL FACILITY - A recreational facility owned or operated by the Township or other governmental agency. A municipal use.

PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY - See Right-of-Way, Public

       

PUBLIC SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM - A system, other than an on-lot sewage disposal system or a community sewage disposal system which is administered and operated by the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority for the collection, conveyance, treatment, and disposal of sewage.

PUBLIC SPACE - A real property or structures thereon which are owned or controlled by a governmental entity.

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM - A system for water distribution and water supply, other than an on-lot water supply system, or a community water supply system, which is owned, administered, and operated by the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority.

QUARRY - An excavation, or other place, from which stone (including limestone), gravel, sand, slate or other minerals are removed by cutting, digging, blasting or other means and including but not limited to, those related operations of crushing, sorting, sizing or stockpiling of quarried materials including overburden and topsoil as well as settlement basins and equipment maintenance and parking area.

RADIAL PLOTS - Radial plots are the result of drawing equally spaced lines (radials) from the point of the antenna, calculating the expected signal and indicating this graphically on a map. The relative signal strength may be indicated by varying the size or color at each point being studied along the radial. A threshold plot uses a mark to indicate whether that point would be strong enough to provide adequate coverage i.e., the points meeting the threshold of adequate coverage. The draw back is the concentration of points close to the antenna and the divergence of points far from the site near the ends of the radials.

REAL PROPERTY - All land whether publicly or privately owned, whether improved or not improved, with or without structures.

RECREATIONAL VEHICLE - A vehicle or piece of equipment, whether self-powered or designed to be pulled or carried, intended primarily for leisure tWme recreational use or for travel. Recreational vehicles or units including travel trailers, truck-mounted campers, motor homes, folding tent campers and autos, buses or trucks adapted for vacation use and other vehicles not suitable for daily conventional family transportation. Snowmobiles, mini-bikes, all-terrain vehicles, go-carts and boat trailers are also deemed recreational vehicles.

RECYCLING AND REFUSE FACILITY - An area of land, with or without buildings, that is used for the storage of used or discarded materials, including but not limited to waste paper, rags, metal, building materials, house furnishings, machinery, vehicles, and parts thereof, with the dismantling, processing, salvage, sale, or other use or disposition of the same.

RELIGIOUS USE - A use involving a structure or place at which religious worship and ceremonies are held regularly by a group which practices the religion.

REPEATER - A small receiver/relay transmitter and antenna of relatively low power output designed to provide service to areas which are not able to receive adequate coverage directly from a base or primary station.

RESTAURANT - A building or an area within a building with four or more tables (more than 12 chairs), used primarily for the purpose of furnishing to the public food to be consumed on the premises, that is opened between 6:00 a.m and 11:00 p.m. on a single day, but not including a restaurant with drive-in services, or a restaurant used primarily for take-out services.

RESTAURANT, DRIVE-THRU SERVICE - A fast food restaurant or section thereof which is designed to allow for the serving and pick-up of food, without. leaving the vehicle, for off-premise consumption.

       

RETAIL SALES - Shops and stores selling commodities and goods and/or services, such as dry cleaners, hairdressers, shoe repair, and like services to the ultimate consumer. Not included under this use are over-the-counter sale of alcoholic beverages in taverns and bars. Any retail store that provides for gasoline or fuel sales for motor vehicles directly to the retail customers shall be considered to be a Motor Vehicle Gasoline Station and shall meet the requirements of that use and shall only be permitted in zoning districts where Motor Vehicle Gasoline Station is permitted. Also not included is any store with greater than fifteen (15) square feet of floor area devoted to the display of pornographic materials or obscene material as defined by Pennsylvania Statutes.

RIDING ACADEMY - A Conditional Use on a lot area of at least ten (10) acres in the RA or RB Districts, where horseback riding lessons are given, and horses are boarded. A riding academy shall not include a livery stable which primarily rents horses for trail riding whether supervised or unsupervised.

RIGHT-OF-WAY - A strip of land granted or reserved for public or private use or access.

       

RIGHT-OF-WAY, EXISTING - The legal right-of-way as established by the Commonwealth or the Township and currently in existence.

RIGHT-OF-WAY, FUTURE - The right-of-way established by the Solebury Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.

RIGHT-OF-WAY, PUBLIC - Any street, avenue, boulevard, highway, sidewalk, alley or similar place which is owned or controlled by a governmental entity.

ROAD - See Street.

       

ROOF AND/OR BUILDING MOUNT TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - A telecommunications facility where antennas are mounted to an existing structure on the roof (including rooftop appurtenances) or a building face.34

SANITARY SEWAGE - Any liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in suspension or solution, or the water-carried waste resulting from the discharge of water closets, laundry tubs, washing machines, sinks, dishwashers, or any other source of water-carried waste of human origin.

SANITARY SEWER - A conduit that collects and transports sanitary sewage.

       

SCHOOL - A religious, sectarian and nonsectarian, denominational private institution, or a public institution which is not conducted as a private gainful business both of which have access to a collector or primary street, and are licensed by the State.

SCREEN PLANTING - The plantings which are used in a buffer planting strip or other landscaping arrangement to create a continuous visual buffer.

SECONDARY EFFECTS - Results of an indirect nature which have an influence on a particular condition or state derived from a primary effect.

SEPTIC TANK - A water-tight receptacle that receives the discharge of sewage from a building, sewer or part thereof, and is designed and constructed so as to permit settling of solids from this liquid, digestion of the organic matter, and discharge of the liquid portion into a septic tank filter field.

SEPTIC TANK FILTER FIELD - A system of open jointed pipes intended for subsurface disposal of septic tank effluent.

SERVICE STATION - See Automobile Service Station

       

SEWAGE - The total of organic waste and waste water generated by residential, industrial, commercial, institutional or other establishments.

SEWER - Any pipe or conduit used to collect and carry away sewage or stormwater runoff from the generating source of origin to treatment plants and to a receiving stream or other drainageway.

SEWERAGE - All effluent carried by sewers, whether it is sanitary sewage, residential, commercial or industrial wastes or stormwater runoff; or, the entire system of sewage collection, conveyance, treatment and disposal.

SEWERED AREA -That portion of the Township designated in the Official Sewage Facilities Plan (Act 537 Plan) in which there is, or may be, constructed a system of public sewage.

SHOOTING AREA - A facility used for target practice, skeet and trap and related activities by a gun club or sportsmen's club.

SHOPPING CENTER - A group of four or more permitted principal uses in the TNC district that are planned and developed, as a single property with required off-street parking. Minimum lot size for a shopping center is 15 acres. Motor Vehicle Gasoline Stations and Bed and Breakfast Inn are not permitted under this use.

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS - Results which are manifest for or extending over a period of less than two (2) years.

SIDEWALK SALE - A seasonal or occasional sale held on the sidewalk or other structure along the front or side of a particular store or establishment where goods are offered for sale to the public, typically at a discounted price.

SIGHT DISTANCE - The 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 TRIANGLE, CLEAR - An area of unobstructed vision at street intersections defined by lines of sight between points at a given distance from the intersection of the street.

SIGN - Any permanent or temporary structure or part thereof, or any device attached, painted or represented directly or indirectly on a structure or other surface that shall display or include any letter, word, insignia, flag, or representation used as or which is in the nature of an advertisement, announcement, visual communications, direction, or is designed to attract the eye, or bring the subject to the attention of the public. Flags of any governmental unit or branch of any charitable or religious organization, interior signs not visible from a public right-of-way or adjoining property, and cornerstones built into or attached to a wall of a building shall not be construed to be signs.

SIGN, ACCESSORY SIGN - Any sign which specifically relates to the permitted use of the premises on which said sign is erected and which serves as a further description of products available to or services provided for the general public.

SIGN AREA - The area of a sign shall be construed to include all lettering, wording, and accompanying designs and symbols, together with the background, whether open or enclosed, on which they are displayed, not including any supporting framework and bracing which are incidental to the display itself Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached to a surface, building, wall or window, the area shall be considered to be that of the smallest rectangle or other shape, including the sign background,' which encompasses all of the letters and symbols.

SIGN, BANNER - A sign which is permitted to promote special community events of educational, charitable, philanthropic, service, fraternal, civic and like organizations for a temporary period of time as provided for herein. Such sign is typically placed on a building or over a street and is typically made of nylon, canvas or like material.

SIGN, BILLBOARD - A sign erected by the outdoor advertising industry on which advertisement space is leased in a fixed period of time.

SIGN, FLASHING - A sign, the illumination of which is not kept constant in intensity at all times when in use, and which exhibits sudden or marked changes in lighting effects. Illuminated signs which indicate the time, temperature, or date information shall not be considered to be a flashing sign.

SIGN, FREESTANDING See Sign, Pole

       

SIGN, GROUND SIGN Any sign supported by uprights or braces placed upon the ground, and not attached to any building; or any sign which emerges directly from the ground surface such as a masonry or decorative masonry sign.

SIGN, ILLUMINATED - A sign designed to provide artificial light directly (or through transparent or translucent material) from a source of light within such sign (such as backlighting); or a sign with illumination derived from an external artificial source so arranged that no direct light is projected from such artificial source to areas other than the immediate sign being illuminated.

SIGN, MARQUEE - A marquee shall include any hood or awning of permanent construction projecting from the wall of a building above an entrance and extending over a pedestrian walk.

SIGN, OFF-PREMISES - A sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service, entertainment or other use or activity conducted, sold or offered at a location other than the premises on which the sign is located.

SIGN, ON-PREMISES - A sign relating in its subject matter to the premises on which it is located, or to products, accommodations, services or activities on the premises.

SIGN, PARALLEL - See Sign, Wall

       

SIGN, POLE - A sign that is mounted on or suspended from a freestanding pole, column or other support located in or upon the ground surface.

SIGN, PROJECTING - A sign which is attached directly to the wall of a building and which is perpendicular to the face of such wall.

SIGN, REAL ESTATE - A sign pertaining to the sale or leas,- of the premises on which the sign is located.

SIGN, ROOF - Any sign erected, constructed and maintained wholly upon or over the roof of any building with the principal support on the roof

SIGN, TEMPORARY - Any sign, banner, pennant, valance or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas, light fabric, cardboard, wall board, or other light materials, with or without frames, intended to be displayed only for no more than a consecutive thirty (30) day period in a twelve (12) month period.

SIGN, WALL - A sign which is painted on a wall or is mounted flush to a wall or other vertical building surface, not extending more than eight (8) inches beyond the edge of any wall or other surface to which it is affixed.

SIGN, WINDOW - A temporary or permanent sign which is oriented to the public right-of-way, is legible to persons in vehicles, and is located on the outside or inside of a window to direct attention to an activity conducted on the same lot.

SINGLE AND SEPARATE OWNERSHIP - The ownership of property by any person, which ownership is separate and distinct from that of any adjoining property.

SITE - A tract or parcel of land or combination of contiguous lots or parcels of land.

SOLID WASTE LANDFILL - A facility where solid waste is disposed of by placing it on the land and covering the waste with a layer of soil, subject to the provisions of Article 19.

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY - A facility whose purpose shall be to provide for the clean, safe, and efficient disposal of solid wastes. Such facility may include one or more of the following uses: Recycling and Refuse Facility, Solid Waste Landfill, Incinerator, or other solid waste management facility permitted by the Department of Environmental Resources.

SOUND - An oscillation in pressure, particle displacement, particle velocity or other physical parameter, in a medium with internal forces that causes compression and rarefaction of that medium. The description of sound may include any characteristics of such sound, including duration, intensity and frequency.

SOUND LEVEL - The weighted sound pressure level obtained by the use of a sound level meter and frequency weighting network, such as A, B, or C, as specified in American National Standards Institute specifications for sound level meters (ANSI S 1.4-1974, or the latest revision thereof). If the frequency weighting employed is not indicated, the A-weighting shall apply. Also see A-Weighted Sound Level.

SOUND LEVEL METER - An instrument which includes a microphone, amplifier, RMS detector, integrator or time averager, output meter and any applicable weighting network used to measure sound pressure levels which meets or exceeds the requirement for a Type I or Type H sound level meter as specified in ANSI- Specification S 1.4-1974 or the latest revision thereof The manufacturer's published indication of compliance with such specifications shall be prima facie evidence of such compliance.

SPECIAL EXCEPTION - A use permitted in a particular zoning district pursuant to the provisions of Article 22.

SPECIALTY SHOPPING CENTER - A shopping center which caters to a specific market. The stores in the center are small scale, linked together by an architectural, historical, or geographical theme, or by the commonality of the goods and services available. In general, the shops in a specialty center deal in the following types of merchandise: imported goods, gifts, books, hand-crafted items, luxury merchandise, fashions, gourmet foods, hobby and craft supplies, and antiques.

STABLE - Any building, structure or portion thereof which is used in whole or in part for the shelter or care of sheep, goats, horses or cattle or other livestock.

STABLE SOIL - A durable, free draining, uniform soil that is capable of withstanding design foundation pressures over time with minimal settlement, and is resistant to shear.

STEEP SLOPE, CLASS I - The area of land which is characterized by a change in elevation of eight percent (8%) or more, but less than fifteen percent (15%) over a distance or contour specified in Article 15.

STEEP SLOPE, CLASS II - The area of land which is characterized by a change in elevation of fifteen percent (15%) or more but not exceeding twenty-five percent (25%) over a distance or contour specified in Article 15.

STEEP SLOPE, CLASS III - The area of land which is characterized by a change in elevation of greater than twenty-five percent (25%) over a distance or contour specified in Article 15.

STORM SEWER - A conduit that collects and transports stormwater runoff.

       

STORY - That part of a building located between a floor and the floor or roof next above. The first story of a building is the lowest story having seventy-five (75) percent or more of its wall area above grade level. A half-story is a story under a gable, hip or gambrel roof, the wall plates of which on at least two (2) opposite exterior walls are not more than two (2) feet above the floor.

STORY, GROUND - The story with its floor level immediately above the average finished grade level of the adjoining ground at any particular point or side of the dwelling.

STREET - A public or privately owned right-of-way, serving as a means of vehicular travel. furnishing access to abutting lots also used to provide space for installation of improvements such as sewers, other utilities, street trees and sidewalks.

STREET LINE - The right-of-way line of a street where it crosses a lot.

       

STRUCTURAL ALTERATION - Any change in or addition to the supporting or structural members of a building or other structure, such as the bearing walls, partitions, columns, beams or girders; or any change which could convert an existing building or other structure into a different structure, or adopt the structure to a different use.

STRUCTURALLY ABLE - The determination that a tower or structure is capable of safely carrying the load imposed by the proposed new antenna(s) under all reasonably predictable conditions as determined by professional structural engineering analysis including wind and ice loads or any other structural requirements.

STRUCTURE - Any manmade object or improvement having an ascertainable stationary location on land or in water, whether or not affixed to the land. This term shall not include sand mounds, well heads, landscaping berms and detention basin facilities. This term shall include any pole, telescoping mast, tripod or the like which supports a device used in the transmitting and/or receiving of electromagnetic signals.

SUBDIVISION - The division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land by any means into two (2) 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 for distribution to heirs or devises, 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 ten (10) acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or residential dwellings, shall be exempted.

SUBDIVISION PLAN - A sketch, preliminary or final plan, submitted in compliance with the Solebury Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, showing the provision for the subdivision of a tract of land. See, also, Land Development Plan.

SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT - Any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty (50) percent of the market value of the structure either: before the improvement or repair is started; or if the structure had been damaged and was being restored before the damage occurred. A "substantial improvement" is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not the alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure. The term does not, however, include either: any project for improvement of a structure to comply with existing state or municipal health, sanitary or safety codes which are solely necessary to ensure safe living conditions.

SWIMMING POOL - Any permanent pool or open tank, containing or normally capable of containing water to a depth at any point greater than one and one-half (1-1/2) feet. Swimming pool regulations are set forth in Article 19.

SWIMMING POOL, PUBLIC OR SEMI-PUBLIC - Any swimming pool other than a private swimming pool, including publicly and privately owned pools open to the general public and pools owned and operated in conjunction with membership organizations, motels, hotels and other similar uses.

TAVERN - An establishment which serves alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption and which. is licensed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, including the sale of food as an accessory use.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ANTENNA - Any device used for the transmission or reception of radio, television, wireless telephone, pager, commercial mobile radio service, or any other wireless communications signals, including without limitation omni directional or whip antennas and directional or panel antennas, owned or operated by any person or entity licensed by the Federal Communications Facility ("FCC") to operate such device. This definition shall not include private residence mounted satellite dishes or television antennas or amateur radio equipment including without limitation ham or citizen band radio antennas.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT BUILDING - A structure located at a base station designed principally to enclose equipment used in connection with telecommunications transmissions including any foundation that may be required. A telecommunications building shall be un-staffed and shall cover a ground area of not greater than 250 square feet.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - All equipment, including any tower, structure, building, antenna, repeater and other related device which a telecommunications provider needs to broadcast and receive radio frequency signals which carry their services.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITY SITE - A property, or any part thereof, which is owned or leased by one or more telecommunications providers and upon which one or more telecommunications facility(ies) and any required landscaping are located.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROVIDER - An entity licensed by the FCC to provide telecommunications services to individuals or institutions.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER - A guyed, monopole, or self-supporting free standing mount, or in association with a building, other permanent designed to accommodate one or more antennas intended for transmitting and/or receiving television, AM/FM radio, digital, microwave, cellular, telephone, or similar forms of electronic telecommunication.

TEMPORARY STRUCTURE OR USE - A structure or use for which a temporary zoning permit may be issued during construction or for special events subject to Article 18 and 19.

TEMPORARY WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES - Any telecommunications facility designed for use while a permanent wireless telecommunications facility is under construction, rehabilitation or restoration.

TILED COVERAGE PLOTS - Tiled plots result from calculating the signal at uniformly spaced locations on a rectangular grid, or tile, of the area of concern. Tiled plots (in comparison to radial plots) 1) provide a uniform distribution of points over the area of interest, 2) usually allow the same grid to be used as different sites are examined, and 3) do not necessitate the transmitter site be within the grid or area of interest. As with radial plots, the graphic display or plot can be either signal strength or adequate threshold. Tile plotting requires more topographic data and longer (computer) execution time than radial plotting, but is preferable for comparative analysis.

TRACT - See Lot.

       

TRAVEL TRAILER - A portable vehicular structure built on a chassis designed as a temporary dwelling for travel, recreation and vacation use.

USE - An activity or the specific purpose for which land or a building is designed, arranged, intended, or improved on a lot or for which it is or may be occupied or used.

UTILITIES - Those services customarily rendered by public utility corporations, municipalities, or municipal authorities, in the nature of electricity, gas, telephone, water and sewerage, including the appurtenances used in connection with the supplying of such services (buildings, wires, pipes, poles, transformers, and the like). For purposes of this Ordinance, cable television transmission equipment shall be included as a utility.

VARIANCE - Permission, approval or authorization granted by the Zoning Hearing Board, constituting a modification or deviation from the exact provisions of this Ordinance, as applied to a specific property, in accordance with the provisions of Article 22.

VEGETATED ROOF - A vegetated roof is a roof of a building that is at least eighty percent (80%) covered with growing, living vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. Container gardens on roofs, where plants are maintained in pots or containers, are not vegetated roofs for the purposes of this ordinance. The Township shall make the final determination of a roof being a Vegetated Roof based on professionally accepted vegetated green roof standards of design and practice.

VILLAGE RETAIL - The retail sales of goods and commodities in the Village Commercial and Village Commercial-1 districts. This use does not include the sale of items such as automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, farm equipment, boats, motorized recreational vehicles, travel trailers and gasoline. No single use shall occupy a building greater than 4,000 square feet.

VILLAGE SERVICE - A service or repair business in the Village Commercial, Village Commercial-1 and Traditional Neighborhood Commercial Districts including such service businesses as spas, therapeutic massage, yoga and the like as well as traditional service businesses as barber, beautician and tailor, the studio of such arts and crafts persons or artists, photographers, potters and other persons creating homemade articles, repair businesses of such articles as appliances, televisions, shoes, bicycles, and small business machines is included in this use. The use shall not include repair and/or servicing of motor vehicles.

VISUAL RESOURCES - Characteristics of the natural and/or cultural environment that are visible. The visual resources of a particular area are typically expressed in terms of their visibility, character and/or attractiveness relative to their amenity value and/or quality.

WASTE, CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION - All non-hazardous waste building materials, grubbing waste, and rubble resulting from construction, remodeling, repair and demolition operations on houses, commercial buildings and other structures and pavements, and may include certain dredging materials.

WASTE, HAZARDOUS - All waste material contained on the current EPA hazardous waste list.

WASTE, MUNICIPAL - Any garbage, refuse, industrial lunchroom or office waste, and other material including solid, liquid, semi-solid or contained gaseous material resulting from operation of residential, municipal, commercial or institutional establishments and from community activities and any sludge not meeting the definition of residual or hazardous waste (as defined by the Solid Waste Management Act), from a municipal, commercial or institutional water supply treatment plant, waste water treatment plant, or air pollution control facility.

WASTE, RESIDUAL - Any garbage, refuse, other discarded material or waste, semi-solid or contained gaseous materials resulting from industrial, mining and agricultural operations. In addition, of any sludge from an industrial, mining or agricultural operation, or a water supply treatment facility, waste water treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, none of the aforementioned shall be hazardous.

WATERCOURSE An intermittent or perennial stream of water, river, brook, creek or swale identified on USGS (United States Geodetic Survey) or Natural Resources Conservation Services (MRCS) mapping, and/or delineated Waters of the Commonwealth.

WATER FACILITY - Any water works, water supply works, water distribution system or part thereof designed, intended or constructed to provide or distribute potable water.

WETLANDS - The Township definition of Wetlands will conform to either EPA or Army Corps of Engineers, whichever is more restrictive.

WOODLANDS - Those areas one (1) acre or larger containing thirty-five (35) or more trees per acre which are greater than four (4) inches in caliper.

YARD - An open area on a lot extending along a lot line and inward from such line. The minimum dimension of a required yard shall be as provided for each district and shall be measured as the shortest distance between the lot line and a line parallel to such line.

YARD, FRONT - A yard extending the full width of the lot along the front lot line and extending in depth from the front lot line to the building setback line. In the case of corner lots or reverse frontage lots, front yards of the required depth shall be provided along all streets.

YARD, REAR - A yard extending the full width of the lot along the rear lot line and extending in depth from the rear lot line to the building setback line.

YARD, SIDE - A yard extending the full depth of the lot along the side lot line and extending in width from such side lot to the building setback line.

WOODLANDS OR WOODED AREA A tree mass or plant community in which tree species are dominant or co-dominant and the branches of the trees and foliage form at least a 70 percent aerial canopy during the growing season. Any area, grove, or stand of mature or largely mature trees (i.e., larger than six inches caliper) covering an area of one-quarter acre or more, or consisting of ten (10) individual, six (6) inches caliper or larger, shall be considered a woodland. For the purpose of this Ordinance, the extent of any woodland plant community or any part thereof shall be measured from the outer-most dripline of all the trees in the community. Woodlands do not include orchards or old fields (former agricultural fields or pastures where natural succession has been allowed to occur, but where most trees are smaller than six inches caliper)

HEDGEROW A hedgerow is a linear plant community dominated by trees and/or shrubs. Hedgerows often occur along roads, fence lines, property lines, or between fields, and may occur naturally or be specially planted (e.g. as a windbreak). For the purposes of this Ordinance, hedgerows are considered woodlands or wooded areas and regulated as such.

SPECIMEN VEGETATION Individual trees or other vegetation determined to be of specimen quality as determined by a natural resource professional such as, but not limited to a certified landscape architect or arborist or which generally fall within the parameters of the following table shall be protected in accordance with these standards. The examples of specimen trees included in the following table are intended to provide general guidelines and examples of what constitutes a specimen tree. The list is not considered all inclusive:

       **Webmaster's Note: Graphics are not displayed in the glossary frame. The graphic associated with this definition can be found in the ordinance body.

TREE PROTECTION Zone An area that is radial to the trunk of a tree in which no construction activity shall occur. The tree protection zone shall be fifteen (15) feet from the trunk of the tree to be retained, or the distance from the trunk to the dripline, whichever is greater. Where there is a group of trees or woodlands, the tree protection zone shall be the aggregate of the protection zones for the individual trees.

CALIPER - The maximum thickness or diameter of a tree at a specified point. For measuring street trees and trees for buffering and landscaping purposes, caliper measurements shall be taken at a point on the trunk six (6) inches above natural ground line for trees up to four (4) inches in caliper and at a point twelve (12) inches above the natural ground for trees over four (4) inches in caliper. For measuring existing trees to determine whether they are a resource, caliper measurements shall be taken at a point on the trunk four and one half (4 '/2) feet above the natural ground.

DRIPLINE - A generally circular line, the circumference of which is determined by the outer reaches of a tree's widest branching points.

VIABLE VEGETATION Vegetation that is not dead, dying, invasive, non-native or non-indigenous.

INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES Predominantly non-native, non-indigenous, alien tree, shrub, vine, or herbaceous species that grow or reproduce aggressively, usually because they have few or no natural predators, and which can so dominate an ecosystem that they kill off or drive out many indigenous plant species. Invasive trees, shrubs, vines or herbaceous species include, but are not limited to: Norway Maple, Tree-of-Heaven, Paper Mulberry, White Mulberry, Empress Tree, White Poplar, Multiflora Rosa, Japanese Barberry, European Barberry, Autumn Olive, Border Privet, Common Privet, Morrow's Honeysuckle, Tartarian Honeysuckle, Japanese Honeysuckle, Common Buckthorn, Wineberry, Japanese Spiraea, Linden Vibernum, Guelder Rose, Oriental Bittersweet, Leatherleaf Clematis, Mile-a-Minute Weed, Kudzu, Garlic Mustard, Canada Thistle, Crown Vetch, Tall Fescue, Purple Loosestrife, Sweet Clover, Japanese Stilt Grass, Reed Canary Grass, and Johnson Grass.

TREES IN THE RIGHT-OF-WAY All viable vegetation and specimen trees located within the area of the ultimate right-of-way. For the purposes of this Ordinance, trees in the Right-of-Way shall be considered woodlands or wooded areas and regulated as such.

RIPARIAN CORRIDOR CONSERVATION DISTRICT is defined as an overlay district consisting of areas surrounding waterways that intercept surface water runoff, subsurface flow, and deep groundwater flows from upland sources and function to remove or buffer the effects of associated nutrients, sediment, organic matter, pesticides, or other pollutants prior to entry into surface waters. It applies to land adjacent to identified waterways.

NON-CONFORMING BY USE : A lawfully established use of land, building, or structure, which is not a permitted use in the zoning district in which it is located, is nonconforming by use.

NON-CONFORMING LOT OR PARCEL OF LAND BY AREA OR WIDTH : A lot or parcel of land which fails to meet the applicable requirements for area or width, provided that setbacks and other requirements, not involving area or width, including use, shall conform to the regulations for the zoning district in which such lot or parcel of land is located.

NONCONFORMING BUILDING OR STRUCTURE OR LOT OR PARCEL OF LAND BY DIMENSION . A lawfully established building or structure, or lot or parcel of land, not in total compliance with all dimensional regulations for the zoning district in which such lot or parcel of land is located, is nonconforming by dimension. Dimensional regulations include all regulations relating to set-backs, buffer areas and other dimensional restrictions respecting the location of buildings or structures from other features on the lot or parcel of land, such as, by way of example only, septic systems, floodplains or slopes. A building or structure may be partially non-conforming by dimension if a portion of the building or structure violates the dimensional regulations, such as where only a portion of a structure is located within a prescribed set-back.

NONCONFORMING BY NUMBER OF DWELLING UNITS . A lot or parcel of land and/or a building or structure containing more dwelling units than are permitted by the use regulations of this ordinance shall be nonconforming by number of dwelling units. A building or structure containing a permitted number of dwelling units by the use regulations of this zoning ordinance, but not meeting the lot area per dwelling unit regulations, shall be nonconforming by dimension.

NON-CONFORMING USE, STRUCTURE OR DIMENSION BY CONDITIONAL USE, VARIANCE OR SPECIAL EXCEPTION . A nonconforming building, structure, lot or parcel of land, or the use thereof, which exists by virtue of a conditional use, variance or a special exception granted by the Zoning Hearing Board or Board of Supervisors shall not be considered non-conforming for the purposes of this section, and shall not acquire any rights of this section. Any changes, additions, enlargements, expansions, intensifications or changes of such use, lot or parcel of land, structure or dimension, to any use other than a permitted use or other than in complete conformance with this Ordinance, shall require a further variance or special exception from the Zoning Hearing Board, or in the instance of a conditional use, permission from the Board of Supervisors.

MULTIPLE NON-CONFORMITIES . A parcel or lot may be non-conforming with respect to multiple provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. In such event the lot, parcel of land, building or structure shall be considered as meeting the definition of each applicable paragraph (A) (E).

FELLING means the act of cutting a standing tree so that it falls to the ground.

       

FORESTRY means the management of forests and timberlands when practiced in accordance with accepted silvicultural principles, through developing, cultivating, harvesting, transporting and selling trees for commercial purposes, which does not involve any land development. Clear cutting or selective cutting of forest lands for a land use change are excluded from this definition.

LANDING means a place where logs, pulpwood or firewood are assembled for transportation to processing facilities.

LITTER means discarded items not naturally occurring on the site such as tires, oil cans, equipment parts and other rubbish.

LOP means to cut tops and slash into smaller pieces to allow the material to settle close to the ground.

OPERATOR means an individual, partnership, company, firm, association or corporation engaged in timber harvesting, including the agents, subcontractors and employees thereof.

LANDOWNER means an individual partnership, company, firm, association or corporation that is an actual control of forest land, whether such control is based on legal or equitable title, or any other interest entitling the holder to sell or otherwise dispose of any or all of the timber on such land in any manner, and any agents thereof acting on their behalf, such as forestry consultants, who set up and administer timber harvesting.

PRECOMMERCIAL TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENT means a forest practice, such as thinning or pruning, which results in better growth, structure, species composition, or health for the residual stand but which does not yield a net income to the landowner, usually because any trees cut are of poor quality, too small or otherwise of limited marketability or value.

SKIDDING means dragging trees on the ground from the stump to the landing by any means.

       

SLASH means wood debris left in the woods after logging, including lots, chunks, bark, branches, uprooted stumps and broken or uprooted trees or shrubs.

STAND means any area of forest vegetation whose site conditions, past history and current species composition are sufficiently uniform to be managed as a unit.

STREAM means any natural or artificial channel of conveyance for surface water with an annual or intermittent flow within a defined bed and banks.

TIMBER HARVESTING, TREE HARVESTING, OR LOGGING means the process of cutting down trees and removing logs from the forest for the primary purpose of sale or commercial processing into wood products. Clear cutting or selective cutting of forest lands for a land use change are excluded from this definition.

TOP means the upper portion of a felled tree that is unmerchantable because of small size, taper or defect.

WETLAND means 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 area.

PRODUCTION WELL shall mean a well intended to supply two (2) or more residential units with water and/or any individual wen intended to yield or supply a minimum of 10,000 gallons per day.

PERSON shall mean the owner or owners of the premises upon which any activity concerning a production well governed by this Ordinance is to occur and the person or persons conducting such activity.

ACTIVITY shall mean the drilling of a production well, the enlarging of a production well, the conducting of a pump test of the production well, and/or the conducting of a step test of a production well.

SAFE YIELD shall mean the amount of water that can be. removed from the aquifer without exceeding the mount of water that is annually replaced by rainfall and infiltration.

ACCELERATED EROSION The removal of the surface of the land through the combined action of man's activity and the natural processes of a rate greater than would occur because of the natural process alone.

ALLUVIAL SOILS (FLOODPLAIN SOILS) Areas subject to periodic flooding and listed in the Soil Survey of Bucks and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania, U.S. Department of Agricultural Soil Conservation Service as being "on, or in, the floodplain" or subject to flooding.

ALTERATION As applied to land, a change in topography as a result of the moving of soil and rock from one location or position to another; also the changing of surface conditions by causing the surface to be more or less impervious; or earth disturbance.

APPLICANT A landowner or developer who has filed an application for approval to engage in any Regulated Activities as defined in Section 104 of this Ordinance.

AS-BUILT PLAN Plans that are maintained during construction of the project and which document the actual locations of the site improvements. As-built plan must be prepared by a professional land surveyor, landscape architect, or professional engineer licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

BANKFULL The channel at the top of bank or point where water begins to overflow onto a floodplain.

BASE FLOW The portion of stream flow that is sustained by groundwater discharge.

       

BIORENTENTION A stormwater retention area which utilizes woody and herbaceous plants and soils to remove pollutants before infiltration occurs.

BMP (BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE) Activities, facilities, measures or procedures used to manage stormwater impacts from land development, to protect and maintain water quality and groundwater recharge and to otherwise meet the purposes of this Ordinance, to including, but not limited to, infiltration, filter strips, low impact design, biorentention, wet ponds, permeable paving, grassed swales, forested buffers, sand filters, and detention basins.

CHANNEL EROSION The widening, deepening, and headward cutting of channels and waterways, due to erosion caused by moderate to large floods.

CISTERN An underground reservoir or tank for storing rainwater. Conservation District Bucks County Conservation District. County Bucks County

CULVERT A pipe, conduit, or similar structure including appurtenant works which conveys surface water under or through an embankment or fill.

DAM An artificial barrier, together with its appurtenant works, constructed for the purpose of impounding or storing water or another fluid or semifluid, or a refuse bank, fill or structure for highway, railroad, or other purposes which does or may impound water or another fluid or semifluid.

DEP The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Department The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

DESIGN PROFESSIONAL (QUALIFIED) A Professional Engineer, Landscape Architect, or a Professional Land Surveyor licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and trained to develop stormwater management plans.

DESIGN STORM The magnitude and temporal distribution of precipitation from a storm event measured in probability of occurrence (e.g. 50-year storm) and duration (e.g. 24-hours), used in the design and evaluation of stormwater management systems.

DESIGNEE The agent of the governing body involved with the administration, review, or enforcement of any provisions of this Ordinance by contract or memorandum of understanding.

DETENTION BASIN An impoundment structure designed to manage stormwater runoff by temporarily storing the runoff and releasing it at a predetermined rate.

DETENTION DISTRICT Those subareas in which some type of detention is required to meet the plan requirements and goals of Act 167.

DEVELOPER A person, partnership, association, corporation, or other entity, or any responsible person therein or agent thereof, that undertakes any regulated activity of this Ordinance.

DEVELOPMENT Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate including, but not limited to, the construction or placement of buildings or other structures, mobile homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging, filling, grading, excavation, or drilling operations, and the subdivision of land.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN The provisions for development including a planned residential development, 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 development plan" when used in this Ordinance shall mean the written and graphic materials referred to in this definition.

DEVELOPMENT SITE The specific tract of land for which a regulated activity is proposed.

       

DIFFUSED DRAINAGE DISCHARGE Drainage discharge not confined to a single point location or channel, such as sheet flow or shallow concentrated flew.

DISTURBED AREAS Unstabilized land area where an earth disturbance activity is occurring or has occurred.

DOWNSLOPE PROPERTY LINE That portion of the property line of the lot, tract, or parcels of land being developed where all overland or pipe flow from the proposed development is directed.

DOWNSTREAM HYDRAULIC CAPACITY ANALYSIS Any downstream capacity hydraulic analysis conducted in accordance with this Ordinance shall use the following criteria for determining adequacy for accepting increased peak flow rates:

       1. Natural or man-made channels or swales must be able to convey the increased rate of runoff associated with a 2-year return period event within their banks at velocities consistent with protection of the channels from erosion. Acceptable velocities shall be based upon criteria included in the DEP Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program Manual.

       2. Natural or man-made channels or swales must be able to convey the increased 25year return period rate of runoff without creating any hazard to persons or property.

       3. Culverts, bridges, storm sewers or any other facilities which must pass or convey flows from the tributary area must be designed in accordance with DEP, Chapter 105 regulations (if applicable) and, at a minimum, pass the increased 25-year, return period rate of runoff.

       4. No new channels or conveyance facilities shall be authorized by this language.

DRAINAGE CONVEYANCE FACILITY A stormwater management facility designed to transmit stormwater runoff which shall include streams, channels, swales, pipes, conduits, culverts, storm sewers, etc.

DRAINAGE EASEMENT A right granted by a landowner to a grantee, allowing the use of private land for stormwater management purposes.

DRY POND (DRY EXTENDED DETENTION POND) Dry extended detention ponds do not maintain a permanent pool between storm events. Outlets are designed to detain the volume of a water quality design storm for a minimum (usually 48 hours) to allow for the settling of particles and associated pollutants. In addition, dry extended detention ponds provide flood control by including additional temporary storage for peak flows above the dead storage. Extended detention ponds are also capable of managing smaller floods that contribute to channel erosion problems and occur more frequently than the annual or 2-year flood.

EARTH DISTURBANCE A construction or other human activity which disturbs and destabilizes the surface of the land including, but not limited to, clearing and grubbing, grading, excavations, embankments, land development, road maintenance, and the moving, depositing, stockpiling or storing of soil, rock or earth materials.

EMERGENCY SPILLWAY A conveyance area that is used to pass peak discharge greater than the maximum design storm controlled by the stormwater facility.

ENGINEER A licensed professional civil engineer registered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

EROSION The process by which the surface of the land, including channels, is worn away by water, wind or chemical action.

EROSION AND SEDIMENT POLLUTION CONTROL PLAN A site-specific plan identifying the BMPs to minimize accelerated erosion and sedimentation, pursuant to 25 Pa Code Chapter 102.

EXCEPTIONAL VALUE WATERS Surface waters of high quality which satisfy Pennsylvania Code Title 25 Environmental Protection, Chapter 93 Water Quality Standards, §93.4b(b) (relating to antidegradation).

EXISTING CONDITIONS The initial condition of a project site prior to the proposed construction. Farm field, disturbed earth, or undeveloped cover conditions of a site or portions of a site used for modeling purposes, shall be considered "meadow" unless the natural groundcover generates lower curve numbers or Rational "C" value, such as forested land. Existing man-made impervious surfaces shall be considered as "meadow" when developing "cover complex" calculations.

FLOOD A general but temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of streams, rivers, and other waters of this commonwealth.

FLOODPLAIN Any land area susceptible to inundation by water from any natural source or delineated as a special flood hazard area on the applicable National Flood Insurance Program Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Also included are areas that comprise Group 13 Soils, as listed in Appendix A of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Technical Manual for Sewage Enforcement Officers (as amended or replaced from time to time by PADEP).

FLOODWAY The channel of the watercourse and those portions of the adjoining floodplains that are reasonably required to carry and discharge the 100-year frequency flood. Unless otherwise specified, the boundary of the floodway is as indicated on maps and flood insurance studies provided by FEMA. In an area where no FEMA maps or studies have defined the boundary of the 100-year frequency floodway, it is assumedabsent evidence to the contrary-that the floodway extends from the stream to 50 feet from the top of the bank of the stream.

FREEBOARD A vertical distance between the elevation of the design high-water and the top of a dam, levee, tank, basin, or diversion ridge. The space is required as a safety margin in a pond or basin.

GEOLOGIST A licensed professional geologist registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

GRADE The slope of a street, other public way, land area, drainage facility or pipe specified in percent.

GRASSED WATERWAY A natural or constructed waterway, usually broad and shallow, covered with erosion-resistant grasses, used to conduct surface water.

GROUNDWATER RECHARGE Replenishment of natural underground water supplies.

       

HEC-HMS The US Army Corps of Engineers, Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) Hydrologic Modeling System (HMS).

HIGH QUALITY WATERS Surface waters having quality which exceeds levels necessary to support propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and recreation in and on the water by satisfying Pennsylvania Code Title 25 Environmental Protection, Chapter 93, Water Quality Standards, §93.4b(a).

HYDRIC SOIL A soil that is saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season to develop an anaerobic condition in the upper part.

HYDROLOGIC REGIME (NATURAL) The hydrologic cycle or balance that sustains quality and quantity of stormwater, baseflow, storage, and groundwater supplies under the natural conditions.

HYDROLOGIC SOIL GROUP A classification of soils by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, formerly the Soil Conservation Service, into four runoff potential groups. The groups range from A soils, which are very permeable and produce little runoff, to D soils, which are not very permeable and produce much more runoff.

HYETOGRAPH A graphical representation of average rainfall, rainfall excess rates, or volumes over specified areas during successive units of time during a storm.

IMPERVIOUS SURFACE Impervious surfaces are those surfaces which do not absorb precipitation and surface water. All buildings, parking areas, driveways, roads, sidewalks, swimming pools, and any areas containing concrete, asphalt, packed stone, compacted soils, or other equivalent surfaces (not designed as a BMP), shall be considered impervious within this definition. In addition, other areas determined by the Township Engineer to be impervious within the meaning of this definition will be classified as impervious surfaces.

IMPOUNDMENT A retention or detention basin designed to retain stormwater runoff and release it at a controlled rate.

INFILTRATION STRUCTURES A structure designed to direct runoff into the ground (e.g. french drains, seepage pits, seepage trench, biofiltration swale, infiltration basins).

INLET A surface connection to a closed drain. A structure at the diversion end of a conduit. The upstream end of any structure through which water may flow.

LAND DEVELOPMENT - Any of the following activities:

       

       1. The improvement of one (1) or two (2) or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving:

       A. A group of two (2) or more residential or nonresidential buildings, whether purposed initially or cumulatively, or a single nonresidential building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or tenure; or

       B. 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.

       2. A subdivision of land.

       3. "Land development" does not include development which involves:

       A. The conversion of an existing single family detached dwelling or single family semi-detached dwelling into not more than three (3) residential units, unless such units are intended to be a condominium;

       B. The addition of a residential accessory building, including farm building, on a lot or lots subordinate to an existing principal building; or

       C. The addition or conversion of buildings or rides within the confines of an enterprise which would be considered an amusement park. For the purposes of this subsection, an amusement park is defined as a tract or area used principally as a location for permanent amusement structures or rides. This exclusion shall not apply to newly acquired acreage by an amusement park until initial plans for the expanded area have been approved by the proper authorities.

LAND/EARTH DISTURBANCE Any activity involving grading, tilling, digging, or filling of ground or stripping of vegetation or any other activity that causes an alteration to and destabilization of the natural condition of the land.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT A person who engages or offers to engage in the practice of landscape architecture in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the authority of the Landscape Architects Registration Law (63 P.S. §§ 901-913).

LIMIT OF EARTH DISTURBANCE The perimeter of earth disturbance on a site.

       

LIMITING ZONE A soil horizon or condition in the soil profile or underlying strata which includes one of the following:

       (i) A seasonal high water table, whether perched or regional, determined by direct observation of the water table or indicated by soil mottling.

       (ii) A rock with open joints, fracture or solution channels, or masses of loose rock fragments, including gravel, with insufficient fine soil to fill the voids between the fragments.

       (iii) A rock formation, other stratum or soil condition which is so slowly permeable that is effectively limits downward passage of effluent.

MAIN STEM (MAIN CHANNEL) Any stream segment or other runoff conveyance facility used as a reach in the watershed hydrologic model.

MANNING EQUATION (MANNING FORMULA) A method for calculation of velocity of flow (e.g., feet per second) and flow rate (e.g., cubic feet per second) in open channels based upon channel shape, roughness, depth of flow and slope. "Open channels" may include closed conduits when the flow is not under pressure.

MUNICIPALITY Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

       

NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION Pollution that enters a watery body from diffuse origins in the watershed and does not result from discernible, confined, or discrete conveyances.

NRCS Natural Resource Conservation Service (previously SCS).

       

OPEN CHANNEL A drainage element in which stormwater flows with an open surface. Open channels include, but shall not be limited to, natural and man-made drainageways, swales, streams, ditches, canals, and pipes flowing partly full.

OUTFALL Point where water flows from a conduit, stream, or drain.

       

PARENT TRACT The parcel of land from which a land development or subdivision originates as of the date of adoption of this Ordinance.

PEAK DISCHARGE The maximum rate of stormwater runoff from a specific storm event.

       

PENN STATE RUNOFF MODEL (CALIBRATED) The computer-based hydrologic modeling technique adapted to the watershed for the Act 167 Plan. The model has been "calibrated" to reflect actual recorded flow values by adjoining key model input parameters.

PERMANENTLY PRESERVED LAND A parcel or tract of land that is subject to a recorded conservation easement, in perpetuity, in a manner acceptable to the Township

PERSON An individual, partnership, association, corporation or other entity.

       

PIPE A culvert, closed conduit, or similar structure (including appurtenances) that conveys stormwater.

PLANNING COMMISSION The Planning Commission of Solebury Township.

       

PMF (PROBABLE MAXIMUM FLOOD) The flood that may be expected from the most severe combination of critical meteorologic and hydrologic conditions that are reasonably possible in any area. The PMF is derived from the probable maximum precipitation (PMP) as determined on the basis of data obtained from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

PRETREATMENT Techniques employed in stormwater BMPs to provide storage or filtering to trap coarse materials and other pollutants before they enter the stormwater management or infiltration system.

PROJECT SITE The specific tract of land where any regulated activity in the Township is planned, conducted or maintained.

RATIONAL FORMULA A rainfall-runoff relation used to estimate peak flow.

       

RECHARGE AREA Undisturbed surface area or depression where stormwater collects, and a portion of which infiltrates and replenishes the underground and groundwater.

RECHARGE VOLUME A calculated volume of stormwater runoff from impervious areas which is required to be infiltrated at a site and may be achieved through use of structural or non-structural BMPs.

REGULATED ACTIVITIES Any activity to which this Ordinance is applicable pursuant to Section 104 of this Ordinance.

RELEASE RATE The percentage of predevelopment peak rate of runoff from a site or subarea to which the post development peak rate of runoff must be reduced to protect downstream areas.

RETENTION BASIN A basin designed to retain stormwater runoff so that a permanent pool is established.

RETURN PERIOD The average interval, in years, within which a storm event of a given magnitude can be expected to recur. For example, the 25-year return period rainfall would be expected to recur on the average once every 25 years.

RISER A vertical pipe extending from the bottom of a pond that is used to control the discharge rate from the pond for a specified design storm.

RUNOFF Any part of precipitation that flows over the land surface.

       

SEDIMENT BASIN A barrier, dam, or retention or detention basin located and designed to retain rock, sand, gravel, silt, or other material transported by water.

SEDIMENT POLLUTION The placement, discharge or any other introduction of sediment into the Waters of the Commonwealth.

SEDIMENTATION The process by which mineral or organic matter is accumulated or deposited by the movement of water.

SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM A system of pipes, open channels, streets, and other conveyances intended to carry stormwater runoff.

SHEET FLOW Runoff that flows over the ground surface as a thin, even layer, not concentrated in a channel.

SOIL-COVER COMPLEX METHOD A method of runoff computation developed by the NRCS that is based on relating soil type and land use/cover to a runoff parameter called a Curve Number (CN).

SOIL GROUP, HYDROLOGIC A classification of soils by the NRCS into four runoff potential groups. The groups range from A soils, which are very permeable and produce little runoff, to D soils, which are not very permeable and produce much more runoff.

SOIL SCIENTIST An individual trained to observe and identify soil properties that can be used to determine such things as depth to seasonal high water table, soil permeability, potential productivity, and other potentially use- limiting soil features.

SURVEYOR An individual licensed and registered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to engage in the practice of land surveying.

STORAGE INDICATION METHOD A reservoir routing procedure based on solution of the continuity equation (inflow minus outflow equals the change in storage) with outflow defined as a function of storage volume and depth.

STORM FREQUENCY The number of times that a given storm event occurs or is exceeded on the average in a stated period of years. Refer "Return Period."

STORM SEWER A system of pipes and/or open channels that convey intercepted runoff and stormwater from other sources, but excludes domestic sewage and industrial wastes.

STORMWATER The total amount of precipitation reaching the ground surface.

       

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FACILITY Any structure, natural or man-made, that, due to its condition, design, or construction, conveys, stores, or otherwise affects stormwater runoff. Typical stormwater management facilities include, but are not limited to, detention and retention basins, open channels, storm sewers, pipes, infiltration structures, and other BMPs.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PERMIT A permit issued by the township governing body after the drainage plan has been approved. Said permit is issued prior to or with the final township approval.

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN The plan for managing stormwater runoff within the Township adopted as required by the Act of October 4, 1978, P.L. 864, (Act 167).

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SITE PLAN The plan prepared by the Developer or his engineer indicating how stormwater runoff will be managed at the particular site of interest according to this Ordinance.

STREAM Rivers, creeks, springs, and other watercourses containing water at least on a seasonal basis during an average water year. The term "stream" shall include the following:

SPRINGS OR SEEPS The point where groundwater discharges to become surface water.

       

STREAM, EPHEMERAL A reach of stream that flows only during and for short periods following precipitation, and flows in low areas that may or may not be a well defined channel. Ephemeral stream beds are located above the water table year-round. Groundwater is not a source of water for the stream. Some commonly used names for ephemeral streams include: stormwater channel, drain, swale, gully, dry stream channel, hollow, or saddle. The term often used interchangeably with intermittent stream but the difference is in the length of time of continuous flow (less than one month per year).

STREAM, HEADWATER The beginning reach of a stream that collects water from springs and seeps and provides a hydrologic connection to a perennial stream. These channels may be ill defined and may move from year to year depending upon groundwater input, snowmelt, and runoff, but are typified by hydric soils and hydric vegetation.

STREAM, INTERMITTENT A reach of stream that flows only during wet periods of the year (30% - 90% of the time) and flows in a continuous well-defined channel. During dry periods, especially in summer months, intermittent streams may go down to a trickle of water and make it appear dry, when in fact there is water flowing through the stream bottom or "substrate". This is usually caused by the seasonal changes of the local soil water table or during periods of long-term drought.

STREAM, PERENNIAL A body of water in a channel that flows throughout a majority of the year in a defined channel and is capable, in the absence of pollution, drought, or manmade stream disturbances, of supporting a benthic macroinvertebrate community that is composed of two or more recognizable taxonomic groups of organisms, large enough to be seen by the unaided eye and can be retained by a U.S. Standard No. 30 sieve (28 meshs per inch, 0.595 mm openings) and live at least part of their life cycles within or upon available substrates in a body of water or water transport system. A perennial stream can have Q7-10 flow of zero. For the purposes of this document, a perennial stream includes lakes and ponds.

STREAM ENCLOSURE A bridge, culvert or other structure in excess of 100 feet in length upstream to downstream which encloses a regulated water of this commonwealth.

SUBAREA The smallest drainage unit of a watershed for which stormwater management criteria have been established in the stormwater management plan.

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, 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 ten acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or any residential dwellings, shall be exempt.

SWALE A low-lying stretch of land which gathers or carries surface water runoff.

       

TIME OF CONCENTRATION (TC) The time for surface runoff to travel from the hydraulically most distant point of the watershed to a point of interest within the watershed. This time is the combined total of overland flow time and flow time in pipes or channels, if any.

TOWNSHIP ENGINEER A professional engineer licensed as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and appointed by the Township pursuant to Article V of the Second Class Township Code.

TOWNSHIP Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

TRIBUTARY AREA The portion of a watershed that contributes runoff to a particular point in that watershed.

VOLUMETRIC RUNOFF COEFFICIENT A variable indicative of stormwater runoff volume and dependent on the impervious coverage for a site.

WATER QUALITY VOLUME A calculated volume of stormwater runoff from impervious areas which is required to be captured and treated at a site and may be achieved through use of structural or non-structural BMPs.

WATERCOURSE An intermittent, ephemeral or perennial stream of water, river, brook, creek, or swale identified on USGS or SCS mapping; and/or delineated Waters of the Commonwealth.

WATER QUALITY REQUIREMENTS As defined under state regulations protection of designated and existing uses (Refer 25 Pa Code Chapters 93 and 96):

       a. Each stream segment in Pennsylvania has a "designated use, such as "cold water fishery" or "potable water supply", which are listed in Chapter 93 These uses must be protected and maintained, under state regulations.

       b. "Existing uses" are those attained as of November, 1975, regardless whether they have been designated in Chapter 93. Land development must be designed to protect and maintain existing uses and maintain the level of water quality necessary to protect those uses in all streams, and to protect and maintain water quality in special protection streams.

       c. .Water quality involves the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics of surface water bodies. After land development, these characteristics can be impacted by addition of pollutants such as sediment, and changes in habitat through increased flow volumes and/or rates. Therefore, discharge to surface waters must be designed and managed to protect the streambank, streambed, and structural integrity of the waterway, to prevent these impacts.

WATERSHED Region or area bounded peripherally by water parting and draining to a particular watercourse or body of water.

WATERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH Any and all rivers, streams, creeks, rivulets, impoundments, ditches, watercourses, storm sewers, lakes, dammed water, wetlands, ponds, springs, and all other bodies or channels of conveyance of surface and underground water, or parts thereof, whether natural or artificial, within or on the boundaries of this Commonwealth.

WET POND (WET EXTENDED DETENTION POND) A wet extended pond combines the pollutant removal effectiveness of a permanent pool of water with the flow reduction capabilities of an extended storage volume.

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, including swamps, marshes, bogs, ferns, and similar areas.

WETLAND DELINEATION The onsite method or process for identifying wetlands. Wetlands must be delineated by a qualified specialist according to the 1989 Federal Manuals (as amended) for the Delineation of Jurisdictional Wetlands (whichever is greater) or according to any subsequent Federal or State regulation. Qualified specialist shall include those persons being Certified Professional Soil Scientists as registered with Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy Crops and Soils (ARCPACS); or as contained on consultant's list of Pennsylvania Association of Professional Soil Scientists (PAPSS); or as registered with National Society of Consulting Soil Scientists (NSCSS), or as certified by State and/or Federal certification programs; or by a qualified Biologist/Ecologist.

BMP (BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE) Activities, facilities, measures or procedures used to manage stormwater impacts from land development, to protect and maintain water quality and groundwater recharge and to otherwise meet the purposes of this Ordinance, to including, but not limited to, infiltration, filter strips, low impact design, bioretention, wet ponds, permeable paving, grassed swales, forested buffers, sand filters, and detention basins.

DEVELOPMENT Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate including, but not limited to, the construction or placement of buildings or other structures, mobile homes, streets and other paving utilities, mining, dredging, filling, grading, excavation, or drilling operations, and the subdivision of land.

EARTH DISTURBANCE A construction or other human activity which disturbs and destabilizes the surface of the land including, but not limited to, clearing and grubbing, grading, excavations, embankments, land development, road maintenance, and the moving, depositing, stockpiling or storing of soil, rock or earth materials.

EROSION Process by which the surface of land, including channels, is worn away by water, wind or chemical action.

EROSION AND SEDIMENT POLLUTION CONTROL (E&S) PLAN A site-specific plan identifying the BMPs to minimize accelerated erosion and sedimentation, pursuant to 25 Pa Code Chapter 102.

EXISTING GRADE Vertical elevation of the ground surface prior to earthmoving. Finished Grade Final vertical elevation of the ground after development.

GRADE Slope of a street, other public way, land area, drainage facility, or pipe specified in percent.

GRADING PERMIT The permit required to be obtained prior to earth disturbance in connection with the conduct of activities regulated by this Ordinance.

LIMIT OF DISTURBANCE The perimeter of earth disturbance on site.

       

NATURAL GROUND SURFACE Ground surface in its original state before any earth disturbance.

PARCEL All contiguous land under single and separate ownership.

       

PERMANENT VEGETATION Ground cover establishing a 75% vegetated cover to control soil erosion and to survive severe weather conditions.

PERMIT A Grading Permit.

       

PERMITEE Any person to whom a Grading Permit is issued.

       

PERSON Any individual, association, trust, partnership or corporation, including any members, directors, officers, employees, partners or principals thereof. Whenever used in any clause prescribing and imposing a penalty, person includes the members, trustees, partners, directors, officers, managers and supervisors, or any of them, of partnerships, associations, corporations or other form of entity.

       

SITE A parcel or parcels of land intended to have one or more buildings or intended to be subdivided into two or more lots.

SLOPE The face of embankment or cut section; any ground whose surface makes an angle with the plane of the horizon. Slopes are expressed in a percentage based upon vertical distance in feet per 100 feet of horizontal distance.

STRIPPING Any activity which removes the vegetative surface cover, including tree removal; and the clearing and storage or removal of topsoil.

WATERCOURSE An ephemeral, intermittent or perennial stream of water, river, brook, creek, or swale identified on USGS or SCS mapping; and/or delineated Waters of the Commonwealth.